Lost a Pantera

Putting a modern engine in my car was the best change I ever made to the car. And 480hp while getting 20mpg isn't bad either.

quote:

Originally posted by Rev. Benajmin M. Root IV:
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Secondly, what do people think of newer motor swaps in Panteras? Reliability? Power? Fuel economy?

I like the gear head aspect of tinkering with a vintage American V8, specifically the legendary 351 Cleveland. It starts a lot of conversations at the donut shop , and it is easy to work on. It will be in my Pantera forever.

That said, If I was to build a second Pantera, the LS series of GM crate motors will be the motor of choice. Like Mr. Z06 said, it fits better, weighs less, makes more power, and gets better fuel economy. How can you go wrong?

As much as Pantera's are individualized, I for one cannot come to terms with dropping a Chebbie motor in a Pantera. IMO there are equally good Ford motor options available.

Julian

With all do respect, anyone that thinks a Chevy motor is not a viable option, with as much or more power as a competitor simply has their head in the sand. 

I have said this before, I do not limit myself to one manufacturer in anything I buy. I buy what I think is the best product available. Many factors are used to determine what I feel is a superior product. Such as price per horsepower, weight, fitment, reliability, etc. etc. etc. 

To each there own, but I would challenge anyone to find an alternate motor that is 410lbs, fits in the Pantera better than the original motor, produces 480hp bone stock and costs under 6 grand brand new. If there was a Ford motor that fits that bill I would have used it. This is my opinion, no offense to die hard Ford lovers!

Hey Rev, this one seems very nice, have you seen it?

For sale

quote:

Originally posted by Z06 Pantera:
With all do respect, anyone that thinks a Chevy motor is not a viable option, with as much or more power as a competitor simply has their head in the sand. 

I have said this before, I do not limit myself to one manufacturer in anything I buy. I buy what I think is the best product available. Many factors are used to determine what I feel is a superior product. Such as price per horsepower, weight, fitment, reliability, etc. etc. etc. 

To each there own, but I would challenge anyone to find an alternate motor that is 410lbs, fits in the Pantera better than the original motor, produces 480hp bone stock and costs under 6 grand brand new. If there was a Ford motor that fits that bill I would have used it. This is my opinion, no offense to die hard Ford lovers!

Scott,

With all due respect, I thought your swap was $6k net but I thought your engine cost much more. I've considered the LS motor swap. Looking at a similar crate motor, it seemed to be much more than $6k since I'm starting fresh and don't have much of an engine or parts to sell.

The LS motor technology is really the pinnacle of pushrod V8 technology, for sure. I have nothing against it.

A 5.0 Coyote crate engine can be purchased for $6k if you look at places like Late Model Restoration. Proven 460 hp at the flywheel. It can be made to fit just fine. Full independent variable valve timing, fuel injection, etc. Weighs 440 lbs with dual overhead cams. Revs to 7k RPM all day long smoothly. I'd say that it's a contender for sure. I'm not doing either simply because I can make my Cleveland make 500 hp+ for around $7k with a carb, $9k with full fuel injection, DIS, etc. There are always swap issues, parts to be fabricated, etc. I just want something that doesn't require much more than what I have, and I can't sell engine parts that I don't have. Both swaps require a computer, some fabrication, flipping intakes, etc.

I just think the 351 Cleveland belongs in the early Panteras.

Corey

Hi Corey,

I knew you would be the one to reply to my post. Everyone has their favorites motor and it is clear yours is the coyote motor.

The ls motor cost me 6k before I sold the cleveland parts. So the net cost for me was about 3k.

The coyote motor can be made to fit, as you said, however the ls fits perfectly with no mods to the car.

It's all good, you like the coyote and I like the ls. If we all liked the same things the world would be a boring place.

Your friend, Scott

You're all crazy - big Windsor motors are what belong! Of course I'm kidding. One of the beautiful things about our cars is their adaptability - we can make them whatever we want them to be, with whatever motor, and they rock! It's a big part of my attraction to the Pantera over the more originality matters/purist oriented cars. Just another testament to the amazing design of these 40 year old machines. I do happen to like big Windsor motors tho...

quote:

Originally posted by Bdkity:
One of the beautiful things about our cars is their adaptability - we can make them whatever we want them to be, with whatever motor, and they rock! It's a big part of my attraction to the Pantera over the more originality matters/purist oriented cars. Just another testament to the amazing design of these 40 year old machines. I do happen to like big Windsor motors tho...

I couldn't agree with you more!!!

Scott,

No worries, but could you list the parts and cost of parts necessary to make the swap? That's where I was going, and I'm not trying to be argumentative, rather just explain what I see. Yes, most people on this board don't seem to like putting a GM engine in a car that has such a history with Ford engines.

I will agree that I'm a fan of the Coyote, but that's because I love that engine in the Mustang. It just purrs and then pulls so linearly all the way to redline, with no vibration and sounds wonderful. The engine about sold me, but the car was lackluster in many areas I think are important and doesn't even have features that my 2000 Maxima has standard. I will admit of not being a fan of most new Fords, and hate the new Mustang and Camaro for their large size.

Looks like a LS 376/480 hp crate engine is about $6800 when I googled it, but that doesn't include bellhousing, motor mounts, ECU, remote thermostat or coolant piping mods, header mods or exhaust mods, flipping the intake around 180 degrees, etc. I am not sure if a flywheel comes with the LS crate engines nor what clutch it would take. Using an aftermarket bellhousing usually means you need to also come up with a clutch slave cylinder mount, flip to a pull system, or an internal hydraulic throw out bearing/slave. This is also the case when swapping in a Ford 400 or big block.

There, we've hijacked this thread. Maybe George can move this topic to a new thread.