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This is the fourth project we've completed for the same customers, a family of car enthusiasts in Los Angeles. The first was an alloy-body 427 Cobra. Next was a very early steel-bodied Ferrari 308 GTB, which received new paint, a new interior and a thorough detailing. The third was a Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 (the later two-headlight variant), which received some fairly major body repair, new paint and a new interior. With the Ferraris, the goal was to make very presentable "drivers." Both would show very well, but the owner drives the cars extensively on the street and on the track (the 308 had upwards of 90,000 miles on the clock), so national concours-level work was not desired.
The Pantera project, however, was far more extensive in that it was not only a complete restoration, but also entailed some significant modifications and performance upgrades.
The first step, as always, was to completely strip the body of all trim and paint. The engine and transaxle were removed, as was the suspension, steering, and HVAC systems. The dashboard, instruments and associated wiring were left in place and carefully protected.
Like most Italian exotics of the era, Panteras are rust-prone. Of particular concern, however, is the sheet metal surrounding the rear suspension mounts. We were lucky in that the basic body shell was virtually rust-free, but the suspension mounts - where the factory provided a convenient means for water ingress but neglected to provide an egress - were indeed rusty.
We could have just repaired the rust and stopped there, but the Pantera's reputation for poor torsional rigidity dictated a more comprehensive response. And, we knew our planned horsepower and tire upgrades would only exacerbate the standard car's shortcomings. We did repair the rust, obviously, but to solve the rigidity problems we also fabricated what amounted to a new sub-frame to strengthen the unibody. What's more, the additional bracing is almost completely hidden under original sheet metal.
Repaired and upgraded, the body shell went off to the paint shop and our attention turned to the mechanicals. The original Ford 351 Cleveland was treated to a complete rebuild. Again, the factory build sheet was thrown out the window.
Upgrades included:
Early Panteras are also known for an inadequate cooling system, so we had a custom, high-capacity, alloy radiator fabricated.
Tire and suspension technology have come a long way since the Pantera's 1960s-era components, so our car was fitted with dual-adjustable racing shock absorbers and sport springs, heavy duty sway bars and an adjustable alloy strut to further strengthen the rear suspension towers and keep alignment angles in check. Z-rated tires in the widths we were after simply don't exist for the Pantera's stock 15" wheels, so we upgraded to a gorgeous set of polished 17" replicas of the stock Campagnolos.
The braking system was rebuilt to stock specifications but an electric pump was added to provide engine vacuum to the servo as the individual Weber manifolds do not provide a common vacuum source.
Air conditioning was also a weak point for virtually every imported car of the early 1970s, so we upgraded our (please excuse us for the wishful possessive references) Pantera with a new condenser and a smaller, lighter, and more efficient Sanyo rotary compressor.
The last job was to completely restore the interior and rewire a good portion of the dash board. (Most Lucas jokes can be applied to Italian electrics as well; just change the name.)
The Interior Before and After (click for larger view)
Finally, it was time to road test this updated Italian-American hybrid and ensure that all the modifications worked in harmony. The Webers required a fair bit of fiddling to arrive at the correct jetting and there was an ignition problem to solve, but the driveline was a huge success.
After a proper alignment and several rounds of adjustments to the springs and shocks, the handling was beyond the factory's wildest dreams. While we'd probably describe this car as fairly heavily modified, nothing was done out of character with the original. Some changes involved technology not available when the Pantera was designed.
Other modifications were to make large gains in performance, plain and simple. As a whole, however, they fit what is quickly becoming our motto: Prudent modifications, well sorted, and working in harmony.
As previously noted, XKs Unlimited is best known for its Jaguar restorations. But as this, and other, projects attest, we are well versed on a variety of subjects, be they other British sports cars or Italian exotics. To discuss your project, please call our restoration department at your earliest convenience.
