Belgian (or nearby) Pantera owners

Hi,
I've purchased parts from this guy www.jaeckel-partner.de in Hamburg. I found him helpful and knowledgeable.

This is a longer trip for you. This guy http://www.threepointfour.co.uk/index.htm does servicing and restoration, he also writes the club magazine for the UK De Tomaso Club.

There are also several US engine specialists in the UK.

Hope this helps.

quote:

Originally posted by Rapier:
Hi,
I've purchased parts from this guy www.jaeckel-partner.de in Hamburg. I found him helpful and knowledgeable.

This is a longer trip for you. This guy http://www.threepointfour.co.uk/index.htm does servicing and restoration, he also writes the club magazine for the UK De Tomaso Club.

There are also several US engine specialists in the UK.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for your reply.

Good to know there are at least some people around familiar with, or at least specialized (to some level) in, De Tomaso.

Browsing through the forum's member list, I found at least some owners less or more close-by to where I live. Looks like Vereeken is the one living closest to me, though he seems to spend just like me quite some time in the US too.

Anyway, I not longer feel alone now

Or you could try Patrick Hals in your country of Belgium. Patrick owns several Panteras, two of which he's raced at the Classic LeMans and will again this year.So he knows what breaks and how to get it fixed. <patrickhals@gmail.com>

Kid,

I've sent you a PM with a list of contacts.

quote:

Originally posted by Bosswrench:
Or you could try Patrick Hals in your country of Belgium. Patrick owns several Panteras, two of which he's raced at the Classic LeMans and will again this year.So he knows what breaks and how to get it fixed. <patrickhals@gmail.com>

Oh, it looks like other than just chocolate and beer, we also have quite some Panteras in Belgium!

@ David - thanks for the pm - much appreciated!

Hi Pantera lovers,

i'm Van de Walle Norbert from Maldegem, Belgium and recently "bought" a Pantera GT5S from '85 ..... i write bought under "..." because it was more a deal : car collector was interested in my SRT10 Viper Truck with Roe Racing blower and my body off restored Corvette '70... himself has all models Pantera and just bought the GT5S Targa.. so "mine" now could go....myself was dreaming a FGT but a bit to expensive for a sunday toy ...or a GT40, tryed it but didn't fit into it ... to small... or me to big ??? following that story i naturally came up with a Pantera solution :-) i like to wrench on my cars , so a old school carb/distributor is my favorite and the Pantera has the GT heritage .... looks, mechanics, sound..... got my story right and love the car, this is a keeper !

Ofcourse i had to deal with some garage queens sickness .... first the alternator was down, i drove to SpaItalia needing 5 batteries ;-)
to keep ignition running ( fresh batterie max rev 4000 , ending after every 50 miles 2000 .... )

This solved i found the road keeping a disaster ! .... this couldn't be thrue ... so on the lift to found 3 of the 4 schocks completely gone... orderd new coilovers from Intrax and had a new car !

Now that the car was cornering good i realised that the tires , Yokohamas as "new", were from 2000... now i don't thrust 11 years old rubber.... so bought new Michelins TB15... again i had a new car , cornering and sticking to the road as glue ....

Then i felt the power was there but equal , not more between 4000 rpm to 6000 as from 2000 to 4000 ??? in the lower gears .... so i played a bit with the advance ( Unilite distributor giving 10 ° mechanical advance ) but no better results which made me think i was running lean once the secondaries open ( Edelbrock Thunder AVS 650 carb ) ... no jets availeble in Belgium, i drilled the secondary jets a bit wider and found now the car pulling more in the higher revs :-)

Next job is to install a A/F gauge to have a measure....and fuel pressure indication...

It's a 351 C with visual a Edelbrock performer intake ( 4V ) and a carb....but the heads are 2V i think as "2" is casted on the corners ....found among documents a Crane comp camshaft which i suppose is there....

Nice story and documented : it's chassis nr 9425 , first owner Caroll Shelby ! he drove it for 286 miles begin '86 to sell it with another 2 GT5S and speaking of another 2 not yet arrived in the US januari 86 .... it was order red with beige interior and still is... not surprizing as the car has 8000 miles.... of which we cannot be sure ofcourse but nowhere the cars shows more mileage !
( so it's the 50the GT5S made out of the 187 )

Very,very happy with the car and hope to may join among you here and learn alot .... sorry for my spelling ... just read beyond my errors please :-)

see you !
Norbert, aka Belgiumbarry

Hi Mr Norbert, or should I address you as Barry?

