[DeTomaso] Grp IV Clone on Ebay
Charles Engles
cengles at cox.net
Sun Apr 17 08:29:11 EDT 2011
Dear Barry,
Perhaps it should be understood that......AFTER restoration of
the burned hulk with sheetmetal transplants from another Pantera and AFTER
acid dipping and chassis reinforcements and painting and being ever so
slightly stressed at triple digit racing speeds innumerable times, then
there is "no rust, never damaged or bent"?? :-)
It may be a junkyard dog, but it is a wonderfully fast and
effective junkyard dog!
Warmest regards, Chuck Engles
-----Original Message-----
From: B. Seib [mailto:oldwheel at shaw.ca]
Sent: Saturday, April 16, 2011 11:50 PM
To: Jack DeRyke; bflesland at gmail.com; Charles Engles; Drew, Mike;
DetomasoList; Charles McCall
Subject: [DeTomaso] Grp IV Clone on Ebay
It MUST be a different car. The ebay description clearly says:
<Body had no rust ever, never damaged or bent,>
Barry
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MikeLDrew at aol.com MikeLDrew at aol.com
Sat Apr 16 18:05:02 CDT 2011
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In a message dated 4/16/11 9 28 41, charlesmccall at gmail.com writes:
> IT's Wally Baldyga's Pantera, which is in fact fairly well known. I've
> read
> about it in past PI and POCA magazines and should be known to NE Pantera
> owners.
>
Here is the story of its construction, written by Andy DiFatta, published
in the Spring 1995 POCA Profiles:
====
This is a conglomeration of a series of articles on the creation of a
purpose-built Pantera race car which first appeared in the Pantera Owners of
the
Northeast (PONE) newsletter. Although I have the mechanical knowledge of a
goldfish, I'll do my best to describe the technical aspects of building the
vehicle. My efforts will also test the saying that a picture is worth
1,000 words. After all, why should you struggle trying to comprehend my
ramblings on car construction when a photo will probably give you far more
insight?
GENESIS
In the beginning, there were raw materials, energy, knowledge, limited
funds, and unlimited enthusiasm. With these ingredients in hand, a desire
was
expressed, a concept honed, and the PONE EXPRESS Race Car Project officially
launched in October of 1993.
Just as the Phoenix bird rises out of its own ashes, our Pantera race car
rose from the ashes to become a mighty track warrior. The base vehicle was
the victim of a garage fire before being acquired by that noted wrecked
Pantera collector, Wally Baldyga. I guess beauty is truly in the eyes of
the
beholder. Anyhow, Wally says that the car was burned from the outside in,
rather than the inside out. (I haven't a clue as to why that's important!)
Those of you that were fortunate enough to attend Wally's last two cookouts
may remember seeing the shell in Wally's lower garage. A second wreck was
also cannibalized to replaced badly damaged structural components and the
roof. The motor is based on an Australian block Cleveland. Its
transformation into a killer race motor will be covered in a future story.
Once the
basic elements were gathered, it was time to initiate the project by
bringing the car to the chemical stripping facility.
THE BIG DIPPER (or, Tanks for the Memories)
To the casual observer, a garage fire and years of neglect and exposure to
the elements had resulted in a useless, worthless, rusted-out Pantera shell.
One man's pile of junk, however, was a treasure to Wally Baldyga.
Wally knew that the car (seen in photo #1) could be resurrected. With
Gary Archambault's unquenchable thirst for speed and Patrick Mical's vast
technical knowledge, these three men became the nucleus of the team that
formed
to work this miracle.
Because there was rust everywhere on the body and chassis (see photo #2),
it was decided to have the car "dipped" to remove all traces of corrosion.
Patrick had used the hot tank alkaline stripping process on several
restorations including Koji Kubota's yellow GT5-S with outstanding results.
The
shell was brought to Metal Strip of New England in Worcester, MA to be
treated.
The process takes three to four weeks and starts with immersing the shell
in a tank of solvent to remove any paint, undercoating, and body filler.
Next the shell is washed and then placed in a heated tank containing a
strong
alkaline solution through which an electric current is continually passed.
This eats all traces of rust from the car-where you can see it and where
you can't-between seams and inside frame rails!
When finished, the now rust-free shell is chemically treated to neutralize
the alkaline solution and sprayed with a rust preventative to keep it that
way. What you end up with is bare metal ready for primer or holes that
tell
you where you need to weld fresh metal in. When it comes time to restore
your Pantera and you want to be sure the car is rust-free and will stay that
way, and you want to be sure there are no structural weaknesses, this is
the way to go. It's not cheap, figure around $2,000, but the results are
well worth it in the long run.
