Smog Problem

Really depends what to original owner did to your machine. Here in Reno, there is a shop called Schreier Specialties (auto mechanic) who was able to switch around some vac lines on the stock ford carb to get mine to pass. Cost me just an hour of labor and a second smog test.

When you pass, get a classic car plate from the NV DMV. This exempts you from having to get a smog test. You just need to go to the DMV show your good cert, and sign a form. Kind of a pain because you have to go the the DMV every year, but avoids the challange of a annual smog.

Last suggestion is to find a friend who lives outside of Washoe County. Use their address for the DMV. Carson City and others south do not require smog tests.

Nevada is harsh on insurance, make sure it is covered at all times. If they find a laps in coverage, they will hit you with a fine. Their new DB tracks reg periods against insurance coverage. It is something like $200 if they find the car un-insured.

[This message has been edited by Rover (edited 02-14-2003).]

SMOG on a 72? If your in RENO call Pantera Parts Connections.. 1-800-338-6627 ask for BJ

OK, first question. The seat adjustment is due to the rubber-on-steel seat rollers being flat-spotted due to 30+ years of age. To fix: remove the seats & rails (metric allen wrench). Remove the rails. Dump out the seat rollers & replace with nylon. PPC-Reno has these chap little guys in stock. When rearttaching the rails, be VERY sure the floor is not bent or twisted. If the rails don't lay flat, the bind when they're tightened down will prevent the seat from sliding. A biggish hammer will fix the twisted floor if you have such.
Second, the window up/down can be either a bad switch or relay, or a broken gear in the window drive (more likely). The removal of the whole mechanism is trickey; if the nylon/steel gear is cracked, there are bronze replacements available that last forever. The same gear is also used in the headlight erection mechanism, so realistically, you need three replacement gears.
Problems with the lights are often due to bad ground wires at the individual light, or at the central ground stud behind the dash, just above the tach. Remove, wire-brush the connectors & body, then retighten
The Smog may be a little more complicated; it appears the carb is excessively rich at higher rpms. What carb is on there? You may not know this, but the DeTomaso Pantera is THE MOST messed-with sports car in history, so your new ride may literally have anything in it including a "racing" unit (which will likely not ever pass Smog tests). For the rest of your problems, please e-mail me at jderyke@aolcom, or phone 775-267-3907 anytime. If you're in the north Nevada area, theres a club tech session coming up in Reno in early March where we as a group can straighten out ALL these problems. Cheer up- we'll get it all fixed!

Your clutch and brake pedals are adjustable. If you crawl up under the dash, there is an adjustment bolt on the pedal linkage. It's a real pain to get to, but it does allow you to move the pedals back twards the seat some.
Also, try adding some aftermarket pedal pads over your stock pedals. This adds between 1/2" to 3/4" to the pedal. I used Sparco pads in mine and it really helped.
Good luck,
DT

[This message has been edited by dltimmons (edited 02-15-2003).]

For some pictures of what often happens to the power window mechanism, check out http://www.panteraplace.com/page59.htm

Lots of other good information on that website, if you haven't been there before.

(I remember the ads for the White Devil... looks like a nice car... you've just got some bugs to get worked out.. don't give up yet!!)!

------------------
Charlie McCall
1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/gt5s_1985

Per previous owner: Jim Kuntz & Company 548 Hp engine, Barry Grant modified carb, and Big Bore ceramic headers with PI stainless mufflers.

The engine sounds to have an aggressive cam. Sounds a little smoother than the Crane Fireball I use to run, but that�s from stretching my memory back 20+ yrs. Idle is set at around 1K to keep the beast from running rough. One sniff and I can tell that the mixture is overly rich to begin with. Judging from the 2500 rpm reading, the internal jetting should be okay. I don�t think vac line switching would help. Furthermore, the carb is with mechanical secondary. If only I can pass the initial smog inspection, Classic Car plate will absolutely adorn this car. This Pantera is quite far from stock���.

Used to live in Tahoe but to Vegas I moved over two years ago. Insurance is full coverage on all my vehicles. Owing three mid-engine sports car, I�m carrying a heavy load.

