[DeTomaso] Bill's Pantera - thanks John

Rob Dumoulin rob at dumoulins.net
Thu Nov 4 12:19:50 EDT 2010


Dan (and forum),

#1488 had a home-made dropped floor pan on the driver side when I got it.
 Somebody just made the cuts, bent down the floor, and welded sides and
backs to it.  I'm confident it is safe.  I purchased the passenger side drop
pan from Wilkensons and just have not installed it yet. Before I cut the old
pan, I need to figure out how the parking brake fits into the equation.

Do I just cut out the area around the parking brake?
Has anybody reduced the forward facing/passenger side corner of the parking
brake box to add more seat space?
Should I wait until I reduce my firewall hump to mount the seats?

Any advice on the best way to install one of these is greatly appreciated.

Rob

On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 2:53 PM, Daniel C Jones <daniel.c.jones2 at gmail.com>wrote:

> > After two 600 mile trips to Santa Fe from OK sitting on the stock seats,
> > I had to switch to the MUCH better Corvette seats. Long distance is no
> > longer a problem.  I highly recommend them.
>
> Last week I installed dropped floor pans in the white Pantera.  In the red
> Pantera, I sprung for a set of Gary's Corvette seats when I did the dropped
> pans.  Both Panteras have Kirk's 3" drop, full width, pans.  In the white,
> I've kept the stock (1974) seats which maximize headroom.  Both seats are
> original but are low mileage passenger side units with plenty of foam
> cushion.
> Last year, Mike McDougal and I drove our Panteras down to Springfield, MO.
> When we stopped to get gas, as Mike got out of his '72 pre-L, he was
> clearly
> in pain.  I checked the seat foam in his and it was practically
> non-existent.
> He was sitting on the steel framework of the seat, not the foam cushion.
> He's since re-covered his seats and had the shop install new foam of
> various
> densities and finds them much improved.
>
> I just returned from an 800 mile round trip and find the stock seats
> comfortable
> but haven't done a back-to-back with the 'vette seats.  I no longer have to
> slouch forward in the seat to clear the roof.  The headliner is out of the
> car
> and my hair just brushes the roof when I sit fully upright.  I'm still
> debating
> whether or not to install dynamat sound deadening in the roof when I
> install
> the new headliner.  I'm 6' 5" with a 36" inseam and can now extend my left
> leg
> past the clutch pedal until it's straight.  On long trips, the least
> comfortable
> thing is having to keep the right leng bent to work the accelerator pedal.
> A spacer plate on the pedal bracket would reduce the angle of the leg bend
> but I think the car needs cruise control.  That would allow me to extend
> the
> right leg, too.  Also, the seat needs a longer headrest brackets to put the
> pad
> behind my head.
>
> The sills are sloped and the passenger side seat is offset towards the sill
> so it can clear the parking brake.  With the dropped pans, the outside edge
> of
> the passenger seat rubs on the sill, even with no sound deadening or
> carpeting.
> I cut the spacers off both old pans and stacked them under the passenger
> seat
> rails to raise the seat and it still rubs.  I think some re-shaping of the
> seat
> is in order.  Swapping the seat rails so the adjustment lever is near
> the console
> may be worthwhile.  A bulkhead reduction kit would be nice, too.
>
> Dan Jones
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-- 
Rob DuMoulin
904.476.8744
rob at dumoulins.net



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