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Road trip to pick up my car

C coreypriceMember
It's been a while since I've been looking for a Pantera. I found exactly what I wanted in Texas- a project car with work already done. The chassis, brakes, suspension, and steering rack were rebuilt. A rebuilt Cleveland and many other parts came with the car, including many from a parted-out '74.

Call me a nut, but I like the process of building a car. I could buy any one of the many for sale, but it's just not the same for me.

I started in Salt Lake City, Utah. I live in the midst of the Wasatch Mountains. Here's a picture of Mt. Timpanogos in Provo as I was starting my journey:



Along the way, I had to climb to 7500 ft at Soldier's Summit. Notice the snow, but the blue sky that was pretty much the hallmark of my trip:



Scenery just southeast of Price, Utah is not as beautiful as the Wasatch Mountains:



Moab, on the other hand, is stunning. As I was approaching Moab, I took this picture. Arches National Park is the red part of this blurry photo of the sun setting on the sandstone rock fins:

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C coreypriceMember
The previous pictures were all taken the same day. Utah has some very diverse scenery. I ended up in and stayed the night in New Mexico. It was impossible to take pictures of Colorado and the northern part of New Mexico in the dark, but here's eastern New Mexico the following day:



Small towns along the way all look the same to me, complete with grain elevator:



Finally, I crossed into Texas and looked at the car for several hours. I had to be sure that this was the right car for me. The nice thing about the car is that it's a rolling chassis, with not much to limit the view of many of the nooks & crannys. Although I wasn't able to see thru steel, the seller provided many pictures of the metalwork and rebuild process. That night, I snapped this picture:



Notice anything? I didn't take many pictures of Texas. I stayed the night in New Mexico again, and started my journey home the next day.



A picture of the rig and car, with Shiprock in the background:

C coreypriceMember
Chimney Rock:




Colorado at about 7000 feet above sea level is covered in snow:



I grew up in Pleasant View, Utah. Here's Pleasant View, Colorado:



Crossing back into Utah:



Just outside of Moab, I stopped at a rest stop and took a couple pictures. I love the red sandstone of Moab. Being an avid mountain biker, Moab is really a dream. I spent spring breaks while in college in Moab, unfortunately with the Jeep Safari one year. Here's the whole setup at the rest stop:



I stopped in Moab and ate at the Moab Diner. It's my favorite place to eat when I'm down there, and I highly recommend it.

I made it home and here's the car in the garage:



Notice the 39-year-old tires, all holding air in some miraculous way... They still look good, but have a couple sidewall bubbles and sidewall cracks. I think they've outlasted their expiration date.

The trip was pretty much uneventful, long (16 hrs one way), and very exciting when the car was in tow. If everything goes as planned, I'll have the car painted this year and then start re-assembly.

Corey
C coreypriceMember
quote:
Originally posted by David B:
Nice pics. Nice car. Can't wait to see your progress. What's the plan?


Good question. I think this is just a road trip thread. To sum up my plan:

1. Figure out if I want to keep the rebuilt cleveland. If not, find what I want and maybe put the cleveland in storage. I may try to install a 5.0 Coyote from a 2011 Mustang GT by flipping the intake 180 degrees and using the hot rod kit from FRPP. The bellhousing and mounts are the same as the 4.6, and I just learned that the exhaust headers will be nearly the same location as the 4.6, but with different flanges.
2. Make any modifications needed before painting, such as refitting the doors, making driver door window frame fit the body a little better, and have it professionally painted. I have a body guy picked out already, and stopped by his work so that he could look at the car before taking it home. It should be painted this year.
3. Start installing the wiring harness, interior, find a ZF, and install the engine & transaxle, probably within the next 2 to 4 years.

I'm just going to take my time and stick to a budget as much as I can but do the most important upgrades now, such as cooling system and electrical stuff. Other upgrades such as brakes, wheels, etc. will just have to wait. In other words, get the car driving before making unnecessary upgrades.
C coreypriceMember
Quick update before I abandon this thread and start a new one to show my progress:

1. I've decided to keep the Cleveland.
2. I have planned for and arranged to have the car painted, starting between Christmas and New Years this year. I'm trading for labor and just paying for paint & materials. My car will come back from the grave! I am really excited, even though it's 8 months away. The timeline works better for everyone involved.
3. I plan to get major holes and trim fitted prior to paint.
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