any technical woes to look for when purchasing a pantera

There are two potential money-pits to be aware of: first, the Pantera's body is welded Italian steel so like every other car of the era, it is sensitive to rust. But since the Pantera really has no true frame, rust in some areas is not only a disaster, the car must practically be disassembled to be fixed right- and body parts are rare and expensive. Buy and learn to use a "Bondo-Meter" to detect body filler covering rust. The second thing is a good working ZF transaxle. These German-made pieces are also expensive to fix- there's really only one place in the world that has parts- RBTTRANS in So-Cal. An overhaul will run several thousand dollars, unless there's something REALLY wrong, in which case it will run into significant money....So stay away from those cars that grind horribly going into second gear. For someone who has a working '65 Galaxie, the rest of the car should be fairly easy to deal with. The all-Lucas wiring does need some getting used to unless you've dealt with British cars before, but there are Help-Fix-your-Pantera support groups all over the country to assist, as you've probably noticed if you're a member of The List. There are many vendors of OEM and aftermarket parts also, and quite a few shops that specialize in fixing/upgrading your Pantera to any conceivable level. Since there were only about 7000 Panteras ever built (71-'94) and not all of them were imported to the US, used cars are not exactly thick on the ground, but one or more of your new Pantera-buddies in your area will undoubtably help you find the one you want.

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Originally posted by jack deryke:
There are two potential money-pits to be aware of: first, the Pantera's body is welded Italian steel so like every other car of the era, it is sensitive to rust. But since the Pantera really has no true frame, rust in some areas is not only a disaster, the car must practically be disassembled to be fixed right- and body parts are rare and expensive. Buy and learn to use a "Bondo-Meter" to detect body filler covering rust. The second thing is a good working ZF transaxle. These German-made pieces are also expensive to fix- there's really only one place in the world that has parts- RBTTRANS in So-Cal. An overhaul will run several thousand dollars, unless there's something REALLY wrong, in which case it will run into significant money....So stay away from those cars that grind horribly going into second gear. For someone who has a working '65 Galaxie, the rest of the car should be fairly easy to deal with. The all-Lucas wiring does need some getting used to unless you've dealt with British cars before, but there are Help-Fix-your-Pantera support groups all over the country to assist, as you've probably noticed if you're a member of The List. There are many vendors of OEM and aftermarket parts also, and quite a few shops that specialize in fixing/upgrading your Pantera to any conceivable level. Since there were only about 7000 Panteras ever built (71-'94) and not all of them were imported to the US, used cars are not exactly thick on the ground, but one or more of your new Pantera-buddies in your area will undoubtably help you find the one you want.

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thanks for the help, I will keep that in mind when checking one out Jack much appreciated.... Craig