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Well here I go. I had a body man look over the car. He said it was not that bad at all, and he asked if he could buy it three times. I bought the car in 1989 after someone drove it into a ditch. the front grill is messed up and the front right fender needs to be replaced. I purchased a new fender from the factory years ago, so that's taken care of. The suspension needs some work on the front right side where the A arm's attach to the body, there is a rib there that looks bent. The front right window tower pushed up 1/8-1/4 inch and the front right door gaps are very small. The car had a hit in the rear years ago I belive this because there is a little crinkel in the supports near the trany. The body man seemend to be able to desribe exactly what happened in the crash just by looking at the damage,very C.S.I. He really seems to know his stuff and we share a common like for cars. he figures tops 30-40 hr to straighten and align the body. I guess my question is this: When/while this car is being straightened what do you have to watch out for? should I take the car to a body shop with laser alignment type equipment or is it the body man not the equipment which matters. Is it important to find a shop that has done panteras in the past? Do these cars "pop" out of allignment over time? I will be starting on this project in the next 4 months and I want to get it right the first time, your experiances and knowledge on this alignment topic would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all for answering my questions last time on the color issue. I plan on posting pictures as the repairs are being done, and who knows 2-3 years from now I will be able to drive to los vegas for the big gathering there.
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I know your main thrust will be the front, but be aware that all Panteras have partially collapsed their rear suspensions such that most have severe negative camber that cannot be aligned out. A few (like mine) had popped spot-welds in the supporting rear crossmember(s). The car could benefit from seam-welding the entire body, so don't agonize too much if it doesn't come out perfect. An aftermarket upper rear strut-bar will help.
Second- many if not all '72-up Panteras are asymmetric in front- adding a maximum-width front wheel may fit close to the fender edge on the left, and stick out 3/4" on the right. This is so prevalent, I speculate the factory welding jigs may have been off at some point.
Third- the front uprights and steering arms were relatively soft forgings while the a-arms were steel tubing and all may have bent in the accident. Your body-guy will know how to use pressure and maybe a rose-bud torch to safely straighten these parts if necessary. Have your heart medicine handy if you check prices for new replacements....
Forth- you didn't mention what year the car is. Early '71s were really pre-production prototypes built at Vignale Coachworks while later cars were built at Ghia. Many of the front & rear suspension parts are different than the later cars, while appearing the same. Be sure you know what you've got there before ordering parts! I've dseen cars with mix-&-match front suspensions.
Fifth- body/frame alignment specs were published in the Pantera Tech Service Bulletins at the very back, but the lines in the dwgs are extremely light so they don't show well (or at all). Plus, Europeans apparently use different dwg conventions- imaginary lines forming reference points etc. so some things in the dwgs are unclear.
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