I just bought 2811

Congrats! Great looking car.

Thank you!!

Congrats, if there is anything we (POCA) OC Panteras can do let us know.  Larry

Thanks Larry! Just at the beginning of Pantera ownership, so I have lots to learn, a long way to go, and probably more to spend than my wife would approve of...

Welcome to the family Brian!  Looks like you found yourself a beautiful car!

My 2-cents...

1. Install some chassis braces. Many claim they've had no problem with cracking in all the usual spots once they installed a set of chassis braces.
2. Paint the lower rockers black - front, rear, and sides.  This will make the car look lower and more mean.  And, it's what the factory did!

Here's a list of the Best Fixes for under $20...

(by Larry Finch, posted to the DeTomaso Forum on June 17, 2003)

The following maintenance should also be the first order of business for any new Pantera owner...

1. Add an emergency front hood release cable.
2. Make sure your engine oil dipstick is the correct length. Early cars showed "Full" but were actually a quart low.
3. Add Zerk grease fittings to your ball joints.
4. Replace stock ceramic/aluminum-strip fuses with GBC glass fuses and clean all fuse holders.
5. Make sure throttle linkage has two return springs.
6. Make sure water temp sender is moved from surge tank to engine block.
7. Change ZF gear oil.
8. Change brake fluid.
9. Change clutch fluid.
10. Make sure distributor gear shear pin is upgraded to stock pin with a second smaller pin inside for added strength.
11. Drill drain holes in rust prone areas, if not already done on your car.
12. Remove stock spring spacers if they are still there after thirty years.
13. Make sure cooling system has all air bubbles removed.
14. Re-route overflow tank vent hose to exit behind rear wheel.
15. Add two heater hose shut-off valves to assist the A/C in actually cooling the cabin.
16. Buy a fire extinguisher

And get out and DRIVE!!!

Thanks Garth! #16 does make me a bit nervous. Let me attach the mod sheet that came with the car. 2811 has quite a bit of local history, others might know some of it.

Brian,

That appears to be a very well sorted car. Don’t be scared of number 16, in fact I carry two in 2511.

Congratulations  on a good purchase !!

Larry

What are those mounted to? They look cool...

.125 inch aluminum plate, drilled and tapped for mounting screws.

Dremel cut off wheel to cut bolts flush.

Larry

Sorry for my ignorance, is that the trunk tub? Where in the car are they mounted? I can't tell..

Curiosity should never be confused with ignorance.   😉

ALL of us are on this forum to share and learn. I’ve been on this forum somewhere around 21 years and I am still learning about these cars.

The first photo is the removable fiberglass covered-with-black-vinyl rear firewall cover.

Larry

Here’s a shot to give you a better idea of where they are mounted

Ahhh!!! Makes total sense. Thank you!!!

And just to further grill you on a couple of other items, what would I need to do to stiffen the frame? And, how do I "Add two heater hose shut-off valves" because the cabin is quite warm. Of course, I do live in Nevada. The AC blows cold air, just not much of it, not enough for me anyway. I have lots of questions...

Aside from heater shutoff valves, Lance Nist (who was Bill Stroppe's original mechanic in Long Beach) replaced the actual short pieces of heater hose that are rubber with braided stainless lines on my car.  He said it's a real bitch if one of them break while you are driving it, having learned from experience.

I personally would just drive the car a bit and enjoy it as-is, absorb all that you can from the forums and Facebook group sites (Dave Adler's Pantera International is particularly a good one) and then think about what is important to YOU to do.  If you listened to everyone on this forum and the FaceBook group sites, it would no longer be YOUR car but instead everyone else's idea of a Pantera.  

And yes, it is still a 50 year old car and will crack in certain places regardless of what you do.

Enjoy your ownership.  They are very unique cars!

Incidentally, your car is listed in the ProvaMO registry site with pics back to 2011 under previous owners.  Not sure if you are registered there or not.  Getting the admin to get you credentialed has become a long waiting game.  

Thanks Panterapat for both replies, excellent advice. I'll keep you all posted. I'll see if I can get into the ProvaMO registry.

Check out Pantera electronics. Lots of good stuff! The owner is an awesome guy and a Pantera owner.

Thanks Joe!

Great looking car!! Congratulations

Thank you!

Your car has some good mods, and don't let that bother you or keep you from enjoying the machine. The DeTomaso Pantera is the equivalent of the '32 Ford roadster in terms of being shop- or home-modified. Only a small proportion of actual driven Panteras are truly stock. There is a huge cache of information available thru members on this site, thru the POCA Archives via free download and from the Pantera vendors. And as with all internet sources, there's also some truly scary 'info' out there, mostly wrong. Don't hesitate to ask any of us for details any time.

Thanks again Boss. I have been discovering the mass of information available here and elsewhere. Forums like this are really helpful.

My former car! Congrats. PM sent.

Woohoo! Sending you an email...