Anyways, welcome to the forum, and the DT community Don't worry about grammatical errors - in general, our English is way better than most of the others their Dutch

And yet again a new owner in BE. For being such a small country, we have plenty of DT cars... Maybe one day, we as BE owners should come together, and have some fun. Feel free to contact me PM wise, so we can - if you'd like to - meet once.

So, Intrax in NL was able to offer you shocks he...interesting.

Hi KID...yes, we could have small meeting after the holidays .....would like to meet other DT's .Know a Belgian FGT owner who bought a GT5S in the US which he will send to QM developments for some repairs.... perhaps we can go over there once to see his shop and some Panteras he owns ? It's near Kortrijk .

Yes, Intrax just hade made a set coilovers for a race Pantera when i called them .....so no problem, they make them in a few days ! They are the 1K2 system with 40 klicks schock adjustments ( in & rebound) and ofcourse all kinds of springs....i took 100 kg in front and 120 kg rear. For track use they proposed 140/160 kg... i installed them and they fit perfect ! Not knowing were to look i first contacted KW suspensions , but they asked 5 weeks delivery time !



mid-engines are cool but not so easy for carb tuning as one in front :-)


we are doing the paper work for Belgian registration but glad i can drive in the meantime further on his UK plates / insurance.

Hello, I also would like to say welcome to Pantera ownership. It is a very , very pretty car( mine looks like it so I also had some problem driving to Spa, was using more than 25 liters of fuel, seems my distributor is out of wack.Waiting for parts out of the US now.


#1154

hi Suburb, if you mean 25l/100km that could be so without some malfunctions
should check mine but it will be in that range....Had a '70 Corvette with a Holley and driving it with spirit it used 29 l !

Panteras are also "heavy" cars...this is pic from my scales when i was dialing in the suspension ride height on the new Intrax.

Aha, I met that FGT owner recently, and he told me about you.

Btw, that picture looks like the cat just blew somebody out of his shoes – the result of a misfire perhaps…? And a Pantera heavy - was the picture of the scale taken with or without you under the decklid?

We could try to arrange some sort of small BE meeting, but at least some of the by me known Belgian owners, are pretty busy people, having trouble finding an open spot in their agenda – me being one of them...

yes, gotta love a BE meeting ! let's do some asking around and see .... perhaps end august -begin september somewhere ?

You can count me in with great pleasure if I am around !

I'm game

Hi Barry, the other set of intrax were made for my Pantera!
How are they working for you? I let Henk set up the car as he thought that was the best way to do it. My car is a full trackcar, with wide slicktyres. The car turned out to be very lively ( agrressief ) and far better then before, but a real lot of understeer, and it ripped my tyres to pieces in a couple of laps. Now I have set up the car as we had before, and the shocks are working perfect. An expencive but real good product.
To bad I can't ride my pantera on the road, otherwise I could have join you guy's on your trip. Or you all have to make the trip to Zandvoort

Arno

quote:

Originally posted by Dago:
Hi Barry, the other set of intrax were made for my Pantera!
How are they working for you? I let Henk set up the car as he thought that was the best way to do it. My car is a full trackcar, with wide slicktyres. The car turned out to be very lively ( agrressief ) and far better then before, but a real lot of understeer, and it ripped my tyres to pieces in a couple of laps. Now I have set up the car as we had before, and the shocks are working perfect. An expencive but real good product.
To bad I can't ride my pantera on the road, otherwise I could have join you guy's on your trip. Or you all have to make the trip to Zandvoort

Arno

hello Arno,

just some road miles on the Intrax... but very pleased ! still have to figure out the right coils and shock install... now 100/120 kg coils and midrange shock klicks.... yes, pitty, i know... one changes so much on a "road" car to track use .. it becomes no more possible for tech inspection... i have 2 track Porsches 928 in the same condition One is on O-plates for "maybe" historic rallys but i know, if i get "cought" on the road and forced tech inspection i will lose the plates and condamned to only track use.....

