Reply to "Radiator Choices - Cooling System Info"

Years ago, I had a long conversation with Gary Hall. We discussed different cooling setups. The aluminum radiators while lighter but that advantage isn't worth much, the front of the Pantera is too light anyway, taking weight out of the front isn't a big help. He also recommended the use of a 160 degree thermostat. The 160 degree thermostat is what the '71 Pantera's had from the factory, the use of the 180 degree thermostat was used because of the smog requirements in later models. I have used the 160 degree thermostats, but finding them is very difficult.

My pantera is modified to 435hp, while the stock setup worked for the original it failed at the added horse power. I tried several setups with little improvements. Then I converted the AC condenser core into an aux cooler by rerouting the water from the heater core. This dropped the temperature 5-10 degrees. For the most part, the car runs at 160-165, going up hills it will reach 185 degrees. (That is when the first set of fans come on.)