Pantera 04042 restoration

Last Sunday I tackled the fabrication of the lower radiator support/header panel and started "hot gluing" stuff back together.



















Here's a video of how I'm trying to shake the sand out of the chassis: de-sanding the chassis

I'm using an pneumatic eccentric motor clamped to the chassis. I can't believe how much sand is still coming out of the nooks and crannies... unreal. I've already spent about a half hour with the blow gun when I first brought it home. If this doesn't cut it, I'm going to get a paint shaker and mount that to the chassis. That should do it...

Rob,

Did you build the new radiator support or did you get it from a vendor? I will need to do much of the same repairs to my car at some point. Your posts are very enlightening and inspiring.

Steve

Rob,

Awesome and inspiring work. You are making great progress. I like to think you spend as much time as I do staring blankly at the car letting your brain determine the logical next step, but I'm beginning to think you just go ahead and do it.

The "Force" is strong in you!

Mark

Hi Steve,
No, I can't take credit for the rad support. I simply didn't think I could make one as nice as Johnny Woods in the UK, so... called on him to fab one up, along with the lower valence. Thanks for the positive remarks.

Hi Mark,
Thanks to you too. I always wonder if anyone is interested in what I've got going on... And....yes...I do spend time staring. But frankly spoken it pisses me off when it happens, as I feel I'm "wasting" precious garage time and I consciously try and push through it as fast as possible. When it happens I try and turn it productive as quick as I can, by using that "thinking" time to clean up/straighten up the shop while I'm pondering the situation at hand. I appreciate hearing that it happens to others.

Won't get any garage time today due to "girl" things going on... but should be able to spend some quality garage time tomorrow morning before I'm sucked back into the abyss that is teenage competitive dance. Hoping to get the valence glued on. Then I'll feel I'm really rounding the home stretch for metal work. Once done, I'll really only have the door jam corners to tackle. Oddly...really looking forward to starting body filler work....

Rob, I also greatly appreaciate you sharing. That vibrator was an intersting ideal and looks like it works very well. do you have plans to rotate the body and repeat the buzzing

LOL, I just kept turning mine over and over on the rotisserie and blowing out channels.

quote:

I like to think you spend as much time as I do staring blankly at the car letting your brain determine the logical next step

OMG!!! I didn't know other people did that kind of thing. I thought I was the only one!!!

JFB, I am planning on tipping in all 4 directions and running the vibrator in each. I'd really like to also set on it side or even inverted, but I just don't have the set up to do so.

ZR1...Seems we're all realizing that we aren't the only ones...

This weekend's progress....

Decided to repair rather than replace the valence. So hammered out the repairs, and got it mounted up.















The balance of the metal work now is only the door jam corners.... "hopefully" next weekend I can hammer them. >>> Let's see.

OK, so took Thurs off of work and managed to spend a few hours in the garage...

rocked out the drivers door jam corner and quarter panel repairs.












All that's left now is the passenger side door jam corner....and the metal work ....is....all...done...!!!

Y A H O O .... metal replacement work is done! I got up early on Sunday (yep...Easter Sun :-)... before the house woke up and rocked out the final project. Specifically, the passenger door jam.

Before:


During:




Afta:


I'll take a quite hiatus from her to get the wife's stang ready for the season, then get crackin on the bump and body filler work. Heck...down hill roll from here... ha..!

Awesome what you can do in a morning. Talk about envy.

Look at all the lead in the jam. Been there for 30+ years and still solid.

Rob thanks for posting all the great work and progress you're making on your car....it really does help with our own cars road map and if nothing else a "Just Do It", "Jump In" attitude! And yes as several others have acknowledged, I too sit pondering projects and frankly that constantly slows my progress a lot. Especially when you see some of the amazing cars that some of the other owners on this forum have...I want the amazing car, but then it means a full chassis/body blast and that just isn't in the cards. Congrats on your progress and energy!

Thanks David. Sucks getting out of bed early on the weekends, but then once I'm out in the shop...I'm happy I dragged my butt outa bed, and wishing I had been strong willed enough to have gotten up earlier.

