Being a new Pantera owner, how do I research my 1972 Pantera's history? Can I find out about its past through the VIN?
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Maybe. Due to the anti-stalking laws resulting from wackos chasing movie & rock stars, the DMV will actively discourage your efforts. CARFAX has some numbers available for a fee, but their files don't go back many years. But don't despair; there is a serial number registry of many Panteras available through Bill Van Ess of Michigan, quite reasonably priced. Bill can be reached at bliivaness@juno.com and is endorsed by the Pantera Owners Club of America.
Thanks!, I just got this car and was just wondering where it came from and how many owners had it before me. BTW, this is a wonderful source of information. I've been reading a bunch of these posts for the last several days and I'm sure glad I have found a place like this! If anyone out there is from Southeast Florida, let me know. I would like to know if there are car shows and where I can go to see other P cars and talk to their owners.
quote:
Originally posted by jack deryke:
Maybe. Due to the anti-stalking laws resulting from wackos chasing movie & rock stars, the DMV will actively discourage your efforts. CARFAX has some numbers available for a fee, but their files don't go back many years. But don't despair; there is a serial number registry of many Panteras available through Bill Van Ess of Michigan, quite reasonably priced. Bill can be reached at bliivaness@juno.com and is endorsed by the Pantera Owners Club of America.
Wes, I sent you an email about the Southeast Pantera club, welcome to the Pantera family! Florida will allow you to take your VIN number and go to a local tag agency and get the most recent owner info available. If you want to do a complete title search they can explain the procedure. You have to go in person to the tag agency, while all this info is public record, they usually ask for the requestors ID and won't give the info out over the phone.
Thanks Gary for giving me Dave and Al's email addresses. I will be contacting them for sure. Thanks Jack for the info about the DMV. I will stop by and try that.
If I were to send some detailed pictures of my car to someone out there, do you think they could tell me where I need to pay the closest attention when trying to get this car back on the road? A few years back, this car was worked on until it was in show condition, then it was placed in a garage and left unattended for over 5 years. The prior owner put $7k into the engine, and another $4k into the body. It looks pretty good (no rust that I can see, and a minor dent near the drivers side headlight), but I don't know what seals are gone, or anything else I need to worry about. I looked under it and saw no globs of oil or transmission fluid. I took the carb off last month and rebuilt it. The kit I bought for it did not seem to exactly match the carb though. Anyway, I got it running, but it overheats after about 10 minutes. I think a good flushing of the cooling system is the next thing I will be working on. The engine sounds great when running for that amount of time though. I just don't want to make any foolish mistakes when trying to get this car back in road worthy condition. Thanks, Wes
If I were to send some detailed pictures of my car to someone out there, do you think they could tell me where I need to pay the closest attention when trying to get this car back on the road? A few years back, this car was worked on until it was in show condition, then it was placed in a garage and left unattended for over 5 years. The prior owner put $7k into the engine, and another $4k into the body. It looks pretty good (no rust that I can see, and a minor dent near the drivers side headlight), but I don't know what seals are gone, or anything else I need to worry about. I looked under it and saw no globs of oil or transmission fluid. I took the carb off last month and rebuilt it. The kit I bought for it did not seem to exactly match the carb though. Anyway, I got it running, but it overheats after about 10 minutes. I think a good flushing of the cooling system is the next thing I will be working on. The engine sounds great when running for that amount of time though. I just don't want to make any foolish mistakes when trying to get this car back in road worthy condition. Thanks, Wes
Wes,
There are many posts on this board dealing with the situations you will face in getting your P back on the road. The overheating can be cured easily. You may need a lay-down radiator and newer , more powerful cooling fans, and stainless tanks. I have had mine almost two years and it took me 9 months or so to sort things out. Read the posts at least twice, talk in person to people that have Panteras and learn from their mistakes and victories. Initially, don't be concerned with cosmetics, but get the car mechanically safe and sound. Then enjoy it-drive it while you are "in progress" and NEVER, NEVER, attempt to do a frame off at this point in time.
Good luck
Lar
There are many posts on this board dealing with the situations you will face in getting your P back on the road. The overheating can be cured easily. You may need a lay-down radiator and newer , more powerful cooling fans, and stainless tanks. I have had mine almost two years and it took me 9 months or so to sort things out. Read the posts at least twice, talk in person to people that have Panteras and learn from their mistakes and victories. Initially, don't be concerned with cosmetics, but get the car mechanically safe and sound. Then enjoy it-drive it while you are "in progress" and NEVER, NEVER, attempt to do a frame off at this point in time.
Good luck
Lar
Well, a month has gone by and this is what I've done to the car so far
1. All new breaks and break lines
2. New carb. My rebuild talent sucks
3. Rebuilt rack and pinion
4. New radiator hoses
5. Flushed entire cooling system
6. Oil change
It actually seems to keep its cool now. The radiator is a Griffin aluminum type and heats up evenly. I still need pressure and expansion tanks, but I'm working on that. The ones that are in there look like they have been in a war. I have bolts with rubber washers in four places just to keep the water in, but they did the job, which was to test the rest of the system for problems. I don't know if the fans on the radiator are original or after market. The radiator is 3" thick and tilts forward slightly. One fan comes on as soon as the car starts, and the other seems to come on sometime later. Is that normal? I have read some posts of some owners wiring the fans so they both come on as soon as the car starts. What should I do about that? Another thing I can't seem to fix is the door jam on the drivers side post. The lower screw is stripped. Can I get inside there some how and get that metal plate out of there? If so, I can weld up the hole and re-tap it, or maybe someone out there knows if that part is still around. I will tell you one thing though, compared to my 67 Shelby, this is a hard car to work on. The Shelby had lots or room to get in and work on things. With the Pantera I have had to actually make little tools just to get bolts into place. It sure is lots of fun! My next investment will be to replace the tires since they are more square than round from sitting in one place for over 7 years. The last time this car was on the road was 1994. It has 28k miles on it. Would that be considered normal?
