[DeTomaso] Pantera near disaster Warning!! way too long!

boyd casey boyd411 at gmail.com
Sun Aug 22 13:11:31 EDT 2010


I have prefaced many off my posts by stating "I am not a mechanic" I started
building custom Harley Davidsons when I was 17 but once I started wearing a
suit to work and cars got computerized the only tool I used was my check
book. Buying my Pantera ( almost three years ago) got me involved with
working on my car. I enjoy it (to a degree) because provides a total escape
from what ever else may be on my mind. I am able to totally immerse myself
in learning about the project I am working on. Although removing and
rebuilding the suspension of a Pantera is not a particularly complex
undertaking it was a first for me as was installing a new brake system  and
CV joints. It has been a learning experience ( sometimes an expensive one)
and I have learned not to use an impact wrench to tighten lug nuts! I am
supposed to be picking up my repaired wheel today and the hub and hat will
be here in a few days and I should have the car back together by this time
next week ( if murphy takes the week off) As I said in my first post I
consider my self lucky to be alive and the inconvenience and monetary
expense is insignificant in the big picture. I did find two of the broken
studs remaining bases and I will take pictures of them and post them so if
anyone who is knowledgeable in metallurgy cares to venture a guess as to the
cause of their failure I would be happy to hear their opinion. Anyway based
on my experience level I would not be the least bit surprised if the failure
was due to "operator error" the operator being yours truly. This event will
probably go down along with some of  the other great mysteries of our time ,
like the Hindenburg disaster or the loss of the flight of Avengers in the
Bermuda triangle. Granted this is a much less notable event but it will
probably remain just as big a mystery. In defense of the parts made by
German Auto /SACO everyone that has seen them has been impressed by their
quality of manufacture  and their design . The people I am speaking off
include a professor of engineering from MIT, a friend who works for GM as a
service trouble shooter and who's father owns a top fuel dragster and sees
the best and most expensive automotive parts available on a regular basis, a
friend who has owned several automotive repair businesses over a period of
30 years and owned a company that fabricated and repaired turbo chargers (
devices that require a high degree of precision engineering and strength)he
also owned and raced several sprint cars and the member of my car club that
owns the shop that allowed me to use his facilities to work on my car. He
has 37 years of experience as a mechanic (starting in the air force working
on aircraft) and now owns a shop that does custom fabrication of motorcycles
, custom cars and classic restorations.  None of the parts that were
manufactured or used in the fabrication of this modification failed ( except
the studs). Two studs broke and one pulled through the hub shearing off the
flange on the stud (the hub did not fail) The axles, hub, and bearing
assembly are extremely well made and if anything they are"over built" The CV
joints are from a Porsche 930 Turbo, the bearing assembly is used in racing
sand rails ( and is not manufactured by German, it is an off the shelf
racing part) And the idea that this design is "home made " and "Hobbled
together" is ludicrous!. It is beautifully designed and much better thought
out then the original Pantera rear riser design. The bearing assembly is
much more substantial and is sealed and enclosed. You do not need to remove
the riser to have the bearing pressed out. The design is beautiful in it's
simplicity and looks like a work of art in the quality of it's manufacture
it looks like a piece of modern sculpture. Since I have the riser partially
disassembled I am going to take some photos of the interior design which I
don't think have been shown anywhere yet. These will serve to illustrate not
only how well though out the design is but it will also show the quality of
the machine work and they parts used.
 The one thing I have learned in the time I have owned my Pantera that is
indisputable is that our little community is made up of some great people.
Everyone that wrote to me in regards to this incident first mentioned that
they were glad I hadn't been killed or injured. In addition despite the
substantial probability that this event was the result of an error on my
part no one said "Your a moron it's your fault!" I thought this was very
kind because i was already feeling bad enough and had ample concern that
this was in some way my fault. Some one once told me "when you point a
finger at someone, you have three pointing back at you"
(point your index finger at something and look at the palm of your hand and
you will see what he meant. ) So in spite of the fact that I had suspicions
about what the alignment tech may have done or not done I would not be
comfortable making accusations based on supposition. I would rather bite the
bullet and bear the entire expense myself then sully the good name of a
person that may be entirely with out fault. If I had been there to witness
his work it would be a different story. I am not afraid of a good fight to
stand up for my rights or to correct a tort I suffered as a result of
someone else's actions. Some people are happy to find someone else to blame
or to cover the cost of any loss they incur. I would rather pay ten times
then try to hang the blame on an innocent person. ( If it were an insurance
company I would be willing to go with "reasonable doubt") but not with an
individual and his lively hood. So thanks again to everyone for their "well
wishes" Even Mad Dawg half way around the world dropped me a note to say he
was glad I was ok and he didn't even call me a "slacker" Coming from Mad
Dawg that's the equivalent of High Praise and I really appreciate it. Thanks
Dawg! And thanks again to everyone for your concern and advice it is truly
appreciated.

P.S.
 If anyone needs someone to work on their pit crew changing tires I am
available! and the studs and lug nuts were both 12mm x 1.5 RH thread. The
studs were made from 10.9 steel is that the correct grade? I remember
reading a post recently about the mistaken
misapplication of 10.9 when it should have been 8.8 ( I don't remember what
the application was) but I seem to  remember that the 10.9 was good for
tensile strength but not shearing resistance do I remember it correctly?)



More information about the DeTomaso mailing list