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Need sugestions from Long time Pantera Owners ?

G Guest
Hi i am new to this board but i have made the decission to purchase a Pantera, I have looked at the Cars for Sale and do see some nice cars but nothing that is exactly to my taste. So i have decided to purchase a Pretty Solid car and modify it to my taste.
I am Partial to the GT5S body style without the rear wing. Also considering the GT4 option.
Sorry if this post is a bit long but i have lots of Questions and want to purchase a car this year so i can start work over the winter.
Can any member recomend a good body shop in the North East to do the GT5S or GT4 conversion i will be going with steel flares.
Was the front spoiler offered in different configurations i have seen more then one type.
Is there a complete wiring harness for the car to bring it to modern day standards like a Painless Kit.
What weak spots in the car should be braced for structural rigidy and so the paint wont crack.
Will a Fontana Block fit without any Mods to the Firewall or CrossMember.
Is there a EFI system for the Fontana Block.
My Plan is to strip the Car to bare metal and fix any and all rust and to stiffen up the car, to convert to a Square Headlight bucket and to Install Dynamat inside for sound and heat insulation. I am Planing to keep the interior mostly stock maybee modernizing the seats and all new Leather inside.
I am sure that i left a bunch of stuff out but i am starting to look for a Solid car and making a list of Mods, Any coments would be greatly apreciated

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1969 Camaro SS 350, 1970 Chevelle SS 396.
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bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
Bracing the car for structural rigidity really requires seam-welding all the spot-welded body/chassis areas. In addition, there are some 'crow-foot' sheet doublers that can be added to the base of both windshield posts. The main flexi-spots are in & around the drip-channels in the decklid near the gas filler door and down the inner fender panels, plus under the taillight buckets. The rear crossmember under the engine should be made removeable for oil pan access. If you're starting with an early std Pantera, you already have a more rigid unibody that the real GT5-S based on the pictorial of rear frame cracking we saw recently. I suggest you contact Kirk Evans of Amerisport in Ohio as well. The GT5-S wide-body looks funny without wide wheels to fill in the larger space, and wide stock tires are non-existent today, so factor in about $4000 extra for 17" wheels and modern tires; see the new Tjaarda-designed wheels in the PI store. FYI- adding GT5-S flairs to a std body results in some 50 FEET of TIG-welding, so be sure you pick an experienced body shop in this mod, or your experience could be unpleasant as well as expensive. I suggest you contact Joe Fontana for details on his engine (310)538-2505 in CA
C charliemccallMember
Something to think about... If you are going to convert the car yourself as a hobby because you enjoy that kind of thing, then full speed ahead! But be aware that nearly every person who has converted a car has found that they would have been BIG money ahead to purchase a car already converted. Those type of projects have a tendency to get expensive. Jack points out the $4000 for wheels and tires, that's an example. If someone else has already paid the $4000, his depreciation is your gain.

Starting with a $25,000 car and spending $10,000 on converting it doesn't necessarily get you a $35,000 car. It's very easy to spend more money on the car than it would be worth on the market (been there done *that* too!)

Something to think about

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Charlie McCall
1972 DeTomaso Pantera #3847 (for sale)
1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/gt5s_1985
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