My 74 GTS

I looked at a number of cars all over the country during business travel. I was leaving on a two hour drive to see a more local car when this one appeared (from no-where) in my local paper's classified section; and it was directly on my route. Turns out, my car was living a mere 60 miles from me. It was a very solid 74 US GTS with 14.5k on the odometer and priced in the "grab your wallet now” range. I bought it on the spot. That was in July of 1999. It was off the road from 2003-2006 but has been logging miles ever since.

Pantera Upgrades and Mods

Engine

427 CI, 4.125” bore by 4.000” stroke. Built by Lenard Vastholtz.
9.5” deck Dart Iron Eagle Siamese block, 4.125” bore, Cleveland main journals, four bolt mains on all five caps, center three mains splayed.
Brodix BF301 aluminum high port heads, 196cc intake runner, C302B port and mounting locations, 67cc combustion chambers. Light port and bowl work. REV stainless valves 2.19 intake, 1.67 exh, Crane spring kit 96870 with 134lbs closed, 368 lbs at max lift.
Custom pistons, full floating pins, dished to mirror combustion chambers on heads and yield 10:1 compression ratio.
Lentz rods, 6.2, .927 pins, 2.100 journal, 7/16” Carr bolts.
4340 forged steel crank, Cleveland mains, 4.000” stroke, and 2.100” journals
Crane hydraulic roller: PN 449601. Grind Number HR-224/339-2S-12. See cam card.
Crane hydraulic roller lifters
Comp cams Magnum stainless steel roller rockers 1.7 ratio.
ARP rocker studs.
ARP head bolts.
Custom 3/8 push rods
MSD Pro-Billet distributor with Crane gear for roller cam, and 6AL box.
MSD 9mm plug wire kit.
Pantera Performance 10 quart aluminum oil pan and pick up, windage tray, baffled, hinged trap doors, scraper.
Blue printed Melling oil pump.
Electric fuel pump, regulator, Mallory
FMS M-9424-C351 intake.
Holley HP 750
McLeod aluminum flywheel
Romac stainless balancer. 28 oz standard balance.
Weiand high flow aluminum water pump
March billet aluminum pulley set.
PPC ceramic coated headers 2” primaries, custom collector.
2 ½” mandrel bent tail pipes and stock GTS style mufflers. Black ceramic coated.

Drive Train

Forged rear axles with hardened retaining nuts
Rear uprights converted to tapered roller bearings
Spicer half shafts and u-joints.
McLeod Street Twin dual disc clutch and aluminum flywheel.

Transmission and Shift Linkage

ZF safety wired, stock gearing.
PPC Stainless shift rod and spherical rod end for trunion support.

Cooling

Pantera Performance Ron Davis aluminum radiator with, twin sucker fans on plenum and lay forward kit.
Stainless tubes, pressure tank, overflow tank, and billet aluminum tank caps.
Pressure tank relocated for header clearance.
Custom stainless tubes and brackets such that short straight sections of Gates Green Stripe connect all.
Fire wall mounted heater core isolation valves and braided stainless plumbing.

Suspension

Adjustable rear upper A-arms with upper heim instead of standard ball joint.
Lower rear and all front a-arms re-welded for strength, grease zerks added at all bushing, stripped and powder coated black.
Black anodized adjustable DeTomaso wheel house brace.
Bump steer added to front uprights and zinc plated.
Camber lock kit added to front upper a-arms.
Steering wrack rebuilt with bronze bushing.
Urethane bushings in all arms.
Greasable shafts in rear uprights
Aluminum bodied adjustable Koni shocks custom length and travel for lower ride height. Springs: 550lb/in rear, 450 lb/in front.
1” chrome sway bars front and back with spherical bushings, billet caps and billet DeTom rear sway bar mount.

Brakes

Wilwood Superlight, four piston, calipers and braided stainless flex lines on all four corners.
Heavy ventilated curved vain rotors on all four corners, aluminum hats
PPC mechanical parking brake kit on rear.
SVO 1.125” bore dual reservoir master cylinder.

Wheels and Tires

Polished Kinesis K29s, 19”x 13” (6.5" backspacing) rear and 18” x 9.5” (5" backspacing) front.
Michelin Pilot Sport Rubber, 345/30/ZR19 Rear and 265/35/ZR18 front.

Body & Engine Compartment

Steel GTS flairs replace pop riveted stock GTS flares.
Seems welded/filled and smoothed.
Lead removed and welded with reinforcing in rear tail light sections prone to cracking.
L bumpers removed, holes filled with sheet metal and Euro bumpers installed.
Quad headlight conversion kit
Window mounted rear view mirrors.
Engine compartment spot welds filled and smoothed, painted satin black.
Jack plate reinforcement on rear cross member
Removable cross member for easy oil pan access
Rotary AC compressor
AC hoses re-routed through wheel well.
Stainless steel firewall and gas tank shield with foil back sound suppression mat.
Gas tank exterior media blasted and painted. Pristine interior, no sealer required.
Undercarriage stripped, painted black, and detailed. –No undercoating of any kind on the car.
All trim powder coated black.
Group IV tail lights.
Added a third brake light (look closely above the air cleaner it’s there).

Interior

Crow five point harnesses.
New headliner.
Removable Momo steering wheel
Otherwise, bone stock.