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    Results 1 to 20 of 26
    1. #1
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      NY
      Posts
      93

      Project "The Engine is WHERE??" '73 DeTomaso Pantera Build

      After three years of ownership, and a year and a half of the car sitting in pieces in two garages, I finally have the space and time to do my semi-resto on the Pantera. This car had competed in the Silver State Classic for many years, but was forced into early retirement and has been sitting dormant for the last few years. It's now time to give it what it needs to stretch it's legs once again.

      The car looks good from a distance, but has numerous issues that need to be addressed before I can take it back to the track. Multiple wiring issues being at the top of the list. This lead me to the decision to restore and upgrade many aspects of the car.

      Restoration will include:
      • Removal and replacement of ALL wiring with an 18-circuit Painless harness
      • Removal of A/C system, including all lines and components
      • Removal and restoration of interior, dash, gauges, switches, etc.
      • Inspection and repair of any rust areas discovered
      • Replacement of most weatherstripping
      • Full maintenance check-up

      It's not a full resto by any means. However, the items outlined above will bring the car up to a level of reliability and soundness that it hasn't been at for many, many years. More importantly, it'll allow me to finally get this car out of my garage this coming season and onto the track where it belongs.

      In the next couple of posts, I'll bring you up to date on the progress so far, and then post updates as I work on the car. I'm hoping to finish the mechanical within the next month or so, and get the car out racing. After that, I'll focus on aesthetics like paint, dent repairs, and whatnot. The monocoque design of this car will make rust repair and wire routing a challenge, but it'll get done one way or another!
      Project KushVair - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      NY
      Posts
      93
      Alright, let's start with the "before" shots. This is prior to the tear-down:









      The car had been pretty extensively modified for the open road rally before I took ownership. The list includes upgraded drivetrain and suspension components, roll cage, wheels/tires, etc. Those modifications will remain, and I'll be adding further chassis bracing, a brake upgrade among other items to make it well-rounded for closed-track racing.
      Project KushVair - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      NY
      Posts
      93
      I wish I took more pics of the tear-down, but I'll post what I have.

      The first thing I did was to begin tearing down the interior.

      I started with the dash, as I wanted to strip it and re-cover it as a mini-project to get the ball rolling:





      The years of sun had not been kind:





      I removed the gauges/vents, and an aluminum filler plate that someone had installed years ago:



      The purists will cringe, but the next step was to strip the factory foam that had begun to disintegrate:







      Following that, I began to re-cover the skeleton with a thin suede material:









      Before it goes back in, I'll be adding another layer of suede to reduce some of the sharp edges, and installing gauges and switches.

      Next up, the rest of the interior tear-down, wiring removal and the start of putting the new harness in.
      Project KushVair - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Dec 2010
      Location
      Apex, NC
      Posts
      1,020
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice build, good luck!

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Dunwoody, GA
      Posts
      4,984
      Country Flag: United States
      Glad to see this one is still out there. These cars are so cool. Good luck
      Trey

      "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
      ~ Jon Hammond

      1979 WS6 Trans Am stock LT1/T56 drive train out of my Formula. BMW M-parallel rims. C5/C6 brakes

      build thread https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...ghlight=begins

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Ontario, Canada
      Posts
      2,313
      Country Flag: Canada
      Quote Originally Posted by HotRodKush View Post
      These cars look bad-ass without even turning a wheel.
      Keep us posted with lots of pictures. I'm especially interested as to what is going on under the surface of these beauties.

      Ken
      If there is a hard way to do something, I'll find it!
      My other car is a Vega.

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Feb 2011
      Location
      Kalamazoo, MI
      Posts
      144
      Awesome build!
      1969 Pontiac GTO
      -The Nameless project.

      0331, USMC, Semper Fi.

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      NY
      Posts
      93
      Thanks for the comments!

      Last week I stripped all of the interior and wiring out, to give me a clean slate for the new harness going in:



      I also removed the windshield, hood and trunklid to assess any rust in the body seams at those locations. It looks good for the most part:





      In the process, I found these genuine vintage air horns tucked inside the front fenderwell :D



      The only body rust I found was on the floorboards and front trunk area, which I've repaired and primed. No pics of that unfortunately, but you can see the primered floor in a couple of the following pictures. I did find some front framerail rust, which worries me a bit but I'll take a closer look next time to see how bad it really is.

      The last couple of days were spent doing some basic routing of the new harness, and wiring up the taillights. The Painless universal kits are set up for front-engine cars, so unfortunately for this mid-engined car, half of the wiring is too long and half is too short - but I'm modifying it as I go.

