Skip to main content

Safely starting a Pantera that's been in storage

I have a '72 pantera pre-L (#2725) that I received after my father's passing in December. My father owned the car for approximately 15 years. He purchased it from a gentleman in NJ who had lost his leg in a motorcycle accident and the car has always been cared for-maybe not babied, but cared for. My father had all of the "typical" upgrades done to make the care safe to drive and cared for the vehicle to the best of his ability......now on to my question!

Over the last 10 years, the car has been driven infrequently-approximately 3x a year. The engine is healthy, featured good compression, has an aluminum intake, headers, and a slightly lumpier-than-stock cam. My dad ran Amsoil 10w-40 (I believe that was the weight). The car has always fired once fuel made its way to the carb and purred like a kitten afterward. Due to my Dad's illness, the car wasn't driven for @ 1 1/2 years.

So obviously I want to fire the car up. I've read many articles dealing with this topic and each has different ideas of what you should do in this situation. I've read to squirt Marvel's Mystery Oil (or just motor oil) in each spark plug hole and I know some folks pull the distributor and use a spade bit to pump oil about. I'd rather not pull the distributor unless you guys think it absolutely necessary to avoid damage.

What would you guys suggest?
Original Post
×
×
×
×