Reply to "Headers"

Husker,
I've got this mental picture of what I want it to look like when I'm finished, but haven't taken too many pics to show the before. I've got a few when I bought it, showing a 727 landing in the background at John Wayne Airport in Irvine, CA, with hangars and small planes tied down, a few with the disassembled A-Arms, wheels and headers laying in the garage next to the car on jack stands. They are on regular film, which I'll get developed with prints and a 3.5" disk at Walgreens. Then maybe I can look into how DOES200 and RoBeRt got their photos online at that website. I was gonna sign DOES200's guestbook there and it sort of looked like you gotta register, but it may be free to just post pictures on there.

Any comments DOES200 or RoBeRt? Is it free or how much? How did you do that?

So, anyway, my Pantera has the A-Arms ready to paint. The front fender wells totally cleaned and repainted in flat black, the calipers are painted aluminum color, the disk brake backing plates and uprights are painted gloss black, the brake hoses are painted tire black (gonna replace them with SS braided hoses custom made by a local guy later). The bearings/other bushings are all good. So, I'm gonna order a replacement front sway bar tomorrow and bolt the front end back together as soon as it arrives (next week).

I'm picking up the back sway bar from the chrome guy tomorrow (shoulda just gone with Hall Pantera ($60 plus core but didn't want to mess with packaging and shipping, shoulda, chrome guy cost $80 and took 2 weeks).

The rear fender wells are gonna be cleaned, wire brushed, wiped down, maksed and painted flat black over the next weekend and weeknites. The Half shafts gotta be cleaned and repainted gloss black. By then the headers and exhausts should be back and ready to install with good bolts (Stage-8 and probably Stove bolts with double nuts and donut gaskets for now).

I'll shoot some more photos and try to post them, if I can figure out how DOES200 and RoBeRt did that, since you asked. But that may be a lower priority as I wanna drive her a little more, before doing the intake manifold project. But, then after that is done, the engine bay should start looking really nice. It was painted white to match the body when I made the purchase. I liked that. It didn't have the dents filled, so a project for 2004 or 2005 is to remove the ZF, send it to RBT, get the taller 5th gear install/upgrade, get them to do the safety wire procedure and get it polished along with the bell housing. Maybe $2,000 to 3,000 gotta budget I'm hoping.

It's got adjustable gas shocks, leather interior, new carpets and headliner, but some stupid looking rear view mirrors that do not look good at all. Found a bodyman who likes to work weekends on customs and hot rods, seen him do a '69 Charger, fill in the holes where the trim was for the awful vinyl top. This guy wants $130! to solder my holes, and repaint both doors!! He's got a project as soon as he wants!!!! Glue on mirrors will clean up the lines, flat black, so as to blend in with the interior from a side view. Maybe do the trim in blackout or remove it and have it done anodized, the right way later. White face guages should contrast nicely in the interior.

My Pantera. The way I want it. Done by me and my buddies. Car crazy, all of us.

But may go behind schedule to water ski this weekend! LOVIN' LIFE!!!

Keep in touch Husker,

Ron