Pantera #2375 barn find

Wishing you Luck. Hopefully the other interesting "finds" will keep the attention away from the Pantera.

also wish for no rust!

thanks for posting the pics! I wasn't sure if that would violate any of the board standards, but I guess if the pics are on the internet and can be saved to a computer, they're in the public domain...

the car was stored in a car hauler trailer with roof issues, so rust could be an issue...it does look like it's been prepped for paint, so I am hoping the owner attended to any underbody rust...

I am trying to get a quick education in Pantera issues and the cost of repairs, so I am thankful for this board and the Detomaso registry...definitely not a cheap hobby!

Unfortunately with a monocoque body every panel is used as part of the support structure. This includes the roof. I would replace the roof if the car were mine. It sounds like you've already done some research on rust issues. Be very thorough in your inspection.

When I was inspecting cars for my purchase one trick I found very useful was sliding my cell phone underneath the car in multiple locations and snapping photos. Not as good as getting a car up on a hydraulic lift but often the best you can do in an auction or someone's garage.

Larry

A few Panteras got then-popular aftermarket sunroofs. If well done with no rust and you like limited open-air driving, no harm/no foul. IMHO, replacing the steel roof panel is a job for a master-class body shop and the used panel may cost $1k. The Miura-like decklid slats are still semi-popular today. Again, no problem unless they offend you personally. In that case, there's a market for the removeable assembly. Welcome!

I remember seeing a replacement roof advertised or discussed recently and cost being very reasonable, in the $400-500 region if I recall.

Julian

An owner I know recently bought a "roof" from Wilkinson, cost of $831. Plus boxing and shipping, which I imagine was easily $100 - $300, knowing Steve.

Quality of this supposedly NOS panel was less than hoped for. The LH and RH edges were not true to the original profile. Close but no prize. The top ledge (leading edge of the roof) for the windshield was also not true to original profile, and would require full-length work to mimic the original.

Both those concerns would not be issues if just filling a sunroof hole.

Larry

quote:

Originally posted by grampy666:
Hi, I am a new member with a lifelong passion to own and drive a Pantera. I've loved these cars since I was a teenager (which, judging by my handle, was a long time ago).

The only way I'll ever be able to afford it is a project car like this pantera-in-a-box...

rickcarey.com/bobs-cars/the-cars-of-bob/

I'm not sure what I think of the rear deck slats and the sunroof mod looks like it may affect the potential value of the car. I am guessing that it was installed to deal with some of the ventilation issues that I have read about. To its credit, it appears to have been installed by a very competent body man, but still, he cut a hole in the roof.

Anyway, wish me luck, I'm planning to go to the auction and bid up to my budget.

best of luck

Pete.

the sun roof looks pretty nice! interesting find!

That's a time machine.

Kinda counter-productive for you as a bidder to post it here for the world to see.

Good luck Michael.

What will it go for? Any estimates?

This Pantera sold for $19,500 + 15% buyer's premium, so $22,500 all in. Unfortunately, it was not sold to me...

It is a daunting project. Hearsay on the mindset of the deceased former owner indicates that all the parts and pieces are probably still there somewhere, but everything's just tossed in boxes with no indications of what it is or where it goes...

Protective undercoating had been applied at some point and aside from chips and flaking there was surprising little rust on the rockers, floors and frame. The worst of it was the brackets in the rear which connect the body and the frame and serve as the mounting points for the upper A-arms. Those brackets had significant rust through in the area where they are welded to the frame and, in my opinion, would have needed to be replaced. Also, the cross-rail that connects the frame and the rockers in front of the driver's seat had a good-sized crush and dent and the driver's door didn't sit flush with the quarter panel. Not sure if this was a factory fitment issue or caused by the deformed cross-rail.

Body rust was evident, but not too bad, relatively speaking.

56,xxx on the odometer.

I have a bad feeling that the new owner intends to chop it up for parts and that would be a REAL SHAME! This car deserves to be restored, in my opinion, if you're going to drop 22K on the purchase, you might as well see it through and throw another 20K into a restoration. The motor and transaxle have already been rebuilt.

I'll try to post some pics later on. My dumb flip phone takes lousy pictures and no longer has e-mail, so I'll have to get my GF to send me the pictures she took.

thanks for the update.

quote:

Originally posted by George P:
That's a time machine.

Kinda counter-productive for you as a bidder to post it here for the world to see.

Good luck Michael.

true that, but I needed good information quickly and the auction had already been posted on the auction zip.com web site and on Rick Carey's auction info site. I got the info I needed and it was worth the risk to assume that most of the members of this forum had no need for another project...

I'm disappointed, but I still have my other orphan Ford sports car (1985 Merkur XR4TI) to work on and it's a one-owner car, so I know the history.

It Think it Will be difficult to find one cheaper.

Kjeld.