Khan Smith's 1974 DeTomaso Pantera

ATL to NJ: Moved in and settled

2011-09-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

My last post was right before we sold our house in Atlanta and moved to Ridgewood, NJ. As you can guess, that takes a LOT of time. I am happy to say everything went well and I am now finding myself some time to work on the cat. It took about 2 months to get the new shop ready as it needed everything done (painting, electrical, flooring, lift, etc). It really came out great (you will see new pics soon). Registering wasn't too bad. I didn't register the pantera as a classic so I went through emissions. It passed....but I will most likely do the classic plates next

I took the Pantera to a car show in Ridgewood and got an offer from an online newsletter publisher to make it a monthly feature car. Will post more when I know more.

So what is next on the Pantera?

1.) I am still getting a rattle in the right front...I replaced the steering rack so it must be something else

2.) Passenger side mirror: I almost side swiped our family car because of the big blind spot on passenger side. I bought a passenger side mirror to install to avoid that tragedy

3.) Dent Removal: Want to have some of the dimples looked at and possibly pulled out

4.) Carpet: I want to replace the carpet in the front luggage compartment

That is probably it for now.

Tuning the fuel system- Lemar Walden Automotive

2011-04-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

I was wisely guided to Lamar Walden Automotive for advice on tuning my system. Lamar is famous for his high performance 409's but he can work on anything...even a Ford. During our discussion, Lamar suggested that I go back to the 650 CFM carb and wanted to address the carb angle. The carb in a Pantera actually leans forward due to the engine placement which makes it challenging to adjust the floats, etc. Because Lamar has a full machine shop, Lamar took off the intake and machined it so that the carb would sit flat. He also hot tanked the manifold and got it nice and clean. Now the Pantera is running just right without any flooding issues. We did have some issues with the idle, we looked for a vacuum leak and couldn't find one. It was also very cold and the car seems to idle OK now that it is warmer. Anyway, I was very happy with Lamar's service, prices and workmanship.

Final Alignment....more problems...

2011-04-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

After I finished the fuel system, I brought my car back to Gran Turismo to get the final alignment. As you may have read before, everytime I take it to Gran Turismo East, I find something else wrong with the car. During this trip, I realized:
1.) Brakelight switch was out
2.) The carb I got was way too big for the motor and I was running way to rich

Well, at least I got the car aligned with no issues! Now to address more problems.

Fuel Lines & Pump

2011-04-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

For this project, I wanted to replace all the fuel lines from the tank, to the pump and from the pump up to the carb. I also wanted to install a fuel pressure gauge and wrap the fuel lines in heat wrap to control any vapor lock. I also changed the glass fuel filter between the pump and the carb to a metal fuel filter.

While I was in the mix with the fuel lines, I thought I would change out the old fuel pump. The old pump was in good shape

My first replacement was a beautiful pump from RobbMc Performance. This pump is a work of art. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to fit due to a clearance issue with the coolant line. Others suggested that I just relocate the line but I didn't want to deal with bleeding the cooling system, etc.

As a result, I went to a trusty holley fuel pump and it installed without issue.

Been a while...

2011-04-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

You have probably noticed that I have been dark for some time. We decided to move back to New Jersey from Atlanta which has kept me busy. However, I have had some work done to the car. The Pantera is now in New Jersey in storage awaiting the purchas of our new house w/ garage of course! I'll do some quick updates.

Fuel Tank Side Fuel Hoses Retrofit

2010-10-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted to get the first part of the fuel system retrofitted with new hoses. Nothing like 36 year old hoses cracking and spewing fuel on hot headers! I started with the fuel filler neck hose…..OH MY GOD..what a pain in the a$$. It literally took me a few weeks to get the right combo. The wining touch was some clear racing cell filler tube and my wife’s uncle, Sotiris. This was definitely a one man job and without his help, I wouldn’t be writing this. Next up was the fuel pump hose. I do have a new fuel sender gauge but I am not installing it yet. I cleaned up the wiring to see if there maybe was an issue with corrosion or something. Will find out soon. I wrapped the fuel hose in a heat resistant mesh cover. I wanted to avoid vapor lock so that will be a nice addition to the engine compartment. I also have a new fuel pump because the car was stalling. It might be a float level issue or it might be the pump. Either way, I’ll go through a process of elimination. My goal is to just make this a driver at this point. Pics below:

Exhaust Install

2010-10-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

The exhaust system was looking rough but solid so I decided to give them a similar Jet Hot Coating as the headers so there would be more continuity in the system. I bought all new brackets, seals, bolts, etc. Jet hot did a good job not coating the chrome tips. The system installed great and I can’t wait to start it up and hear the new headers with the stock tailpipes.