Comp.... tons 'O' lead man. Whoever did the lead work on this chassis was an artist. It really all was done very well. It's a bitch to remove though. Clogs up my grinder discs...which as we've discussed before..aint cheap. Found the easiest way is to melt it out of the way.

Thanks Tom. I'm really glad that it's all found of value to others. Nice to know I'm contributing to the team. Yep...the analysis paralysis is frustrating. Sometimes I push through it a bit too aggressively and regret a move which has to be undone/redone...sometimes it's just hard to know when it's time to stop pondering and start doing. Hoping I'm on my way to my amazing "bucket list" Pantera. Been waiting since ~ 1983.

The areas of lead in mine were the same. I had to remove a lot n the door jambs too when I rebuilt mine:



You can see the leftovers down on the sill and up on the top side of the fender:

How do you guys get multiple pictures in a single post?

I am very impressed, by both your work, and your posting skills.

I want to do a thread on my rework of #5357, and I like what you are doing here.

Thanks -

Rocky

Rocky,

Rather than add an attachment to the post you use the tools at the top to add images that are stored on another site, I use photobucket. You want the icon that looks like a picture next to the envelope icon. Resize your photos to 800x600 or 1024x768 and upload them to photobucket. Then you can click on the picture you want to add and then click on one of the options to copy the link URL. Paste that into the tool box you have selected to use. Once you accept the selection in the tool box it will place the correct code into the body of your post that will in turn display the image in your post. This allows you as you asked to place multiple pictures in the body of the post and have text between them.

Steve

Thank you, Steve.

I will do so.

Regards -

Rocky

Hi Rocky,
I do the same as as Steve. I have all my pics hosted on a Google web hosting.
Rob

I realy like the posting on your site. the layout, order and comments. just that you are a little behind on updating .

Maybe you could allow acces to your raw photos?

Hi JFB,
Thanks.
Not sure what you mean about the photo access? I do not have any of my photos blocked in any way.
And...yes...I need to do some catch up work :-)

Hi guys,
Well....finally did some work on 4042... She was starting to rust in this Michigan humidity, so decided to put her in epoxy primer. Unfortunately, I had to spend a full day sanding first. The big parts were easy..the nooks and crannies sucked. Big mistake...never happen again.... When I decided to put her aside for a few months, I should have taken the time then to put it in primer. Anyway, she is all sanded down and in safely wearing a coat of primer sealer. I still have to do the doors and suspension parts... hopefully next weekend....

Rolled back in... hand print rust here and there, plus speckled rust on many surfaces.





All sanded and ready for the morning. Doesn't really look much different, but any rust is now removed (note..it's dark outside now.. ;-)

Those last three pictures really look great. You should consider painting your car that color!

Sort of a "gunmetal grey"......

Rocky

Hey Rocky,
Thanks. It's cool seeing it in a color (at this point any color ;-). It's actually deceiving to actual status, as I have quite a bit of work still to do on the body wrt panel straightening / dent removals etc.

I'm planning on going back to original color "silver poly". She's simply too clean of a car for me to not go back to stock. So, not gunmetal grey, but it will be a grey/silver color.

quote:

Originally posted by Rob Borruso:
...original color "silver poly".

I tought the car was black?
I know it is a few steps latter, but any plans for blacked out hoods or lower section, ie GTS?

Hi JFB,
Yep..it was black...at least when I got it... Under the door jam vin tag I found the original color. I then bought a Marti Report to confirm it. Besides...I don't believe black was a factory color option.

Nope, no plans for any special treatments. I'm going as original as I can figure out.

Wow, great craftsmanship. Then to photo document the whole process with narration and discussion. Fantastic thread and a great resource for the future.

quote:

Originally posted by 2112:
Wow, great craftsmanship. Then to photo document the whole process with narration and discussion. Fantastic thread and a great resource for the future.

I must agree with the above words, having done much to my car 3840, this thread has given me the confidence to do similar tasks to the bodywork, the pics and ideas are just grand, I hope the thread continues through to completion.

wish I had found it when it began!

Hi Peter,
Glad you're finding the thread of use.

Yes, I plan to continue the thread to completion, however... I'm on 06001 at the moment. Once I get her on the road, I'll be back on 04042.