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I thought of putting a diesle engine in but most are heavy, cost a fortune and don't support enough revs for the gearing the Pantera has. You can't just convert a Cleveland because it would shake itself to death. But a diesel powered Pantera would sound way cool. Make it more reminiscent of the Panther tank from which it was styled.
i hear ya. what about electric motors? i have a hybrid, and the torque is insane. quick off the line too. i just feel a bright future for the cats as it relates to alternative power plants and the room to fit something in.

not to mention the drivetrain is right there.

of course, the ol' balanced and blueprinted 351C w/big bore headers is just fine for my next trip to Safeway.

happy thanksgiving everyone.
The guys at Tesla offered to convert my Pantera to electric for me - surely in jest! But, in response I did offer to provide another Pantera if they would convert it. I think they have too much to do at the present.

It is a very cool car with blistering acceleration. See October 19, 2006 "Unofficial Tour of Tesla Motors" about 1/4 down the page:
http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/adventures.htm
that's killer, garth! great article. i can only imagine the excitement of working at a place like Tesla. we moved here from Portola Valley last year, and i think the guy who runs that operation lives in Woodside (if i'm not mistaken).

anyway, we're planning a return to that area soon; let's meet up for a coffee and a run up 280. or maybe do an 84 over to 1 and down to SC. i've been promising my pantera a real homecoming. it'd be great let the cats out together. never driven alongside another - but i'm a relative newby to this breed.
quote:
Originally posted by Cowboy from Hell:
If that's the fuel that will be available, if the options are biodiesel or parking the car, I guess we'll be converting! Bring it on.

George is it posible to convert a 351 Cleveland to a diesel?? I mean even with a radical reworking????????????
You dont need to convert a Cleveland to Diesel. Ford has a diesel v8 that is small enough for the Pantera. It is used in the Euro Land rover. Twin turbo and plenty of potential. It is made from a compressed grafite iron block which makes it about as light as a comparible gas engine. And if you use that 3.2 gear for the zf, you are all set.
quote:
Originally posted by CrazyDave:
You dont need to convert a Cleveland to Diesel. Ford has a diesel v8 that is small enough for the Pantera. It is used in the Euro Land rover. Twin turbo and plenty of potential. It is made from a compressed grafite iron block which makes it about as light as a comparible gas engine. And if you use that 3.2 gear for the zf, you are all set.

Thanks Dave. So you just go to the local Ford parts counter and order one? How many zeros do I gotta put on the end of a 9 to get one? Will it bolt right up to the ZF? This sounds like something I could maybe do if don't costs a bagillion bucks.
I thought you Stateside guys would have a bit more experience of diesel than you do? Well,
Don’t go jumping in yet!
Downpoints: Engines are heavy due to the extra metal needed to hold the increased compression inside.
Biodiesel is not necessarily enviro friendly – the jury is still out on whether the area needed to grow the crops cancels the fossil fuel savings.
They’re noisy and clattery – unless behind lots of sound deadening. They don’t sound good.
The soot that comes out of the exhaust is carcinogenic.
They don’t rev – to get power the turbos are usually oversized to give a relatively small power band. They mostly run on Torque. They’re not suited to high speeds.
Tuning is a lot more complicated and there are few specialists.
Good points: If it’ll run on biodiesel, it’ll run on kerosene or rapeseed oil or sunflower oil.
Less maintenance. Engines generally last longer.
I doubt you’d need to change the gearing in the ZF.
No problems with ign system getting wet.
More mpg for the power produced.
Turbos last longer than equivalent petrol power.

Audi currently produce a 4.2 liter 326bhp engine in the A8 – which if I had to, would be the way I went. They’d have to ban petrol first though – I’m allergic to diesel (Really!)

Phil (currently sitting less than a mile from where the fastest diesel car ever was conceived) http://www.jcbdieselmax.com/html/home.php
I really don't know much about diesel at all. I think they redline at about 2500 RPM, so you gotta change the gearing or you won't be able to drive the speed limit. I think they only get about 150 horsepower but about 1500 foot pounds of torque. You gotta have two stacks with flappers on the end about twelve feet high. A diesel engine weighs, oh like maybe 3000 pounds or so. If you attach a blade to the front of the car you can use it to make roads and stuff, if you put a plow on the back you can farm with it. If you deflate the tires you can pull railroad cars with it, you can convert a semi trailer and use it for a camper now. I think diesel power would make a Pantera way more versital car.
quote:
Originally posted by skatdawg:
all in all, it has a kind of MadMax element to it. not to mention the tonnage of an ice breaker.



i think next or so generation of electric powerplant may be the way to go on this conversion possibility....



OHHHH YEAH BABY!! That's what I'm a talking, right there!!!
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