[DeTomaso] Pandora update

[Christopher Kimball]

Some of my friends have been asking the status of my '72 Pre-L which has been in the shop for quite some time.
I just had a long talk with Denny Finn, he is the one who has taken on the what-is-turning-out-to-be-a-huge project that started out as a routine repair to my clutch, A/C unit, and; oh, by the way, a little rust.  (Finn's Auto Repair http://www.finnsautorestoration.com/index.html)
Denny's shop is in Oregon, which although in my neighborhood--the Pacific Northwest--is still a half-day's drive away.  I've know Denny for quite a number of years now, and he is a fellow Panera owner.  Indeed; together we drove our cars to Reno for one of the Fun Rallies.  I've been to Denny's shop a number of times, and the last time I was there he and his crew were working on at least two Panteras so he he is definitely familiar with the breed.
I've visited several Pantera specialty shops over the years, and Denny's work is nothing short of amazing.  I was excited to have Denny fix the problems I was having with Pandora, and while he was at it, spruce up the engine compartment; removing the stock undercoating and giving it a fresh, new look.
My car is named Pandora for a reason, however.  No sooner had Denny begun removing the undercoating than he discovered what is probably the reason my car has always gotten such good gas mileage.  In many places there was no metal remaining beneath the undercoating!  I guess massive rusting is one way of reducing weight...
Not only that, he had recommended that while the engine was out of the car I have it checked by an engine builder he knows.  In keeping with the "Pandora's Box" theme, there were several things wrong with the motor, too (disappointing, since 25,000 miles ago I had the motor built for a cost of almost $10,000 by a local engine builder).
Poor Denny; when I gave him the car (he actually came and picked it up in his covered trailer for fee that was well below what one would usually pay) I gave him a budget which I was naively convinced would cover everything that needed to be fixed.  I figured with all the money we'd have left over, he could even do a few extra updates, such as a complete paint job, solid-gold door handles, and pearl inlays in a custom, teakwood dash...
Actually, I wasn't quite that ridiculous, but even I had forgotten how much Pandora likes to surprise me.
As Denny dug deeper, he began to find more and more rust--in places that the owner from whom I bought the car had claimed were "replaced." 
In defense of the previous owner, it may be he didn't see the rust behind the new rocker panels, or notice some of the other later-discovered problems (anyone ever see the movie "Christine?"  Those guys didn't know what was in store for them with that car, either!)
Nevertheless, over the last six months or so Denny has been extremely good at gradually breaking bad news to me, and helping me to come to grips with what actually needs to be done to not only make the car look good, but actually be safe to drive!
To give you an idea of his skill in psychology, he has actually convinced me to allow him to change a few "Kimballisms" the car currently possesses.  The only other person who ever accomplished that was Mike Drew--he shamed me into taking off two large, chrome pipes I had sticking out of the engine compartment which I was using to ostensibly vent hot air from the motor.  For those of you who never saw my car in that state, here is a rough approximation of what it looked like:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7100/1333/1600/22-2.jpg
After talking things over with my wife, we've decided to increase the restoration budget somewhat so Denny won't be left with a partially-completed project (on the other hand, are any Panteras ever actually finished??)
I won't go into detail about all the problems Denny has discovered--such as rocker-panel rust, floor rust, B-pillar rust, engine-bay rust, frame rust (he had to fabricate an entire section above the left-rear wheel), the engine problems, etc. etc. etc.
The good new?  Based on what I've seen coming out of Denny's shop, it won't be too long until Pandora is back home, looking and running better than ever.
Then I can resume winning all those cool trophies which make it worth it to sit in a little lawn chair in 95-degree weather in a parking lot next to a 1977 Pacer listening to an 84-year-old curmudgeon drone on and on about how his Uncle used to own a Pantera in the '60's and how odd it was that an Italian kit-car like that would have a GM motor and be designed by John DeLorean...
Seriously, a big shout-out to Denny for his perfectionism and patience when dealing with a "duct-tape and silicone-rubber" mechanic like me!
Sincerely,
Chris






 