Header Installation

2010-10-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

I decided to go with the Hall big bore headers. I had them jet hot coated satin black as I wanted the engine bay to look somewhat stock. I had heard a lot about Stage 8 locking fasteners so I thought I would try their headerbolts. Basically, they lock the bolt in place which should make it so I don’t have to snug down the bolts again in the future. I cleaned the surface of the block and I got a new crush-type header gasket that guarantees no leaks. I put the headers into position and they fit great. You can see below some of the stage 8’s installed. I made sure to put anti-seize I still have a couple more locks to put on but wanted to do a test fire first before closing everything up.

Exhaust System: Removal

2010-08-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have a terrible exhaust leak at the headers so I decided that I should just refurb the whole system. My plan is to get some new headers and send out the rear exhaust for a new coating. The first challenge was to get the headers off. I don't think these headers have ever been removed and I am deathly afraid of breaking off an old bolt in the head. If I did, I would have to remove the whole engine....and I didn't want to do that. I spent about 3 weeks soaking and working on the bolts. I started with normal penetrants then on the advice of some pantera forum members, I created a 50/50 mix of Acetone and ATF fluid. I finally got all the header bolts off and the rear exhaust system. Not only did I have one exhaust leak, I had around four in total! You can see the leaks where the heads are charred.

I prepped the rear exhaust and sent it off to Jet Hot for coating in black. I have also ordered a set of headers from Hall with black coating as well. I'll cover install in the next entry.

Steering Rack Rebuild

2010-08-09T12:06:00.001-07:00

After I got the news from GTE that my steering rack was in bad shape, I decided to send the rack out for a total rebuild. I sent the rack off to Pantera Performance. The rack came back looking brand new. See pics below:

Old Rack Out

New Rack Back!

I am now ready to get the rack aligned. One thing I did discover is that my right front (NEW) tire has a slow leak. I don't think it is the tire though...I think it is most likely something wrong with the rim/valve stem that is leaking. Will have to dig more with GTE when they do the alignment.

GTE Visit # 2

2010-05-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

I went to Gran Turismo East (GTE) again to get my tires put on and the car aligned. Tires went on fine and look great (see below). During tire installation, I was informed that my steering rack has some issues and needs to be rebuilt before they can align the car. I also had some issues with the fuel system. After driving about 8 miles, the car just died when I slow down to stop. It idles like a champ but for some reason, it died...3 times....in the middle of intersections where i blocked traffic until I got it started. Oh...and the brake lights no longer work.... Oh...and the fan belts started to squeak. So next items on the pantera are:
1.) Rebuild the steering rack
2.) Get the car aligned
3.) Track down fuel issue
4.) Fix Brake Lights
5.) Replace fan belts
6.) Replace fuel lines....why not?

Interior Work: Steering Wheel

2010-05-28T07:42:00.001-07:00

I located a reproduction of the steering wheel cover. Man..this steering wheel is just ugly. I might want to change to a different style. I also put in the trunk mat as well:

New Tires Are Here!

2010-05-28T07:39:00.001-07:00

A fellow pantera owner had some spare rear Toyo Proxes 295-50-15's that I bought. Check out these meats! Off to GTE to get them on!

CARB replacement

2010-05-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

While I was at GTE for the alignment I noticed that the car was running rich. When we examined the carb, we realized it was a frankenstein of a couple different carbs! I didn't feel like rebuilding a carb with different bowls vs body, etc. So I went out to summit racing and bought a 750 CFM ULTRA DOUBLE PUMPER from Holley. Here are the pictures:

Alignment and Brakes: Gran Turismo Vist #1

2010-05-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

I brought my car to Gran Turismo East here in Atlanta to have them double check my brake work and align the car. As they were checking out the brakes, they confirmed for me that the tires, although they have lots of tread, are toast. In fact the front right tire is coming apart. They didn't want to do the alignment with the old tires. So now I have to find rear tires that fit a 15 inch rim. Very tough stuff! Here is a pic of the car on their lift:

