1980 GT5 Replica - Help!

My experience with fiberglass bodies is not very good. Lots of creaking and panels that do not fit very well -- but it really depends what you want to do with this car. If it is strictly a track car, that's totally different than a street car for sure.

If you're trying to make this a nice street car I hate to tell you this, but this is not the right car for that. You'll find out once you try to get it finished and you wonder why it costs so much and takes so long to complete -- I'm sure that's the problem with the person you purchased it from. Projects like these are not for the faint of heart.

As far as transaxles go, most people here are familiar with the ZF as you say. Not that the other transaxles are bad, but most people here do not have the desire, nor do they feel the need, to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the shift linkage. It's easy to fit any transaxle in a vehicle if the dimensions fit; it is another to get it working properly with linkage into the passenger compartment; along with making sure you have the bell housing that will mate up to the block and transaxle as well as getting a clutch mechanism that works well for this application as well.

It is going to be difficult for anyone to help you on the journey you are trying to go on -- because I do not know of anyone on this board that has done such a thing, other than the track racers that have tube frame cars with fiberglass bodies. Dennis Quella at Pantera Performance in Castle Rock, CO, comes to mind. He ran that sort of race car and is extremely knowledgeable on what it takes to make a successful track car, if this is the direction you are going. Again, the best advice I can give you is to talk to people like Dennis to get a good feel for the time and cost commitment that it's going to take to make it happen. He's been there before and would be a great resource (I on the other hand, would not.......).

Best of luck whatever you would like to do!!!!

Mark

quote:

wiring harness

Jon Haas

www.pantera-electronics.com

I understand he is now providing complete harnesses to at least one vendor

His products are always top shelf and reasonably priced.

I agree with Mark, it would be hard to beat the ZF..although if you do go another direction we would like to see it. I think you are going to be doing some out of the box things which would be interesting. Where are you located?

With regard to the shifter linkage, Scott & Chris Bell (SAAC or SACC Restorations - sorry, can't remember off the top of my head) are working on a cable shifter that MAY be adaptable to other tranaxles...

Check on this forum for a discussion - I am sure they would be happy to discuss it with you as you define transaxle configuration.

Rocky

Here's a website I found a few weeks ago as I was looking for an alternative for the ZF.

http://www.gtracingonline.co.uk/4.html

The Audi 01E sounds interesting, I don't know anything about the torque rating yet, though.

-Sami

Thanks guys!

Unfortunately, when he sent me RECENT pictures of the body and frame, it was deteriorated and had plants growing in it! He clearly stored it outside, so I retracted my offer. Hopefully this doesn't become my first bad ebay feedback. :-]

I guess I will keep looking at other sources for my first Pantera. I found a very dilapidated original '71 one in California, but it does come with the ZF, for $20K. If anything happens on this front I'll post it here. Until then...

as for the 20K car...is it the blue one with the wrong engine and transmition just sitting in the bay

quote:

Unfortunately, when he sent me RECENT pictures of the body and frame, it was deteriorated and had plants growing in it! He clearly stored it outside, so I retracted my offer

Good move. The way I see it, if you are going to spend the time money blood sweat and tears fixing a replica Pantera you may as well restore a real one. At lease at the end of the day you have an asset that will appreciate.

The most "cost effective" way to a real workable Pantera is to spend the money on the front end of the project. Buy a starter car 30 to 40 grand. If you buy a incomplete questionable project, missing a tyranny, you will end up spending twice as much.

quote:

Originally posted by derpziIIa:
Thanks guys!

Unfortunately, when he sent me RECENT pictures of the body and frame, it was deteriorated and had plants growing in it! He clearly stored it outside, so I retracted my offer. Hopefully this doesn't become my first bad ebay feedback. :-]

I guess I will keep looking at other sources for my first Pantera. I found a very dilapidated original '71 one in California, but it does come with the ZF, for $20K. If anything happens on this front I'll post it here. Until then...

Derpzilla. Count yourself lucky you didn't get that replica.
Stop looking at dilapidated cars. Put together more cash and buy a decent driver to start. You'll save a lot in the long run AND you'll be driving your cat.
Will

I also agree , start out with a decent car and move foward to make it the car you want.
You will spent more $ and time on a "project car"
These cars are great, but it takes $$ lots of it when you get into a project car

My 2cents

Yeah, I'd say that you were lucky to get out of that arrangement. For the same or less actual money in the end, you can enjoy the real thing. Good luck with the search.