quote:My question is this...after running it for a few minutes, it became apparent that my temp gauge isn't working. Not sure if there is a thermostat issue or a gauge issue. I plan to run a mechanical one for the time being.
First, did you properly bleed your cooling system? The simplest way is to jack the rear of the car up as high as your floor jack will go, fill, start the car and run it for 10 minutes; fill some more; and repeat a few times.
Second, make sure your thermostat sending unit is mounted in the correct location in the engine block. Originally, it was mounted in the side of the rear coolant tank, which yields a less than accurate reading at best, and fails to register actual engine temperature if you experience a coolant loss and the level is below the sender.
http://www.banzairunnerpantera...dates_thermostat.htm
I found that my stock temp gauge was spot on when verified with an IR temp gun.
As for the rubber exhaust brackets, was this the first time your engine has been fired up following the rebuild? A fresh engine always runs hottest during the initial break-in run as the components are wearing in for the first time, which could have been the cause of your exhaust hangars melting. Other causes could have been age, or someone may have fabbed their own out of an inferior rubber. Mine were a gooey mess when I bought my car. Order a correct set from one of the vendors or maseratisource.
And CONGRATS on returning an other Pantera to the road!