Pantera Fumes

David,
I wonder if it is the fans in the Pantera, are they working harder than the average car at moving air through the rad, and then over the windshield (through the vents), and under the cockpit where they concentrate more than they would in an SUV (not a lot of room under the cat for air to escape easily).
A possible experiment would be to cover the hood vents, get out in traffic see how strong the fumes are, then pull into a gas station, uncover them and see if it changes - or even try it with the Pantera parked behind your idling SUV. Start with the Pantera off, then with the fans on (both covered and then uncovered), then with the car running and vents covered and uncovered.
- I don't advocate doing this in a closed garage or for extended periods of time ;-)

P.S. Dibs on "Light 'em Up Black Licorice" scent

quote:

but ahrd to shut the doors with the windows closed.

You know Ron the newer Vettes windows roll down just a little when you open them, that way when you close them the door fully shuts, then the windows shut. Sorry to hijack this but I thought some totally useless info might be needed.
Jeff

This is not a Pantera specific issue. Ride behind any domestic carbureted V-8 and you will get the same wonderful aroma. It brings me back to my misspent youth with muscle cars and my first Pantera.

On another aroma issue. The smell of fine Italian “pleather” when you first open up your cat after a few days or more does seem Pantera specific. Not sure how DeTomaso did this but I remember this same aroma from the first Pantera back in 75.

quote:

Originally posted by Pantera 4134:
This is not a Pantera specific issue. Ride behind any domestic carbureted V-8 and you will get the same wonderful aroma. It brings me back to my misspent youth with muscle cars and my first Pantera.

On another aroma issue. The smell of fine Italian “pleather” when you first open up your cat after a few days or more does seem Pantera specific. Not sure how DeTomaso did this but I remember this same aroma from the first Pantera back in 75.

Now that this thread bears NO resemblance to the original, (thanks Jeff!) I don't feel so bad to include...

My Herrig seats are indeed leather but do not 'smell' anything like the leather in my other car, which is THAT superb old library leather smell. I took the scraps from that car's reupholstery and put them under Gary's seats. Left the car a few days and the next time in... Voila! Made a difference.

My 'old' pure vinyl interior had the typical Pantera smell, so unquestionably that 'wonderful aroma' is coming from the seats... which are being completely redone at the moment.

quote:

My Herrig seats are indeed leather but do not 'smell' anything like the leather in my other car, which is THAT superb old library leather smell. I took the scraps from that car's reupholstery and put them under Gary's seats. Left the car a few days and the next time in... Voila! Made a difference.

Adams,
"Other car”? Should that not read "cars”?
And does the F car and Viper not have leather?

Also, are you getting away from your period correct theme? Japanese radio, Japanese tires and now leather seats

I just got home from a few days on the road for business. My wife and 5-yr-old son were out decorating the house for Hallow'een and while I was playing with my little guy on the front lawn she opened the garage and I took in a big whiff of PANTERA!!!

That smell is so unique. It never seems to dull or go away. I love it!

I'm thinking we should bottle the Pantera exhaust scent and sell that as a fuel additive for everyone else? Hey, if we can fill up on gas for under $10/gallon (I'm trying to be inclusive of our European friends here), then capture and mix the exhaust scent with a little motor oil and ethanol (I'm guessing at how they make the real scented stuff), then sell it for $320/gallon, we can all retire rich!

And of course a Pantera 'Pleather Spritzer' for car interiors.

I'm off to the patent office tomorrow with a jar of exhaust fumes ... not to be mistaken with the jars of wire-harness smoke that Lucas used to sell through their service network.
http://www3.telus.net/bc_triumph_registry/smoke.htm

Ron,

My floors, console and all else is sealed well. All the openings were welded closed AND lots of Dynomat was added.

Years ago I installed the Hall circulation kit - we installed vents in the doors at the jambs and added grilled intakes inside the door pulls. Since I redid the interior two years ago, the intake in the door pull no longer is open to the cockpit. It's something to consider, but I doubt it will have a huge impact.

Russ,

Regarding the rad fans, I checked that out also. I have experienced the choking fumes from cars in front of me with NO fans running at all.


Don't get me wrong. I love the smell of a warm Pantera. The scent of hot oil, swelled gaskets and liquids ciculating thru hot metal makes me appreciate it all that much more.

My only issue is the INCOMING fumes from traffic in front of me.

As for the poor folks stuck BEHIND me, I'll try out the new bottled perfumes posted here!

quote:

Originally posted by Pantera 4134:
Adams,
"Other car”? Should that not read "cars”?
And does the F car and Viper not have leather?

Also, are you getting away from your period correct theme? Japanese radio, Japanese tires and now leather seats

HOLD ON YOU, YOU, NON CORRECT CAR OWNER! My vertical radio IS period correct, 1974 as it turns out. The Herrig seats are another story, but they DO have the same pattern, sort of, if you squint and turn your head. But my 'real' seats are being done in the correct vinyl now by a PI member in the upholstery business in Californy who needed a 'test' set to build.

Should be done soon enough, and I'll save 'em for any originality buff who MUST have the correct, plasticky, spine numbing seats.

All this discussion of the 'smells' coming through the front of the car, I never noticed that. However, when my rad got a little weepy, I could smell the sickly sweet antifreeze smell in the car. Maybe the same entry point.

David,

I'll bet Mel can drum up a few Military Issued US gas masks for you ...they have a wonderful set of lenses and communication has been improved from the 1945 issued version ?

Ron

Well David, since you are sitting but 4" off the road and the vent intake is maybe a few feet in heighht, it may be possible you are smelling heavier than air VOCs from other cars as well. You can fix that by jacking up the car and putting on those 28" wheels and spinner hub caps that are so prominent around here in Memphis. Those cars, usualy older chebbies and crown vics, sit a good four feet up into the stratosphere and far away from the exausts of others.

DT, is this what you're thinking? (I've been looking for a chance to re-use this shot)...
Sorry, I don't have the spinning wheel hubs, these are the snow tires and rims ;-)

Cool. Mine's almost ready for the Baja 1000 too.

Backside...

Wanna see something funny?? This one is real!!
Apologies in advance as I don't own a DT yet.

I was out today for a quick run, and came up behind an older Ford Escort that was dripping something black and sludgy from its exhaust, but I didn't smell anything beyond the eau de Pantera - and we were stuck at the stop sign for a good minute or more. I'll keep trying (any excuse to go for a run) and report back if I find others' odours are getting into my car.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ D:
DT, is this what you're thinking? (I've been looking for a chance to re-use this shot)...
Sorry, I don't have the spinning wheel hubs, these are the snow tires and rims ;-)

HELL YEAH!!! That is perfect for the potholed roads around here.

Try backing into your garage on a lift where you may spend 5 minutes or so trying to position yourself on the lift. My red 5S with 417 aluminum block with carb is especially bad news. I keep fans running but the fumes hurt my eyes so much that I can hardly finish parking the car (no smoke what so ever though). I actually have two problems, the burning eyes and da wife yelling from the house "shut it down, it stinks in here!". I deal with the second issue by punching it to 6K before shut down, shaking some pictures off the wall.

If you set it up like Russ's car you can just walk under it. Voila, no more need for a hoist.