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Reply to "Pantera 06927"

Seeing as how you're out at the end of the world, I'll try to compile the geometry articles via pdf & e-mail the collection to your website e-mail address.
As far as driving in monsoon conditions, giant tires hydroplane pretty easily even when the geometry is correct. Be careful!
On suspension springs: our '72 Pantera L has been the subject of a 20-year project to improve its handling and lighten it up a bit. The car originally weighed 3250 lbs with 1/2 tank of gas. Today, it weighs 2690 lbs, still with the same visual appearance but 500 lbs lighter. Once I get my aluminum block engine finished, along with a fiberglas decklid, we will be yet another 100 lbs or so lighter, still with A/C, heater, mounted wipers and a CD/AM-FM stereo radio. At that weight, I have good luck using 250-lb front springs with 300-lb rears. Your car being a conversion, I really have no idea what its weight might be, but a guess is 3200 lbs ready to drive.
Without having driven your car, I personally feel your springs are too stiff for touring use; maybe OK for road racing but not street driving on bumpy roads. Stock springs were 250 lbs front & 355 lbs rear, according to Ted Mitchell's comprehensive Pantera geometry website
My Koni gas shocks are the high pressure type (around 250 psi internal) and that adds another 40-some lbs of spring pressure from each shock- adds to the total spring load. So our lightweight Pantera runs a total 290-lb spring load in front & 340-lbs in the rear. Another road race & street Pantera (belonging to a parts vendor but not lightened) runs similar weight springs and finds they work well overall. As a guess, your car should react well to around 350-lb fronts & 450-lb rear springs. Fortunately, aftermarket springs are cheap at $50 or so apiece, so experimenting is not a bank-breaker. Anti-sway bar sizes should not affect this although they WILL help cornering.
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