1. All new breaks and break lines
2. New carb. My rebuild talent sucks
3. Rebuilt rack and pinion
4. New radiator hoses
5. Flushed entire cooling system
6. Oil change
It actually seems to keep its cool now. The radiator is a Griffin aluminum type and heats up evenly. I still need pressure and expansion tanks, but I'm working on that. The ones that are in there look like they have been in a war. I have bolts with rubber washers in four places just to keep the water in, but they did the job, which was to test the rest of the system for problems. I don't know if the fans on the radiator are original or after market. The radiator is 3" thick and tilts forward slightly. One fan comes on as soon as the car starts, and the other seems to come on sometime later. Is that normal? I have read some posts of some owners wiring the fans so they both come on as soon as the car starts. What should I do about that? Another thing I can't seem to fix is the door jam on the drivers side post. The lower screw is stripped. Can I get inside there some how and get that metal plate out of there? If so, I can weld up the hole and re-tap it, or maybe someone out there knows if that part is still around. I will tell you one thing though, compared to my 67 Shelby, this is a hard car to work on. The Shelby had lots or room to get in and work on things. With the Pantera I have had to actually make little tools just to get bolts into place. It sure is lots of fun! My next investment will be to replace the tires since they are more square than round from sitting in one place for over 7 years. The last time this car was on the road was 1994. It has 28k miles on it. Would that be considered normal?
Wes
Your milage is very good! Take the door post to a good body shop where the professionals are. Many vendors, including Hall Pantera in Paramount, have almost every part, either OEM or reproductions that will solve almost all of your problems. Yes it is a difficult car to get into in many areas. Many nights I laid on the garage floor cursing this Italian marvel. But as I near completion (?) I realize it was worth it. You haven't mentioned wiring yet. You will find there are several wiring diagrams, and none are completely correct! But at some point in the future, assuming you and the P survive, someone will give you a big thumbs up as you pass on the highway-then you will know you have accomplished something not everyone could.
Lar
Your milage is very good! Take the door post to a good body shop where the professionals are. Many vendors, including Hall Pantera in Paramount, have almost every part, either OEM or reproductions that will solve almost all of your problems. Yes it is a difficult car to get into in many areas. Many nights I laid on the garage floor cursing this Italian marvel. But as I near completion (?) I realize it was worth it. You haven't mentioned wiring yet. You will find there are several wiring diagrams, and none are completely correct! But at some point in the future, assuming you and the P survive, someone will give you a big thumbs up as you pass on the highway-then you will know you have accomplished something not everyone could.
Lar
The door guide screws are not accessible from the back, even with the engine and gas tank out. Drill the screw out & re-tap the threads- the phillips cross should guide the drill straight. I assume you used a hammer- impact-screwdriver? Stuck screws in this areas are a sign of rust or corrosion in this critical area of the body/frame. Once the screw and plate are out, carefully inspect the area just behind thru the hole- its a maze of intersecting supports. This area tends to collect dirt, road debris and water. The gas tanks sometimes rust through from the outside-in due to this. If there's any doubt as to the condition of the metal frame supports, you probably ought to get in there and recondition things- and that will require the engine/transaxle/gas tank and associated engine covers to be removed. Its a big, tedious no-cost-but-labor job, but allows you to justify detailing the engine bay!
Wes, Regarding your fans, on my car one fan turns on with the key, the second via a thermostat at higher temps. The relays for each are mounted just rear of the radiator. I don't know (or care too much) if that's original, it works well in Wisconsin summers. Good luck. Paul
Well, I removed the screw from the door jam post and I comes out fine. The threads on the screw seem to be worn out. I took one screw from the pasengers side, which looks great and put it on the drivers side, which worked fine. There does not seem to be any rust in this area. I will be looking for some new screws though. Are these pretty standard items that one could get from a Ford dealer or Hall, or are they some special type of screw? I haven't started looking yet. As for the wiring, it all seems to be just fine. Heck, the windows even worked after I put some fuses in. All the gauges work except for the temperature gauge. There is a wire that connectes to the pressure tank. Is that the tempature sender?
Wes,
When you get some time go back on this web site and read every entry. Many of your questions will be answered. To answer your question the wire from your tank does go to your temp gauge. However, the temp should NEVER be sourced from the tank. It will give you totally inaccurate readings.. the sensor belongs in the front of the block under the thermostat.
When you get some time go back on this web site and read every entry. Many of your questions will be answered. To answer your question the wire from your tank does go to your temp gauge. However, the temp should NEVER be sourced from the tank. It will give you totally inaccurate readings.. the sensor belongs in the front of the block under the thermostat.
Thanks for the advice on the wiring for the thermostat. I will try and make the correct connection tomorrow. I have been reading many posts here and have found lots of great information. I will continue to read as much as I can in the future. Also, I want to take a minute to thank everyone who has taken the time to help me out. You are all a very nice bunch of people. I sure hope I get to meet up with some of you soon.