Wally, Don Castonguay, and I were on hand when the shell was taken out of
the tank for the last time and washed down. Ready Strip is an interesting
place to visit, but I wouldn't recommend taking a date there. As we were
loading the shell into Wally's trailer, it was evident even to my
inexperienced eyes that the back of the shell was beyond salvation.
Wally was way ahead of me and already had a replacement rear clip ready to
be dipped. We took the shell back to Wally's to be installed on Patrick's
custom-made rotary chassis jig. Bolted to the car's chassis pickup
points, the jig ensures that everything stays in alignment when the back
clip is
cut off and the replacement welded onto the monocoque.
The Australian block 351C destined to become the heart and soul of the PONE
Express race car had started on its trip to "horsepower heaven." The
heads were reconditioned by Mike Piedmont at Auto Mechanic in South Windsor,
CN. Wally planned to stay with the installed solid lifters and go with new
valves, springs, and guides along with an aluminum water pump.
At this point, Wally, Gary, and Patrick had the project rolling right
along. Several other PONE members started to get involved which helped
even
further.
NO RUST FOR THE WEARY
Question: What do you get when you "dip" (alkaline strip) a seriously
rusty Pantera? Answer: The automotive equivalent of Swiss Cheese. Photo
#3
shows the body shell back at Wally's shop after being retrieved from Metal
Strip. Doesn't look too bad, does it? Well, the rust damage was so
extensive it was obvious that everything from the firewall back would have
to be
replaced. Our intrepid crew gathered up drills, saws, and implements of
destruction and attacked the shell. The results can be seen in photos #4
and
#5. I've make it sound simple but it was, in actuality, an incredibly
time-consuming process. All the factory spot welds had to be carefully
drilled
out to cleanly separate the monocoque. Gary and Wally spent almost every
night for several months in the garage working on the car (honest Joan, Gary
really was there!) doing guy things such as cutting, drilling, grinding,
fabricating, and welding. It was at this stage in the building process
that I
really began to appreciate the Pantera's structural integrity.
What was I doing all this time? With little regard for my own safety, I
was right in the thick of things taking pictures. After several months of
laughing at danger, I felt that I was ready to take on even greater risks.
I would work on the car! Deciding to try a dry run on my own Pantera, I
asked Wally how to remove the rear bumpers on my 1972 so I could get them
rechromed. He laughed and showed me where to find the four bolts that held
the
bumpers on. One Saturday after leaving Wally's, I decided to throw
caution to the wind and try my hand at turning wrenches. I located my tool
box
cowering under several inches of dust and took out the appropriate size
socket and a ratchet...I was ready! The first bolt immediately snapped in
two
bringing me back to reality. Some people can work with tools...others are
better off working with film. The moral? If you're not mechanically
inclined, take your car to a reputable Pantera specialist.
Back to the race car. Photo #6 shows some of Wally's custom fabrication
work. Photo #7 shows the car with the rear clip from the donor car
attached. New rocker panels were fabricated using an English Wheel by
Charlie
Baltronis at Twin Brooks Restoration in Suffield, CN. (Charlie recently
joined
PONE after purchasing a red Pantera that he plans to convert to a Group 5
sometime next year). The race car features a custom-made aluminum hood
skin
crimped onto the stock hood frame, and aluminum headlight covers. Gotta
take that weight out wherever you can. By the way Gary, when did you say
you
were starting your diet? The completed hood with air vents and fuel
filler for the forward-mounted fuel cell is shown in photo #8.
Photo #9 shows the six-point roll cage Wally bent up from 4130 chromemoly
tubing being TIG-welded into place by Chris Blakely. Gary used his dentist
'
s skills (photo #10) to great effect throughout the project. The only
problem was getting used to working on something that didn't kick and
scream.
After months of intense labor, the car was ready for primer. Photo #11
shows Wally giving the car a coat of primer, almost ready to go to Joe
Cipriano'
s body shop for paint.
WAR PAINT
The race car was delivered, in primer, to Joe's new shop (Plymouth Auto) in
May 1994. Several of us thought that it was all ready to be painted
except that Joe is gifted (or cursed, as we'd soon learn) with an eye for
detail.
Photo #12 shows the car as delivered. From this point the car's body
received extensive reworking. Dan Bergeron can personally testify to the
countless hours spent sanding the car "to get it right." Joe takes great
pride in the work that's done in his shop. The race car was not going to
be
an exception to that philosophy.