Yes, it is a pitty, We are not allowed to modify anything. So for me I can make the car full track or original. No way I can drive him on the road.
grrrrrrrrrrrrr

If we want to go to qm developments we'llnneed to go next weekend. My pantera will be finished next week

ok, saterday may be good weather at least for a day...... i can drive to QM... others intrested ? do we propose a meeting time/hour there ?

Interested sure, but unable to join.

You'll have to keep us posted on the good and the bad

Have fun!

To bad, a guy is coming on saterday to help set
ignition,keep up the good work

#1154

fak.... weather predictions are not anymore that good for saterday.... ... not good for any day as far they see !

perhaps saterday morning ? think rain around midday ... would like to see the QM shop and Belgian's GTS ....

so yes, heavy rain this morning... nogo.
BUT they predict sunshine next week for tuesday.... so we can plan a visit at QM one of those days tuesday- wednesday----thursday again already probebly bad weather ... ?? don't know when Belgian's GTS will be ready over there and gone home ??

Sorry to hear it's raining in Belgium guys...

Here in Spain, it's sunny. Tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny. I think it's supposed to be sunny the next day as well ;-)

Just trying to be helpful!

quote:

Originally posted by Charlie McCall:
Sorry to hear it's raining in Belgium guys...

Here in Spain, it's sunny. Tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny. I think it's supposed to be sunny the next day as well ;-)

Just trying to be helpful!

well thank you very much Mr. Charlie for the reminder

nevertheless we are just back from 3 weeks sailing Cote d'azur golf St Tropez and in september we're in Empuriabrava chasing fish with our rib so... keep the good weather steady for us

had today a family party for one of my grandkids birthday.... not to far away from my garage... so i got the Pantera for fun drives with everybody seeing it for the first time... must say they were impressed and some asked me to go a bit less wild on the throttle
indeed amazing ( also helpded by the engines music) how it keeps pulling each gear... no struggle, just another gear, higher speed and again fresh breath....

High, i'm free on wednesday, sorry but what is QM. Ps, if they ( the law) let me because i am driving an O plate

QM restores oldtimers and prep's rally & race cars .....himself racing a BMW i thought...


QM DEVELOPMENTS, HEULESTRAAT 9B, 8560 GULLEGEM, BELGIË TEL. +32(0)56 40 29 32, FAX +32(0)56 42 70 24

for me wednesday is ok.... do we meet over there ? what hour do you propose ?
OR.. if you have to pass Gent we can ride together from there ... and as we organize here a "meeting" i think you're OK with the O plates....

Quik thinking on your part about the O plate. I am coming from Beringen so I pass Gent. About the hour it is all the same, I am easy best home before dark( o plate). Mvg Urbain

nice Urbain ! then we are at least with 2
will check on Belgan if he can be there to .

Let's take meeting point for us :

Van der Valk Nazareth-Gent
Autostrade E17
9810 Nazareth België

it's a hotel/restaurant on the highway E17 once you passed Gent ( either coming from Antwerp or Brussels, in Gent you have to take the E17 ) it's a few kilometers further . Good visebility as them logo is a big bird "Valk".

what do we take ? 12:00 or 13:00 ??? for me the same and i agree to be best back home before dark . ( Have myself cars on O plates )

Ok, i now the place. Do You now these guys from QM, because I did the ignition setting, but the cat still takes some + 30 liters and my fuel tank is only 45, maybe the fix is easy on the carb and they can take it in between. 12 is ok, traffic is less in Antwerp then

i don't know personely the guys at QM but i'm sure they can give some advice and/or small work as they have themselfs some Panteras.
So, OK, wednesday 12:00 at Van der Valk Nazareth. See you Urbain !

