WHEN A VENDOR HAS A REPRODUCTION PART MANUFACTURED, IT DOESN’T COST ANY MORE NOR TAKE MORE TIME TO MANUFACTURE A ...CORRECT... REPRODUCTION.
YES, I’m yelling.
I have now heard from another owner who found the exact same problem I encountered with the throttle cable he purchased from the same vendor.
That vendor, instead of duplicating all of the dimensions of the factory throttle cable, decided to lengthen his reproduction throttle cable housing, but did not lengthen the inner cable. As the mounting points for both ends of the ...housing... are fixed, a shorter ...cable... obviously will encounter difficulty, if not total impossibility, connecting to the gas pedal fitting.
The other owner solved the problem by moving the center tunnel mounting bracket. So, 30 years from now when the then current owner of that Pantera needs to replace his throttle cable, he will find, should he actually get one properly re-produced, that the proper cable will not fit because the previous owner made modifications in order to install an incorrectly reproduced part.
This. Is. Wrong.
Some years ago when I purchased a set of headers from a vendor I had to pay my local machine shop $100 to blanchard grind the three-eights inch thick header flanges so they were actually flat enough to seal. My polite letter to the vendor, sharing the shortcomings of his product, wherein I suggested he might want to check his stock and/or contact his fabricator, went unanswered.
For too long I have heard we should be thankful that we have any vendors at all. And the De Tomaso community seems to have accepted a philosophy that if we can ...make... it work, then that is satisfactory. Really?
But I am now personally done with that philosophy.
From now on, if it is wrong I will demand a full refund, to include all shipping expenses, and I will share my full experience with my fellow owners so they do not have to deal with the same issue from a vendor that doesn’t understand the definition of “bolt-in reproduction.” A vendor who doesn’t care, or perhaps even believe you, when you point out the shortcomings of his product.
I’ve decided that this issue really requires loyalty to my fellow owners, not loyalty to a vendor.
And, IMHO, all of you should consider doing the same.
Larry
Sent from me using a magic, handheld electronic gizmo.