[DeTomaso] engine bay lower X-member

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/21/11 11 34 45, steveblum2 at msn.com writes:


> 
> This is the first time I have heard of this upgrade to the Pantera, can 
> someone fill me in on it? Who sells it? Is it for race cars only? Is it to 
> replace rotten chassis?
> 

It's an upgrade that has been around for a long time and has proven its 
effectiveness.   Whether you really 'need' it is a matter of personal 
opinion--just like whether or not you 'need' 400 (or 500 or 600) horsepower.

I'd generally suggest that a Pantera that is driven gently definitely 
doesn't need it, while one that is routinely beaten within an inch of its life on 
a racetrack definitely does.   There's a lot of gray area in between.

The whole concept was invented by Hall Pantera, and consists of a 
four-piece kit.   Hall sells it in a very (extremely) rough fashion; you get to 
finish welding it together, and then have it powdercoated on your own.

Precision Proformance sells essentially the same kit as a true bolt-in, 
already fabricated in a jig and powdercoated.   The one difference is that the 
Hall kit uses a square steel bar while the PP kit uses round tubing 
exclusively.   I happen to think the square bar design is superior, but I didn't 
want to mess with having to have the pieces finished myself, so I bought the PP 
kit.   So far I've only installed the lower rear portion, but hope to have 
the time to finish the installation before Reno.   I also bought a square 
steel bar; my plan is to eventually cut the round tube from the PP kit and 
replace it with the square bar, essentially copying the Hall design.

Here are links to the kits on their respective websites:

http://hallpantera.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-product.cgi?d=hallpantera-inc&
item=22697

Note that it says "complete" but it's far from complete, as you also have 
to buy the square steel bar, and a pair of connecting tubes: