[DeTomaso] Back in the saddle again....
MikeLDrew at aol.com
MikeLDrew at aol.com
Tue Apr 17 14:30:09 EDT 2012
Hi guys,
I'm happy to report that my Pantera is back on the road again, after
blowing a cam and distributor gear at the POCA Fun Rally last year. It took an
enormous amount of sitting around and doing nothing, coupled with a fair bit
of work in the last month, in order to make that happen in only 10 months. :>
)
Julian Kift and new PCNC member (and Pantera owner since 1976) Ron Southern
came to my house to help me pull the engine out (FINALLY!) back in
December. On the last day of the year, we loaded it into Lori's minivan and
dragged it to fellow club members Garry and Sue Choate's house, where Garry
supervised the removal of the old cam, timing set and oil pump, and installation
of new parts. It then sat on the floor of my garage until last week when
Julian again graciously made the 2.5 hour drive from Reno to help me put it
back into the car.
Finally, yesterday Lori and I finished the installation, including Lori
putting in the upper rear portion of my new chassis stiffening kit:
http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=36102
Late in the afternoon, we got the decklid on, interior buttoned up etc.,
and I fired it up and took it for a drive around the block. No dramas so
far!
I'll be driving it routinely for the next few days, looking for signs of
trouble, and will go back and re-torque header bolts etc. Assuming all is
well, we'll then jump in and head for Phoenix with the PCNC convoy on Tuesday.
And as a nice backup plan, Lori just ordered new tires for her '71
Pantera, so if mine takes a dump between now and then, we can just swap over to
her car.
It's nice having two Panteras to almost double your chances of getting
where you want to go. :>)
Mike
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