[DeTomaso] stored-for-30-years Pantera advice, needed

[richard at hitecheng.on.ca]

Will, when I bought my Pantera it had sat for 15 years. It ran but the 
brakes were seized. After doing the brakes and getting the car on the road 
every joint in the cooling system started to weep fluid. The master cylinder 
would by pass brake fluid internally and you wouldn't have any brakes. The 
clutch master started leaking fluid back into the car. My advice is to drain 
the oil in the ZF and see if it has had any moisture in it. If the oil is in 
good condition then the ZF is probably O.K. Due the brakes and change the 
fluid in everything. After that you will have to check all systems that have 
any kind of fluid in them and deal with leaks as they arise. Good luck and 
have fun.
Richard Turpin

-----Original Message----- 
From: wkooiman at earthlink.net
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 11:31 PM
To: Christopher Kimball ; yett2000 at yahoo.com
Cc: Pantera List Serve
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] stored-for-30-years Pantera advice, needed

Don't sell it.  Bring it back to life.  The only thing better than a Pantera 
is a Pantera that has a history.

1.  Remove the ZF and send it to someone that knows what they're doing - 
Lloyd Butfoy and Dennis Quella are the only two that I know.  Okay, John 
Taphorn has taken his apart, but he's not in the ZF rebuilding business. 
I'm sure there are several others that offer a ZF rebuilding service.

At any rate, since your car has sat that long, it has likely rusted the 
shafts and gears inside the ZF.  You want someone to give it a good 
once-over, and while they are at it, have them replace all of the rubber 
parts, plus safety wire the ring gear.  They know all of that.  Tell them 
the history and give them about $3K - yes that much - and you will get a 
nearly new ZF back.

2.  Remove the engine and give it a good rebuild - double roller chain, 
forged pistons if you can afford it, check the bores for wear, etc.  Change 
the cam to something simple.  Don't go nuts.  Just hit the basics, and don't 
send it to a Chevy guy.  All you need is for the 351C to be refreshed, and 
you'll love it.  It should run around $3K.

3.  Install a Pantera oil pan - 8qt with baffles.  All the vendors have 
them - about $450.

4.  Install a removable crossmember under the oil pan.  It's easy while the 
engine is out.  It is maybe $50.  It allows you to remove the pan with the 
engine in the car.

5.  While the engine is out, remove the gas tank and have it checked.  They 
tend to rust on the inside, and even if it isn't rusted you probably have 
gunk on the inside.  Either repair or replace for about $900?.  Hall Pantera 
has a nice stainless tank, and I bet the other vendors do too.

6.  Replace the water pipes with stainless pipes.  I think Marino Perna 
makes these, but all the vendors have 'em.  I don't remember what they cost, 
but it's a must-do.

7.  Check the swirl tank and expansion tanks for rust.  If they are 
questionable, replace them.

8.  Make sure you replace the wheel bearings. The seals on the rears dry up, 
and the bearings fail quickly.  This is cheap - maybe $100 plus time on a 
press. The fronts are from a 69 Mustang - cheap and easy.

9.  Change all hoses, especially fuel and brake hoses.  Use braided 
stainless for brake hoses.

10.  Porterfield brake pads. They work really well.

11.  Change your brake fluid, and rebuild the calipers.  Do this at a tech 
session.  It is cheap and not difficult, but you don't want to tackle this 
on your own.

There are a lot of other things to check, but that's all I can think of 
right now.

Oh - buy some new tires.  If you stay with Campys, you can fit 295-50-15 in 
the rear, but they look too wide on 8" rims.  They bulge out.  275-60-15 are 
about right.  If you go with new rims, I really like the Campy clones from 
Pantera East (Marino Perna).  They look a lot like the Campys, at first I 
didn't like the bling, but it only took 2 seconds for me to prefer the 
aluminum over the painted magnesium.

Without knowing for sure what's wrong with the car, I'd say you're probably 
$10K before the car is dependable and fun.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Christopher Kimball <chrisvkimball at msn.com>
>Sent: Oct 11, 2011 7:06 PM
>To: yett2000 at yahoo.com
>Cc: Pantera List Serve <detomaso at realbig.com>
>Subject: [DeTomaso] stored-for-30-years Pantera advice, needed
>
>
>Hi John,
>Of course you should rejoin POCA! :)  No worries, though, you'll still get 
>great advice even though you're out of the fold...
>There are a number of friendly Pantera experts in your area, so I'm sending 
>this out to the entire forum so you can first get some great general 
>advice, then hopefully someone locally can help you personally.  (Forum 
>members; see John's email below).
>In my opinion, sell it and buy a great Pantera that is already sorted, but 
>that's just me...
>What say the rest of you on the forum?
>Sincerely,
>Chris KimballPresident, PNW Northwest
>
>01 - Name = John Yett02 - Email Address = yett2000 at yahoo.com03 - Phone 
>Number (optional) = 503-708-589604 - Your Message = Hello Panteras 
>Northwest, My name is John Yett from Portland, Oregon and I would like info 
>on how or where to get a '72 pantera back into working order. This was my 
>dad's toy until I was born and he had it stashed in a storage unit. It has 
>been in that unit for 30 years. I am not a mechanic so I would have to get 
>acquainted with a knowledgeable shop or mechanic. I assume that after this 
>amount of time sitting in storage the car is going to have to be overhauled 
>to some degree. I remember my dad saying that he was going to swap out the 
>engine and that the transmission needs to be repaired. The car has not been 
>on blocks and has been sitting on the rims since the air has long since 
>leaked out of the tires. Of course before I get really serious about going 
>ahead with this project I'll need to know what it is going to cost me. I 
>wouldn't be racing around like my dad was doing so hopefully whatever 
>repairs are needed will hold up longer. I used to be a POCA member but 
>decided to let my membership lapse. I hope this isn't an issue in getting 
>some good advice and guidance. Thanks, John Portland, OR
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