Thanks so much for your suggestions.

Best Regards
Paul Siu

quote:

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Originally posted by Rover:
Really depends what to original owner did to your machine. Here in Reno, there is a shop called Schreier Specialties (auto mechanic) who was able to switch around some vac lines on the stock ford carb to get mine to pass. Cost me just an hour of labor and a second smog test.

When you pass, get a classic car plate from the NV DMV. This exempts you from having to get a smog test. You just need to go to the DMV show your good cert, and sign a form. Kind of a pain because you have to go the the DMV every year, but avoids the challange of a annual smog.

Last suggestion is to find a friend who lives outside of Washoe County. Use their address for the DMV. Carson City and others south do not require smog tests.

Nevada is harsh on insurance, make sure it is covered at all times. If they find a laps in coverage, they will hit you with a fine. Their new DB tracks reg periods against insurance coverage. It is something like $200 if they find the car un-insured.

[This message has been edited by Rover (edited 02-14-2003).]

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Pantera family is such a kind community. One post and messages start pouring in. Jerry and Dave of PI jumped right in to offer a hand. Many here offered their sincere advice. What a wonder community this is��... Thanks everyone.

As for the seat, I�m most inclined to replace the thin stock seat with a Corbeau. Just trying to determine which model fits other than the Clubman. Does anyone here have a Clubman installed in their Pantera with Corbeau seat rail with stock un-dropped floor pan? If yes, how many inches left between the top of the seat to the roof. The CR-1 which I like is 4� taller than the Clubman.

Second, the window. It lowered with no problem upon first try. However, I can�t tell the exact problem until I have someone open up the door panel. I don�t suspect it to be the switch or the gear because the symptom feels more like a short within the door. Hopefully not the motor. Same goes for the lights. Will need a qualified mechanic here to give it a rundown.

The most pressing issue, however, is the Smog inspection. I purchase this car for the promise of un-compromised performance. It kind of defeats the purpose if I have to radically detune it in order to pass the Smog. Furthermore, cost of doing so doesn�t justify the lower performance value. If the solution is to simply swapping in a smog legal Holly and backing off the ignition timing a few degrees, the White Devil is a keeper. By the way, this Devil is every bit as beautiful as the picture in PI. Draws more OH's & AH's than my other cars.

Thanks everyone here again for your support. I look forward for any valuable suggestions.

Best Regards
Paul Siu

BTW: This forum beats Turbo Esprit & NSX-Prime for sincerity, hands down.

quote:

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Originally posted by jack deryke:
OK, first question. The seat adjustment is due to the rubber-on-steel seat rollers being flat-spotted due to 30+ years of age. To fix: remove the seats & rails (metric allen wrench). Remove the rails. Dump out the seat rollers & replace with nylon. PPC-Reno has these chap little guys in stock. When rearttaching the rails, be VERY sure the floor is not bent or twisted. If the rails don't lay flat, the bind when they're tightened down will prevent the seat from sliding. A biggish hammer will fix the twisted floor if you have such.
Second, the window up/down can be either a bad switch or relay, or a broken gear in the window drive (more likely). The removal of the whole mechanism is trickey; if the nylon/steel gear is cracked, there are bronze replacements available that last forever. The same gear is also used in the headlight erection mechanism, so realistically, you need three replacement gears.
Problems with the lights are often due to bad ground wires at the individual light, or at the central ground stud behind the dash, just above the tach. Remove, wire-brush the connectors & body, then retighten
The Smog may be a little more complicated; it appears the carb is excessively rich at higher rpms. What carb is on there? You may not know this, but the DeTomaso Pantera is THE MOST messed-with sports car in history, so your new ride may literally have anything in it including a "racing" unit (which will likely not ever pass Smog tests). For the rest of your problems, please e-mail me at jderyke@aolcom, or phone 775-267-3907 anytime. If you're in the north Nevada area, theres a club tech session coming up in Reno in early March where we as a group can straighten out ALL these problems. Cheer up- we'll get it all fixed!

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[This message has been edited by psiu89449 (edited 02-24-2003).]

[This message has been edited by psiu89449 (edited 02-24-2003).]