Wash, Wax and Detail

2010-05-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick post. I spent DAYS washing, waxing and detailing the car. You will see the clay bar below and how much crap was on the paint. The paint buffed up really nice. The engine compartment was rediculously nasty. It was like they took a can of goop, rubbed it all around then forgot to take it off. I scrubbed and scrubbed. It came off just fine. Here are some pics:

Electrical WOOPS

2010-05-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

I was disconnecting the battery and my wrench fell across both posts! This resulted in shorting out the voltage regulator. I discovered this as the alternator was trying to blow up my battery :) Anyway, replacement was pretty simple. You have to contort yourself a bit to get to the voltage regulator on the rear wall. I took the opportunity to clean up some of the acid residue that the previous owner just left. Rust isn't bad at all. I put the battery in a box just to keep some sense of containment Here are the pics:

Front Suspension and New Brake Install

2010-03-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Front Suspension
As with the rear shocks, I had the spacers removed to lower the car to european spec. Here are the before and after:

Front Caliper Install

The new "Super Brakes" actually use a new routing for the brake fluid. Instead of two bleed screws and external brake lines like on the original caliper, the new ones plug up the external lines and utilize one of the bleeders as the fluid connection point. Anyway, I received overwhelming feedback on the forums NOT to use original compound brake pads and to purchase some Porterfield brake pads. I heeded their advice and purchased a set (both front and rear). These are the pads that I am using today. I also saftey wired the caliper bolts like I did in the rear. Don't want to lose a caliper!

2010-03-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Front Brake Removal and Clean Up
The front brakes were in some sorry shape. They were frozen and laden with rust. It was very difficult to get them off the rotor. The pads have lots of life with them and they also have the built-in wear sensors. However, the folks on the pantera board said that I should consider new pads. The front wheels were pretty nasty as well. They are not as in good of condition as the rears but I will have to work with them to make 'em look nice. Anyway, I got the calipers off and I installed the front shocks. Here are some pics:

2010-03-06T15:20:00.000-08:00

Rear Brake Install:
I got the beautiful brakes from Hall Pantera. They were much better looking than the other vendor's and not that much more. The box came ripped but I am happy that I didn't lose any! Anyway, I got right to work and the rear brakes went on without issue. I also took this time to scrub the rims and tires in the rear. They look brand new! Check out the pictures here:

2010-03-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

Clean up and Prep:
Before my new brakes arrived from Hall Pantera, I wanted to do some cleaning and prep. Nothing major, just some scrubbing and a little paint detail. I also painted the headers and exhaust. During this process, I found that one of my hardlines in the right rear was twisted! This line connects to this T fitting that is in a really tight place.. Luckily PI had a old hardline laying around. Anyway, the clean up made a big difference! Check it out:

Suspension Work

2010-03-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

I have got a lot done since my last post but I have been travelling a lot lately and haven’t had the chance to update the blog. I will cover the projects I have completed chronologically since the last post as seperate entries..

Suspension-Shocks:
While I awaited delivery of my second set of “new” brake calipers I decided that this would be a great time to remove the US spec spacers on the shocks. I took them down to my local good year dealer and they had a nice strut compressor. I own a shock compressor but the sprung energy really scares me. Anyway, here are some pics of the shocks

Here are the shocks BEFORE removal of the spacer:

And here are the shocks AFTER removal of the spacer:

The front shocks also have spacers as well and here are the BEFORE pictures:

Here are the front shocks AFTER the spacer is removed:

Rear Brakes: One Step Forward...Two Steps Back

2010-01-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

When I discovered that the brakes were frozen, I decided that I would go ahead and buy some new/used calipers instead of rebuilding the old ones. Since used sets from Pantera Performance were only $600+ I thought I would save myself some time. I figured just replacing calipers would be an easy job and I would be on the road in no time. And while I was at it; I was going to add some steel braided brake lines from the hard lines for better pedal feel. Let's just say my expectations were much higher than reality. Before I cover this post, I want to thank all the guys on the DeTomas Internet Community for all the help they gave me this week. Tons of great knowlege!
Let's start from the beginning. My first step was to organize and buy supplies. As I mentioned, I bought a full set of calipers from Pantera Performance. I also read my records and bought the same synthetic brake fluid as the previous owner as I figured I would basically flush the entire system while I was at it! I gathered all my parts for inventory and printed out some technical information to assist with the job:

Next was removing the old caliper on the driver side. The caliper was completely frozen; it was almost like it was packed with mud??? I took some preemptive steps and used a lot of penetrating oil on different bolts, etc.

