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It's good to have friends!

markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
After spending the winter rebuilding the entire suspension on my car, I finally brought her home last Sunday evening. I did some adjustments to the ride height (with special thanks to Adams Hudson for providing the most complete set of reference measurements!) and figured a short drive would be in order to settle the suspension. I headed off to visit Bohdan who lives only a few minutes from my place. After checking out the progress on his car, we decided to go for a short spin to see how my new suspension rides when my ignition lock decided it would be a good time to jam itself into a state of uselessness. So there I was with my car immobilized and blocking Bohdan's driveway. Figuring I was seriously screwed (and I would have been, had I been anywhere else), Bohdan said "no problem, we'll pull the steering column from my car and swap it into yours until you can fix the lock". Wow. In about 45 minutes we had both removed and swapped and I was back in business.

What a great community! Thanks to Bohdan what could have been a serious down-time issue was a minor inconvenience. This is the kind of support and generosity that I find so incredible about DeTomaso ownership.

Mark

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markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
quote:
Originally posted by andriyko:
II still have an ignition key - in case I need a driving experience to keep motivated !!! Wink


Hey, if it will help keep you motivated and get you back on the road sooner, come over anytime!

By the way, I have updated my website to include the suspension work done as well as the compete interior replacement on my GT40 (another long project finally done). There are some new photos in a couple of the galleries as well.

Mark
Pantera 3rd&LastPantera 3rd&LastMember
Mark,
Not sure what you mean by "jam". But was the problem that the ignition switch will not pop out and allow the key to be inserted?

On occasion if I do not put a slight downward pressure on the key during removal the lock cylinder does not always pop out.

The easy repair is a small thin paper clip. Opened and reshaped with a small hook the cylinder can easily be pulled back out. I always carry the clip in the ashtray for these occasions. Repair time less than 1 minute (10 seconds of cussing + about 30 seconds remembering that it is no big deal and that I have the paperclip !)

Jeff
markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
Thanks Jeff,

The key goes all the way in and out but it seems that one of the tumbler pins has gotten stuck and isn't popping out of the way as it should so the lock can't rotate. Hopefully a good cleaning will help, if not I'll call Wilkinson's with my credit card number again.

My steering rack seems pretty good now, although in hindsight I kind of wish I had picked that last rack up from Bohdan just in case.

Mark
joulesjoules"Racing is Life, anything before or after is just waiting" - Steve McQueen
Mark,

I had a local locksmith rekey some odd door handles I had, only cost a few $$. I'd be very surprised if Wilkinson is selling ignitions switches for $65. If it's a new tumber he sells then you've done the hard part simply removing the old one. A good old school locksmith will have boxes of various tumblers. They get worn over the years and then bend at the most inopportune moment.

I recall driving home from Arizona with th GT5 and the key actually breaking off in a Las Vegas gas station. I was lucky to be able to insert the broken half carefully enough that I got it started, but it's a couple gas fills from Vegas to Reno. I was on tender hooks every time I had to stop the engine to refill.

Once cleaned the recommended lubrication for locks is graphite powder.

Good luck,
Julian
deniscdeniscCaretaker of 8MA1244 '70 Euro Mangusta DRIVE THEM, THEY WERE MEANT TO BE DRIVEN, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT ONE, BUY A POSTER!
Hey Mark, There is a locksmith on StarTop rd. They are of old european school (lebanese). He is my brother's locksmith. Last year he re-keyed the hatch cyl for 6868 and made doubles for $30. Call me if you need the Mangusta courrier to pick-up and deliver; free of charge.
Denis
A andriykoMember
Thanks for the locksmith lead Dennis.

Can you PM me the specifics of the address?

Just a heads-up ...

I was told that the tumblers should be kept clean of WD-40, machine oil etc. (ie. do not use) Because it traps dirt.

The ignition tumblers should be kept lubricated with graphite based lube (oil) and not graphite powder. Apparently graphite powder, I was told, acts like fine sandpaper - not a good thing.

With regard to ignition switch and parts. Steve Wilkinson tells me that the whole switch assembly runs about $480 - none in stock right now. Just the tumbler is available - at about $65.

HTH
markcharltonmarkcharltonOld enough to know better and still young enough not to care. My '71 Pantera
Hey Michael,

You know, I like both looks for different reasons. Kind of like I get bored of wearing the same shoes all the time. Changing from retro to mod by just changing the wheels is pretty nice. I don't want to say that I'm the Imelda of Pantera wheels, but the more the merrier! I doubt I'd be doing much high-speed long distance stuff on them, but I do like the look, although that previous photo isn't as convincing as this one.

Looking forward to seeing you again in Kingston, if not sooner!

Mark

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