 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
   Some of my friends have been asking the status of my '72 Pre-L which
   has been in the shop for quite some time.
   I just had a long talk with Denny Finn, he is the one who has taken on
   the what-is-turning-out-to-be-a-huge project that started out as a
   routine repair to my clutch, A/C unit, and; oh, by the way, a little
   rust.  (Finn's Auto
   Repair [1]http://www.finnsautorestoration.com/index.html)
   Denny's shop is in Oregon, which although in my neighborhood--the
   Pacific Northwest--is still a half-day's drive away.  I've know Denny
   for quite a number of years now, and he is a fellow Panera owner.
   Indeed; together we drove our cars to Reno for one of the Fun Rallies.
    I've been to Denny's shop a number of times, and the last time I was
   there he and his crew were working on at least two Panteras so he he is
   definitely familiar with the breed.
   I've visited several Pantera specialty shops over the years, and
   Denny's work is nothing short of amazing.  I was excited to have Denny
   fix the problems I was having with Pandora, and while he was at it,
   spruce up the engine compartment; removing the stock undercoating and
   giving it a fresh, new look.
   My car is named Pandora for a reason, however.  No sooner had Denny
   begun removing the undercoating than he discovered what is probably the
   reason my car has always gotten such good gas mileage.  In many places
   there was no metal remaining beneath the undercoating!  I guess massive
   rusting is one way of reducing weight...
   Not only that, he had recommended that while the engine was out of the
   car I have it checked by an engine builder he knows.  In keeping with
   the "Pandora's Box" theme, there were several things wrong with the
   motor, too (disappointing, since 25,000 miles ago I had the motor built
   for a cost of almost $10,000 by a local engine builder).
   Poor Denny; when I gave him the car (he actually came and picked it up
   in his covered trailer for fee that was well below what one would
   usually pay) I gave him a budget which I was naively convinced would
   cover everything that needed to be fixed.  I figured with all the money
   we'd have left over, he could even do a few extra updates, such as a
   complete paint job, solid-gold door handles, and pearl inlays in a
   custom, teakwood dash...
   Actually, I wasn't quite that ridiculous, but even I had forgotten how
   much Pandora likes to surprise me.
   As Denny dug deeper, he began to find more and more rust--in places
   that the owner from whom I bought the car had claimed were "replaced."
   In defense of the previous owner, it may be he didn't see the rust
   behind the new rocker panels, or notice some of the other
   later-discovered problems (anyone ever see the movie "Christine?"
   Those guys didn't know what was in store for them with that car,
   either!)
   Nevertheless, over the last six months or so Denny has been extremely
   good at gradually breaking bad news to me, and helping me to come to
   grips with what actually needs to be done to not only make the car look
   good, but actually be safe to drive!
   To give you an idea of his skill in psychology, he has actually
   convinced me to allow him to change a few "Kimballisms" the car
   currently possesses.  The only other person who ever accomplished that
   was Mike Drew--he shamed me into taking off two large, chrome pipes I
   had sticking out of the engine compartment which I was using to
   ostensibly vent hot air from the motor.  For those of you who never saw
   my car in that state, here is a rough approximation of what it looked
   like:
   [2]http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7100/1333/1600/22-2.jpg
   After talking things over with my wife, we've decided to increase the
   restoration budget somewhat so Denny won't be left with a
   partially-completed project (on the other hand, are any Panteras ever
   actually finished??)
   I won't go into detail about all the problems Denny has
   discovered--such as rocker-panel rust, floor rust, B-pillar rust,
   engine-bay rust, frame rust (he had to fabricate an entire section
   above the left-rear wheel), the engine problems, etc. etc. etc.
   The good new?  Based on what I've seen coming out of Denny's shop, it
   won't be too long until Pandora is back home, looking and running
   better than ever.
   Then I can resume winning all those cool trophies which make it worth
   it to sit in a little lawn chair in 95-degree weather in a parking lot
   next to a 1977 Pacer listening to an 84-year-old curmudgeon drone on
   and on about how his Uncle used to own a Pantera in the '60's and how
   odd it was that an Italian kit-car like that would have a GM motor and
   be designed by John DeLorean...
   Seriously, a big shout-out to Denny for his perfectionism and patience
   when dealing with a "duct-tape and silicone-rubber" mechanic like me!
   Sincerely,
   Chris

References

   1. http://www.finnsautorestoration.com/index.html
   2. http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7100/1333/1600/22-2.jpg