As you can see in the above picture, there is a lot of gunk that packed the brake pad in. I had to hit it with WD 40 just to get it loose!

The e-brake cable was tough to get off. I couldn't get enough slack in the cable to pull the cable out of the old caliper.

The only way I could get enough slack was to go underneath to where the e-brake handle interfaces with the pulley system that actuates both parking brakes on the rear calipers and remove it from it's mounting stud.

This allowed me to finally remove the caliper from the car!

I then turned my attention to the "new/old" caliper. First thing I did was attach the new steel braided brake hose

When I was about to fit the caliper to the car, I noticed something peculiar about the brake pad retaining pin....it was really bent!

At this point, I checked out my old caliper and noticed that my brake pad retaining pins were great and that I would just swap them. Here are comparison pics: First is the one from the part from Pantera Performance and the other one is off my car:

As you can see, the "new" set up wouldn't have worked at all. At least I can combine the two but for $600+ for calipers, I was expecting something in better shape (there are some other issues I haven't written about yet).

Anyway, I moved forward and mounted the "new" caliper with my retrofitted parts onto my car. I got the ebrake cable connected and now was time to fit the brake pads. As I tried to get the inner brake pad in, I noticed that the piston was too far out. I couldn't push the piston in but I found out that you have to rotate it 45* and then it will go in but that you have to then rotate the piston back to center when done.

I rotated the piston 45* from center using a screw driver and being careful not to scar the rotor. Once I did this, the piston went in! In fact, a little puff of dust came out of the bleed screw that I had opened.

But as I went to go and rotate the piston back to it's correct orientation, my screwdriver slipped and tore a hole in the outer brake seal :(

So what now? At first, I was swearing to high heaven! I just bought these brakes and they weren't really in that great of shape...maybe I should have just have bought a rebuild kit for mine! But no...I was in a hurry and I could just go ahead and buy some "new ones" and be moving on. Well first big lesson I am learning with the pantera that was different than building a kit car with new parts is that old is old....even if the parts are new to you. Also, you can't assume that the parts are good either. So...I ordered up a lot of manuals and I am going to go ahead and order that rebuild kit and I am going to go through all the calipers and rebuild them; inspecting them against the drawings and for any issues. What this means is that the cat will be in the cat house for a lot longer than I had thought. But at least I will learn a lot of stuff along the way!

2009-12-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

Fuel Issue: Solved!
Mike had a great suggestion for me: put an in-line fuel filter in between the fuel tank and fuel pump. I put one in and guess what...the fuel supply has been supplied. Some gunk fell out when I removed the fuel line and I can already see gunk going into the fuel filter. Mike suggested that I replace the fuel filter in 500 miles and keep a spare in the car. As a result, I utilize worm drive clamps with thumb/wing nut style tighteners. Here it is in-line:

Next project is replacing all the brake calipers and bleeding the brake system...so I can get this cat on the road!

Fuel Issue: Tank to Pump

2009-12-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Mike Dailey came to my aid again with some great tips about chasing down the fuel problem. One area he said was inside the tank where there is a mesh sock that surrounds the pick-up. He said that this sock can get nasty and clog the pick up. You can test this by seeing if any fuel comes out of the line that leads from the tank to the fuel pump.

So first, I put the car high in the air:

I then proceeded to remove the fuel supply line hose from the pump:

Luckily, I planned ahead and wore face hugging googles... Why you asked? As soon as the line was off, I got a face full of gasoline! But hey....at least I know I don't have an issue inside the tank which would have sucked as you have to remove the motor to get the tank out :[

So now the problem is either the fuel pump, the fuel filter or one of Mike's other suggestions, a filter inside the carb. More to come

2009-12-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Pantera Project Launch! On with the fun!
I have finished my cobra kit car project finally and I am ready to sink my teeth into the Pantera (hopefully it won't bite back). The first project I was going to tackle was the frozen brake calipers. I wanted the car on the lift so that I could work comfortably and use the new hyrdaulic lift jack that I bought (works awesome BTW). I ran into a little problem. The car wouldn't start. The engine was turning over and I was getting spark so that must mean I have a fuel delivery problem. Oh joy! Just to make sure, I poured a little gas in the carb to make sure and she started right up. So now I just have to chase down the issue. I figured I would start from the top down. First thing I figured is that I had a stuck needle. So I used some carb cleaner, got out my soft mallet and banged on top of the carb float bowls. Very scientific! I then poured some gas into my "Hawt Sawce" bottle (just a BBQ/Catsup squirter) so that I could easily pour gas down the vent tube of the carb to fill the bowls.