      I laid the fuse box in the general region of final installation, and began routing the engine and tail section wiring towards the rear through the body cavities similarly to the original harness:





      The wiring comes up behind the motor, and then back inside the rear fenderwell to remain hidden:



      And then ultimately pops out just in front of the tail lights - how convenient:



      Just after routing the taillight wiring:



      I decided to re-use the original taillight connectors, to facilitate easy removal for bulb changing:





      I then moved up to the front, and removed the wiper mechanism completely. Most of the Pantera guys just remove the wipers, but while I was there I figured I'd avoid having the mechanism stick out of the cowl and take it out. I'll make up some filler panels:



      While I was up front, I routed some of the dash wiring for future installation:





      That's where I'm at now. A couple of things worth mentioning. First, I realize now that my camera sucks. I'll try to take clearer pics from now on. Second, yes, the wire looms are red and blue - I don't like it much more than you do. They'll be covered and out of sight at the end of this. I tried to get black looms but couldn't find any at the local stores.

      Thanks again for following the thread - it gives me motivation to snap more photos and keep the project moving along! If I have time tonight I'll finish up the taillights and start wiring up the engine sensors. Until then, it rests:

      Project KushVair - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      Carson City, NV
      Posts
      861
      Country Flag: United States
      Very nice, I have always liked the old pantera's. some day I would love to have one and build it my way.

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Feb 2011
      Location
      Hills of Anaheim
      Posts
      273
      Should be one sweet ride!
      Matt - 1970 Chevelle

      www.street-demons.com

    11. #11
      Join Date
      May 2009
      Posts
      379
      The front flares on your car, seem larger than some of the panteras, that I've seen.
      Are they larger than normal?

      I've always liked the style of the panteras, it should be a very nice car when done, good luck with it!

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      NY
      Posts
      93
      The flares were available on the GT5 and GT5S version of the Pantera. These were added on long ago, but not alas are not original to the car. They do allow for a more agressive wheel/tire combo though. The car also has the GT5 front air dam. At some point I'll have the front of the car assembled and you'll be able to see it...some day.
      Project KushVair - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Mar 2008
      Location
      Chapel Hill, NC
      Posts
      337
      Country Flag: United States
      Cool project.
      A few weeks ago, I rode in a friends 72 Pantera to a Cars & Coffee thing in Raleigh. I was surprised at how nice the car felt on the road...and the 351 Cleveland in it just pulls hard.
      Dan
      Chapel Hill, NC
      ***PM me if you're close by and can help with my 65 Mustang Fastback project***

    14. #14
      Join Date
      May 2006
      Location
      Fairview Hts IL (east of STL)
      Posts
      116
      Country Flag: United States
      One on my dream cars!
      For those who fought for it, FREEDOM, has a taste the protected will never know!!!!!!

    15. #15
      Join Date
      May 2005
      Location
      Sin City
      Posts
      330
      Very nice ride... Did you drive it to Silver State from NY ??? If so, how was it for cross country comfort ???
      Kurt G
      Las Vegas

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Dec 2009
      Location
      NY
      Posts
      93
      Thanks guys!

      Quote Originally Posted by showa View Post
      Very nice ride... Did you drive it to Silver State from NY ??? If so, how was it for cross country comfort ???
      I didn't, though I would have liked to. My original plan was to drive it cross-country to bring it back to NY when I took ownership, but it just wasn't in the cards at the time. Maybe one day I'll take the trip back to NV, it would be a helluva road trip.
      Project KushVair - 1967 Corvair Street/Track Build

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Apr 2011
      Posts
      1
      Cool project. I've worked on a couple of them. Common rust spots you might want to check out while it's apart are the rocker area in front of the rear wheel, and, oddly, above the vent thing behind the side window, above the drip rail. If I remember correctly, stuff gets in through the hinge pockets for the rear hatch, then settles on the sides, causing that area to rust out.

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Nov 2006
      Location
      Ma.
      Posts
      5,567
      Country Flag: United States
      Nice project. The fastest I ever went was in my buddy's 72 Pantera on a two lane road ( one each direction ) with traffic light every so often over 150 mph. Not once did the car feel like it was out of control. Sweet Ride!
      Wayne
      Car FINALLY home !!!!!! lol
      Project FNQUIK https://www.pro-touring.com/showthre...ghlight=FNQUIK

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Apr 2011
      Location
      Angier, NC, USA
      Posts
      56
      Sweet DT! I love those things! Keep up the good work!
      ~Bradley~

    20. #20
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      neat project. I always had a soft spot for these cars.



      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her


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