PS how do we recognize eachother ?

greetz
Norbert

hello Norbert, I am going to have to cancel, the guy who had workt on my ignition thinks it not a good idea driving the long distance,with possible feul burning in the exhaust, ( happend before and melted my plexiglas above the engine)Sorry about this, but You are always welcome for a visit at my house My nmb is 04990539755 See y'a Urbain

Pitty Urbain... but we will meet once ! Have to go to Roeselare this afternoon for work so i go after the visit to QM in Heule ... not that far anymore...

looked at your pics and i'm afraid you will always have that problem : i see the plexiglas so close to the headers running above your engine .... don't know if they are coated but still... perhaps wrapping them with that heat shield strip-material would help ? Think if the car runs wel some more/less fuel won't affect the headers temp so much ? They come hot , very hot anyway
Remember the GT40's used aluminium louvers and still had those deformations by heat...
Isn't a change back to original better ? all that heat in driving wind under the car instead of in the trunk, which space you even lose by that configuration ??? Is it worth the few extra ponies and racy look ??? The HP gain will be in the cros-over pipes i think, so a optimal sequence can be achieved in pressure/vacuum on firing cilinders no matter if it comes from the right or left bank. Stock headers are ofcourse completely divided right/left ... but i've seen a pic from one who had a balance pipe under the car , just before the mufflers. Don't know what gain is there to see ... ?

Hey Norbert, You could be right, read somewhere that heatwrapping has to be done wright or it could be worse. I have a set of alu louvers but I very mutch like how it looks now. think that if I take the cat on a holliday it is best to put a skibox on top like the new koenigsegg

#1154

quote:

Originally posted by Belgian:
If we want to go to qm developments we'llnneed to go next weekend. My pantera will be finished next week

just back from QM... seen your Pantera you know ,he's only some cars made before mine ! so could have been together in the factory. Nice car to, but IMHO pitty of the mods that were made in the years...ok, i'm a purist and if i were you i got it back to stock as much as possible and no... not finished yet, they are waiting for ignition parts ...
greetz
Norbert

Hey there. I know she's not ready. Yesterday afternoon martin was zt our offices to pick up the duramax h2. As I was in a meeting I couldn't spends too much time with him so called him last night and he already had done some testing. Seems some issues with the air mixture and turbo is not giving full power. Grrr I want to go full power with the big beast and beat bmw's and porsches.
That ignition part is a real problem and waiting for more than a month now. Must be very exotic part. You are correct about going back to stock but lots of those mods are interesting. The nitro has been taken off and the air filter back to stock. The msd - brakes- suspension- coolers- a arms etc are great mods to keep and dry sump... Impossible to return to stock now. All in all that engine bay look neat like it is with all on it. Once he's got the part he'll but her on the dyno( required to fine tune her) and than we'll see what power she really has. Normally with all the goodies should be 550hp. She's quit sexy hey!

hello Belgian,

yes, indeed , the mods are prof done and give a neat look. It was sure no amateur who has done the batterie relocation and drysump.Pitty of the few damages to the interior , think it was for audio equipment ? ( as were the ashtray is normaly located ) ... on the other hand , i like the seats .. alot more side supporting then mine originals... and not race-seats, they look as een factory option ??? or custom made ? or from another car ?
Outside ofcourse you should go back "europ" , with bumpers front&aft and exhausts pointing sky ....that US set is , sorry guys, ugly No big deal as i remember you have to drill some extra holes but as in front the little bumperettes hide the holes that were made for the US bumper....so no big coachwork needed as painting etc...only remains the rear holes for the supports US bumper were i give a new function instead of masking it : i will mount there 2 red belts for pulling the car as seen on race cars. Even functional as in the rear it's not that obvious were to grab the car for emergency pulling. In front we have stock 2 eyes for that.
Also seen perhaps some cosmetic work needed around/on the wing....could have been dirt , not sure.
Look also on the ride hight : those cars with lowered floorpan give a false look compared to our cars.I had mine already "high" ,looked on the wheels , given 10 cm clearence in the middle chassis... which is NOT enough , i touched some speedbumps ! Now got it on 12 cm and no more touching so far but this setup already gives the car a impression beeing high on the wheels... some "off-road" look

When you go over there , please let me know, i gladly come also... in fact not that far away from my home !
see you !
Norbert

You'll need to explain me how to mask the holes of the us bumpers one day.I took the ( monster) bumpers off and the european style bumpers don't cover those holes. For the interior I had some plans and already have all carpets new in my garage. My eyes hurt from all that red. The seats are standard recarro. No big deal. With the troubles of the parts I'm not even sure it'll be a keeper.