Once full, I could hear that gas was being squirted when I acctuated the accelerator linkage on the side of the carb. As a result, I figured that their was an issue farther down the line.

I took pictures of the fuel filter (think there is only one) and it looks dry!

I am going to change the fuel filter but if that is OK, then I either have a bad fuel pump (which is weird as it looks new) OR I have a plugged line somewhere....which could be a fun (read not so fun) project...but let's not get ahead of ourselves!

At this point I figured I could fill up the float bowls and drive the car up onto the lift so that I could lcomplete the diagnosis....filling the fuel bowls up when/if I ran out of gas. Worked like a charm. Now the snake (aka the cobra) has traded places with the Panther (aka pantera) on the lift:

I am not sure if I will tackly my list serially or jump on other projects as I get stumped. I'll probably jump around while the grey matter works on particular problems or I wait for parts. Either way, I'll be making updates here. If you read my cobra blog, I'll most likely follow a similar M.O.

Reviewing the records: What work was done over the years?

2009-09-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

After Mike's great inspection of the car, I went through the records that where handed down to me to see what has been done to this car. I wanted to memorialize a summary here:

February 1, 1992:
-Rewire electric choke
-Reroute brake vacuum line
-replace PCV hose
-Plugged PCV opening to air cleaner
-Recharge A/C
-Replace clutch master cylinder assembly
-Replace mallory ignition system with Ford Duraspark (1985 H.O. Mustang)
---1 DY-184-C Ignition Module
---1 DG-314 Coil
---1 D7zz12060-A Wiring Assembly
------1 m-12127-A301 Distributor
---1 M-12106-A302 Distributor Cap Kit
-Install remote timing mark on flywheel
-Repair right rear side market wiring and bulb connector
-Set of polyurethane bushing kit
-4 koni shock absorbers
-1 flo kooler water pump

March 30th, 1993:
Rebuild two rear upright assemblies
-four rear wheel bearings
-Four lower support shaft bushings
-Two lower support shaft kits (greasable)

Rebuild suspension system
-Remove/replace original bushings-install grease zerks
---grea zerks
---replace two u-joints in half shafts
---clean and paint half shafts and a-arms
---replace four shock absorbers
-wheel alignment front and rear

Rebuild and modified cooling system
-replaced radiator (used)
-replaced 2 fan motors with 7 blade fans (used)
-replace cooking system hoses and clamps
-install 12v relay for fan motors
-plugged internal bypass in engine block and installed modified 180 degree thermostat
-installed two coolant drain petcocks in block

Replaced cam shaft timing chain, gears and water pump
-Timing chain with gears (erson dual roller)
-Water pump (flo kooler)

Rebuild holley carburetor
-Power valve
-leaned primary from jet #72 to #68
-Modified intake for full throttle clearance

Repair of two market lights sockets and connections (left front and left rear)

Repair right rear brake caliper (rebuild)

Replace defective hazard switch

Replace Starter

Install Air Dam

April 1st, 1994:
Install clutch master cylinder
Install brake master cylinder
Install rear deck lid opening trim
Install holley 650 CFM Carburetor Model 4776

October 25th, 1994:
Carburetor-Holley Mod. 4776

Date Unknown:
Driver Door Window: Replaced broken window operating gear from fiber to brass gear.

The Pantera Doctor's Review: Mike Dailey

2009-07-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

If you want to know everything about a pantera, go visit Mike Dailey's site Pantera Place. If you want an expert to look at your car, it is nice to find out that Mike lives in the same city as you! Mike is such a great guy. Doesn't know me from squat and offers to come over and give the car a good look over. I was nervous as to what he might find since this car was from Omaha (rust belt) and sitting for a good number of years. All in all his prognosis was that the car is in fine shape with just a few projects to combat the impacts of time. Here is his list:
Engine Compartment:
- Tighten engine compartment brace on passenger side
- Get a new plastic inspection cover for bell housing
- Use some Lubraplate inside of the shift linkage boot
- On the ZF transmission, put a little RTV sealant on each bolt being careful to torque correctly (bolts are nitorious for leaking oil through the threads).
- General cleaning...filthy in there
- remove the leaves by the back window
- Check for header leak or crack on left bank of motor
- have rear exhaust jet hot coated since they are in good shape!

