[DeTomaso] Engine Cover

Curt Hall cuvee at sbcglobal.net
Wed May 15 02:47:27 EDT 2013


    "pride-in-workmanship" yeah right, I feel your pain 


--- On Tue, 5/14/13, Jack Donahue <demongusta at me.com> wrote:


From: Jack Donahue <demongusta at me.com>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Engine Cover
To: JDeRyke at aol.com
Cc: detomaso at poca.com
Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 5:03 PM


Thank you for your input. I guess I should have said "front" engine cover. Still, it's incorrect. My fiberglass panel was cut open to install a carbon fiber piece. After reading about the cooling/bleeding/water pump situation, I decided my thermostat was not working properly, so I decided to change it. That's when all this "stuff" appeared. Having things done "for you" is nice, but when you decide to do something yourself, you sometimes find out the poor quality that was "done for you". That is my case - While I was hospitalized, things got done "for me". A certain shop "upgraded" my car - white VDO's, etc (gingerbread)   -  which looks great. BUT - now that I want to learn the car for myself, I am finding the downside to having it done for you. QUALITY. Is there any more "pride-in-workmanship")? 
      So, in deciding to change the thermostat, I began by pulling the seats. Stop! This simple task has just become complicated.  The seats won't budge.  Makes me wonder how they were put in. Anyway,  I see that my tracks have been beaten with a hammer - (or something) and no spacers. Great. Once out of the car,  I would think you should be able to move the tracks by hand - a little stiff and with gloves - but doable   - rather than having to persuade them with a rubber hammer. With a LOT of filing and lubrication, I only have ONE that I can slide by hand  (out of the car). Until I find some for sale, I'll do the best I can with what I've got (wherever I am). 
      The inside bulkhead panel looks pretty (carbon fiber) - but I didn't know until now that the original fiberglass panel  was cut wide open for the carbon fiber piece. I thought it just covered up the upholstery.  Wow - I felt sick when I saw the "surgery site". The squeak between the passenger  seat and the carbon fiber drove me crazy.  And why would the  "access cover/door" be distorted (edges rounded and mis-shapened holes) - a real mystery - like - WHY?  After reading things on this DeTomaso List, I'm thinking (maybe) someone tried to make a 1971 cover fit a 1973. I don't know the difference, but it MIGHT be an explanation. 
So,  I guess I'll get to the thermostat someday after all this ancillary stuff is fixed. And THEN look into the flat firewall. I'll check the latest Newsletter.
Thanks
Jack

On May 14, 2013, at 12:36 PM, JDeRyke at aol.com wrote:

> What confused me at first is, the 'firewall access door' is not normally called an 'engine cover'. That term is what's usually used for the perforated screen above the engine, along with the two solid side-pieces. If you don't find a freeby access door, all the vendors carry used doors from wrecks they've purchased & stripped. Shipping should not be expensive. If you wre  closer to NV, I'd simply weld up & redrill your old door; a simple job
> 
> A flat firewall is pretty easy to achieve if you have normal mechanical skills & tools, or very easy if you can afford to have it done by a Pantera-savvy shop. But some owners don't want to alter their Pantera, even though the flat firewall mod allows far more passenger leg room. The flat firewall door looks like a large shallow cake pan without the big bulge. Seems to me most Panteras would be more comfortable with such a mod, but its your car. The current POCA Newsletter  has an article on flat firewalls and water pumps.
> 
> On your seat rails, if they are twisted, fore-and-aft seat adjustment on one or both seats will be difficult-to-impossible. Be sure the floor is flat before trying to fix the area with new parts. A warped floor will cause brand-new seat rails to twist when tightened down, making the new rails just like the old ones. Most floors are warped at least a little after 42 years. This is only a big-hammer-blacksmith job after the seats and rugs are removed. Any questions, e-mail me any time. Cheers- J Deryke

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