[DeTomaso] Amp Meter Readings etc

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

All the charge from the alt goes thru a stock amp meter. To keep the gauge 
from pegging shortly after starting (recharging rate does come down after 
awhile) , add a strip of brass or copper strip 1/4" wide between the two 
posts. This acts as a 'shunt' so the gauge now reads maybe 30 amps shortly after 
starting and 5 amps while running. The exact split between shunt & gauge 
depends on the dimensions of the shunt. I shrink-wrapped mine. Also is safer 
since the gauge is no longer handling the entire amp-load; gauges can short 
internally & catch fire. The downside is, the exact current flow on the meter 
is now unknown- it turns the meter into an 'idiot light' that only tells you 
if the alt is charging but not how much. Most of us don't care how much, 
only that it's doing something.

The A/C charge ports are on the compressor- either the stock iron York or 
an aftermarket aluminum Sankyo, but are accessed from underneath the car. 
It's not difficult to remote-mount the charging ports- I've done it on our car 
using dash-4 Aeroquip armored lines (one gets close to #1 header tube) 
running up to a bracket behind the firewall access panel. Dash-4 lines screw 
right onto integral Sankyo charging ports. Such an arrangement does introduce a 
handful of new leak-sources, though.... And if you're still using the heavy, 
vibration-prone York compressor, it has manual isolation valves that still 
must be turned by hand from below the car. 

The 'bubble' portion of the big upholstered access panel can be cut away 
from the main panel and then held in place with velcro for far more convenient 
access to the front of the engine. The bubble's upholstery is made separate 
from the rest of the panel and can be pulled loose & reglued after sawing 
the bubble loose. The mod looks stock but front-engine access then does not 
need messing with the big panel, seats etc. 

If your Pantera is bone-stock, there are several other 
upgrades/convenience-mods of this type possible for a competent craftsman to do at home:   
dropping the battery into a recess in the front trunk, cutting the welded 
crossmember under the oil pan and making it removeable for pan removal, updating 
the fuse box & the A/C idler pulley, adding greasable zerk fittings to the frt 
& rear ball joints & tie-rod ends, etc,   etc. Most are detailed in the 
POCA Archives or on Mike Daily's giant web site <panteraplace.com>. Many were 
made factory-stock in later model Panteras. Have fun- J Deryke