Suspension:
- Remove US spec spacer on coilovers to lower the car to Euro spec height...no more 4X4 stance!
- Trim suspension mount points with cut off wheel where rubbing against shock body in rear

Hoses:
-Replace vacuum line for brakes

Brakes:
As I stated before, the brakes are frozen on 3 of 4 wheels.
- Remove and dismantle brake caliper for inspection for candidacy for a rebuild
- If good, rebuild caliper with rebuild kit

Body:
- Most dents can be removed by good dent company
- Drain Rails-take screw driver and scrape out BOTH sides of holes
- Window-clips on driver side cat whisker are loose
- Rubber seal for driver side door.

Steering
- Some play in steering rack; check out and tighten tie rod ends
- Leaking boots, clean it up and put 90W lube

Preferred Part Suppliers:
1. Pantera Performance in Colorado
2. Pantera East
3. PIM

Here is a picture of Mike after the inspection-

The Arrival in Georgia

2009-07-15T10:24:00.001-07:00

It took some time to get the car back from Omaha due to some logistical errors in shipping. But she did get here and here she is:

Now my son is already asking about driving the car.....

For next time...I live in the same town as Mike Dailey who is the world renowned Pantera authority and author of the website panteraplace.com. Mike has graciously offered to spend an afternoon with me and the pantera on my lift and give me his assessment with a trained eye. I will document that as well.

The Search

2009-07-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

While I finish up my Cobra kit car project that I cover on my other blog, I started to think about another project. One project that I kept lusting after was to dive into a Pantera project. I wasn't particular about the year and I was open to a myriad of project scopes (complete rebuilds to simple restoration). The scope I figured would be dictated by my budget and the market. Well, I started about 3 months ago, researching the car, signing up for forums and reading other's blogs about their experiences. I noticed that most panteras were modified in some way or the other with a lot of them being heavily modified. I didn't mind but I found that stock panteras are hard to find. Anyway, during this time, I started a new gig with a company called Sojern out in Omaha, NE. While getting to know the team out at dinner, we started talking cars. These guys are car guys! Our COO "Fish" is especially connected in the car world in NE and we spent a lot of time talking shop. We got around to dream cars and projects and I mentioned that I was looking for a pantera. He pauses for a moment and says "The guy I rent my garage from is into panteras. Let me ask if he knows of any." Well...this is interesting. I head back home and I get an email from Fish saying that in the garage/shop next to him is a pantera...and it is for sale...and from the original owner! Seems that the owner lives in Europe and in Omaha with lots of trips to Brazil. In fact, this gentleman had a pantera in europe and one here in the US. The gentleman that he stored the car with did all the maintenance and made sure it was ready to go when he was in town. I guess this explains why the car has just over 11K original miles. Yup. 11K. So here is what I saw when I went into the shop where the pantera was lurking:

The original owner, Dewey Anderson arrived and I was ready to inspect the car. My expectations were low being that this car lived in the rust belt and although had low miles, was worried about impacts of low milage would have as well. Dewey gave me a history of the car. He originally had a Dino, but thought it was "gutless" and discovered the Pantera while living in Europe. He had been to the DeTomaso factory a few times and even knew Mrs. DeTomaso. He bought one of the first production cars and added this car to his collection back in 1975. He liked to drive these cars at speed. He grilled me on my intentions for the car and then I was able to start the inspection. Here are some pics without the car cover:

In my inspection, I was very surprised to find little if any rust. The interior only had one tiny rip on the driver's seat. The steering wheel rubber I would come to find was deteriorating with age and that the fuel gauge might have a bad ground. The sheetmetal was in good shape given that this is in original paint. There are a lot of dents that should come out relatively easy with today's paintless dent removal. The brakes were frozen and the seals on the engine are weepy (due to sitting idol I am sure). I went through a 5 page check list that I won't go thru here but she came out pretty good for how old, low milage and original paint. We reached a deal and the car was sold. Here is a picture of Dewey:

And here is EJ who is a Pantera lover and caretaker of this Pantera

The modifications that were made to this car were:
- New carb
- New intake
- New cam
- Wider rear wheels and front wheels
- New air cleaner

Pretty much that is it. Dewey gave me the original carb, a host of manuals, the original radio block out plate, some italian manual, dodads, etc. He also gave me valuable advice as well. I want to thank Fish, EJ and Dewey for helping add to my car addiction.