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I bought #5972 on 3/22/17. The vehicle was given a complete body/paint overhaul 20 years prior and was stored in a climate controlled garage until the date of my purchase.

The prior owner planned to make this a show car. He spent a ton of money on upgraded parts and when the car returned from the body/paint shop he installed the new suspension, brakes and tires. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards he went thru a divorce and was forced to sell the car to his friend who lived in New Orleans. 20 years later I purchased the car from his friend who during all that time did virtually nothing to the car due to the time/money his business required. In 2016 he bought a large mansion and was in the process of restoring it but ran into several major issues and was out of cash so he was forced to sell the Pantera.  i heard about the sale on the PI classified section, called the owner, had a long discussion, scheduled a time to inspect the car and part and was thrilled with what I saw so I purchased the car and the parts trove.

My wife was socked to hear that I was spending a Lot of money to buy a car with no engine and lots of boxes of parts but I knew when I located an engine and completed the assembly project the final product would be amazing.

The 'Catch' - The deal I made with my wife included me selling my classic car collection for the funds needed to buy the car and (here's the kicker) I couldn't work on the Pantera Project until I completed the sale of my collection :-(

My collection had vehicles in various states of restoration. Some were drivers(rolling restoration) and others needed more attention. I spent a lot of time and money and It's taken me 4+ years but last Friday I sold the last remaining vehicle from my collection so now my full attention turns to the Pantera Project :-)

It's going to be a labor of Love building a 70's Exotic Supercar and with a little luck and help from my Pantera friends(i.e. Jim Demick and other Forum members) I hope to have it on the road sometime during 2021.

I'll keep you guys posted on the progress of this massive project.

Wish me luck and I hope to meet and get to know lots of Forum Members at future Pantera events around the country.

Yes, The time has (finally) come ...

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As I am going through the same process right now I wish you all the very best experience. It will be a great financial advantage to you ( and your wife ) starting out with a working inventory of parts.

I am getting there and I am enjoying it immensely one small win at a time . Currently rebuilding the rear suspension - and not one mile too late judging from the condition of some of the items I am replacing !!

Tire Question:

The prior owner bought new tires (305/50R/15 Goodrich Euro 114H M+S) and had them mounted when the car came home from the paint/body shop. Although they've never been driven on I can't safely use them because they are 20 years old.

20 yeas later it seems tires this size are hard to find. Where can I buy wide tires?

The rear rims are Campagnolo 10" K x 15" CH

@billt posted:

Tire Question:

The prior owner bought new tires (305/50R/15 Goodrich Euro 114H M+S) and had them mounted when the car came home from the paint/body shop. Although they've never been driven on I can't safely use them because they are 20 years old.

20 yeas later it seems tires this size are hard to find. Where can I buy wide tires?

The rear rims are Campagnolo 10" K x 15" CH

If you do a search of this forum you'll find many, many entries on this topic.

For instance: https://pantera.infopop.cc/top...r-oem-15-inch-wheels

Be aware that some of these entries can be quite dated so whatever information they contain may be incorrect or no longer applicable.

I'm trying to remove the chrome bezel from a couple of gauges to clean a slight haze on the interior of the glass but I haven't found a method that doesn't disfigure the bezel. Any tips/tricks are appreciated ...

My dash has a couple of minor cracks on the top. Just Dashes does good work but it's very expensive. I looked at Halls plastic dash cap but I wonder if it looks cheap? Any suggestions? ...

I'm thinking about using a Hall Pantera Dash Cap to remedy my cracked dash. I spoke to Riley, he installed one on his car and said it was pretty good. Fit was great, seemed to have the same grain look as stock and didn't look cheap.

Others have experience with this option?

Not long after Riley installed the cap he decided to have an upholster recover his dash so I asked Riley what he did with his dash cap (since you can't remove them once installed) he cut it up and junked it.

Maybe someone, like Riley, thought about going that direction but changed their mind 'before' installing and it's just sitting in their garage waiting for me to buy it. If you've got one your not using PM me, I'm in the market for one ...

As always guys, Thanks for your suggestions/comments/advice. Can't wait till this Beast is awakened from it's 20+ years slumber. My goal is to have it on the road this year (2021).

Well, I knew one day I would break a Pantera part and today it happened. I was showing a friend the progress on my build when I picked up the HV/AC motor/fan blades assy and I didn't have the clam shell plastic bracket secured properly, it came apart and the assy hit the garage floor (see pic)

Found one on Ebay for around $200. I don't guess one of you guys has this just laying around? It's the 1st and I hope it's the last part I break (my Spidey Senses tell me it's gonna happen again 🤔

On a good note, I completed the restoration of the gauge cluster. Console bezel plating was peeling off so I stripped it down, sanded and painted with Spaz Stix chrome spray. Cleaned/polished the gauge bezels.

and the saga continues ...Broken fan bladesPantera gauge cluster

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