Reply to "Pantera Brake Improvements"

Mike your comments on the testing done by the factory is quite interesting....I must surmise that "The government requirement was a stop from 60 mph in 646 feet" (OMG thats over two football fields!) proves that Fred Flintsone's braking system of dragging his feet was also adequate, or for that matter who needs brakes at all, just turn the motor off and downshift (too much rear bias), the car will stop eventually and the higher compression motors will be even more effective. No wonder some US car designs fell so far behind the rest of the world in the 70's and 80's!

As I read about all these test being done, I remembered...when I was in high school in the early to mid 70's there was a Lincoln Mercury dealer (I think Fladboe Lincoln Mercury) in Long Beach that my friends and I would stop at and marvel at the new Pantera's. Somehow we started talking with one of the mechanics who wrenched on the Pantera's (we thought this guy was GOD)and he turned us on to all the brake parts (calipers and rotors, front and rear) that the dealer pulled off the Pantera's that were supposedly faulty and under warranty. He said some were bad and they toss them in the trash, but that most were still good parts, but it was the dealers policy to make sure the Pantera's had only the best parts on them and to make sure that Pantera owners were very happy with the cars. I retrieved all the parts from this mechanics bin from only that week and ended up 1-2 set of front calipers and rotors and 3-4 full sets of rear brakes. I guess there were some issues they found on the rears due to the number of parts he had. I thought some how I would find enough good parts out of the mess to put on my 67 Fast Back Mustang GT figuring that the parts off a Pantera had to be way better than what the Mustang had. Back then we had a lot of fun going to junk yards searching for muscle car engines and different parts, so the brakes off a Pantera were a real find. Well I never got around to putting the brakes on the Mustang and finally my Dad (sit down and place your head in your hands!)just chucked all the parts in the TRASH after 15 or 20 years of sitting in his garage.