[DeTomaso] Grp IV Clone on Ebay
Patrick Mical
pmical at patsauto.com
Sun Apr 17 15:53:08 EDT 2011
That is two cars put together on my jig.
----- Original Message -----
From: "B. Seib" <oldwheel at shaw.ca>
To: "Jack DeRyke" <JDeRyke at aol.com>; <bflesland at gmail.com>; "Charles Engles"
<cengles at cox.net>; "Drew, Mike" <MikeLDrew at aol.com>; "DetomasoList"
<detomaso at realbig.com>; "Charles McCall" <charlesmccall at gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 17, 2011 12:49 AM
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
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
> MikeLDrew at aol.com MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Sat Apr 16 18:05:02 CDT 2011
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----
>
> 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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