quote:Originally posted by accobra:
...as I looked thru the history of the race Pantera's I see an awful lot of DNF's ...can anyone comment on WHY...
The 351C race motors in the early 1970s were developing about 500 bhp, which is not enough to break the ZF. Keep in mind, 500 bhp was 7 liter big block territory in that era. Not bad for 351 cubes.
Bud Moore, good ol' NASCAR engine builder, built the motors for the first Gp4 Panteras. He was completely unfamiliar with the set up needed to race on European racing circuits. The European teams & mechanics were completely unfamiliar with the 351C motor, their early efforts at building 351C race motors were very unreliable. Exploring the race track capabilities of a mid-engine sports car chassis was a new thing in 1972. Race tire technology was also advancing at a fast rate in this period, the g-forces being developed were greater than what had been encountered in the past, especially in a low slung, mid-engine Pantera with 14" wide wheels in the rear. The motor needed a dry sump lube system for the type of g-forces encountered in European racing, but nobody realized it for about 2 seasons (1972, 1973). By the time they figured out the Pantera needed a dry sump, Porsche or Ferrari (forget which) was able to have the rules written so that dry sumps on the Pantera were banned for a couple of more seasons. When the rules finally allowed the Pantera teams to run the dry sump, there was no factory support, only privateer efforts. So you could say lack of budget was a problem too!
Your historic racer will need a dry sump oil system
cowboy from hell