The spray booth soon looked like a scene from the movie Coma-only this time
body parts (instead of people) were hung from the ceiling. Once Joe's
spray booth was decorated in this fashion, logic dictated that the body
shell
would not be far behind. With time running out, Joe and a select crew put
forth a major effort to complete this phase of the project. They ended up
working all night on the paint job. This is where the cursing mentioned
above came in. Rumor has it that Dan sanded all day, all night, and into
the
next morning and that his arm continued to move back and forth when he
finally took a break.
Wally and Gary wanted the car to stand out on the track. Bright red was
considered, but then it would be just another red car. After much
deliberation, yellow was agreed upon and Joe painted the car 1994 Corvette
Competition Yellow accented with black trim. The result is stunning as you
can see
in photo #13. It looks mean just standing still. When Wally picked up
the
car, Joe gave him a simple tip for taking care of the paint. "Make sure
Gary keeps the yellow side up." Initial assembly took place at Wally's
shop with the help of a number of people (photos #14 and #15). The car was
then taken to Pat's shop, Future Auto in Chelmsford, MA, where Pat and the
crew were to install the suspension, brakes, electrical system, and
drivetrain.
Everyone was working hard to get the car ready for its debut at The
Italian Challenge at Pocono Raceway over Fourth of July weekend.
By this point, The PONE Express project had evolved into a genuine Pantera
race car. Although it made The Italian Challenge at Pocono Fourth of July
weekend, minor "new car gremlins" kept it from making its much-anticipated
on-track debut-the motor had been installed the night before in an all-night
thrash, but when the key was turned, it made expensive, unhappy noises, and
the crew wisely decided to shut it off immediately. Not having the time
to diagnose the problem, they loaded the car onto the trailer and drove it
all night to Pocono in time to get it into the display hall, where it drew
kudos from everyone for the high level of attention to detail.
The PONE Express race car would first roar onto the track July 22nd for The
Italian Stampede at historic Lime Rock Park in Connecticut. Photos #16
and #17 show the car in a few quiet moments in the pits, but these moments
were the exception, not the rule. With Pat and Wally having worked the
initial bugs out, driver Gary Archambault was able to run hard for most of
the
day. Joe Moore of EPA was also on hand to lend moral support and help Pat
and
Wally with the car.
The car's coming out party was not without its challenges. Pat and Joe
changed the carburetor three times before they got one that would allow the
motor to perform as expected. The car was finally ready for the grid, as
seen in photo #18. Ironically, the good carb came off of Gary's red GT-5
that
he drove to the track. This is the same car that ran with Gary Hall's
Burgundy Express at The Italian Challenge when the PONE Express race car
didn't
make the curtain call.
With Gary's carb in place, the race motor finally was able to flex its
muscles. The next challenge to be overcome was a flat tire in the morning
session that dramatized the project's limited budget. There had been money
for
only one set of Hoosier racing slicks. It was mid-afternoon before
Patrick returned with the repaired tire and announced that "it should be
okay" in
spite of a slow leak through the patch.
The car was sent back out onto the track to continue with the "sorting out"
process. After a few laps, Gary came in to report that the brake bias
was way off which forced him to start braking very early into the turns,
costing him a lot of time. Wally and Pat determined that all of the
braking was
being done by the front brakes and that the dual master cylinders would
have to be adjusted to dial in more braking force at the rear. As it was
late
in the day, this would have to wait until the car's next outing.
Other upgrades are also being considered. Patrick has suggested that a
change to 16 inch wheels and radial slicks would improve the car's handling
even further, allow for larger brake rotors, and be more resistant to
punctures. Over the winter, the plan is to fuel-inject the motor for even
more
horsepower. While the driving forces behind this ongoing project were
Wally,
Gary, and Pat, several other PONE members are also involved. In fact, any
contribution of time, money, and materials will be welcome. Call Wally,
Gary, or Pat if you want to learn how you too can participate in this
exciting, life-affirming undertaking.
All this confirms the lessons I learned while documenting the creation of
the PONE express race car. Essentially, it goes like this: race cars
evolve
over time. I now know that a race car is never really finished. It just
keeps changing as time, money, and inspiration allow.
The revelations are simple:
The car is beautiful.
It runs and sounds strong.
Handling, braking and horsepower will continue to be improved.
This yellow and black Group 4 Pantera Race car is a testament to the
enthusiasm and dedication of all of the people who have contributed to its
creation. On behalf of the members of PONE and all Pantera owners
everywhere,
thank you for making this project possible.
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