Pantera Restomod Project

Part of why I like to write about cars is so far I am living my car passion/hobby through my family's and friend's cars, not my own. Writing about other people’s cars is my only real option. One of those friends is in the middle of restoring/modifying his 1971 De Tomaso Pantera!!!  So cool! The average Joe's super car.  The bonus (if you already own one) is the values have been rising steadily the past few years.  Panteras could eventually surpass highly sought after cars like the air cooled Porsche 911 because comparatively so few Panteras were ever sold.

Restomod Pantera Photoshop with Forgestar F14 wheels

So far I have been able to be a very small part (I mean like really small) of this project.  Car guys have a knack for finding each other. In this case, my friend and I met through the local Church we attend.  Cars always come up in casual conversation and that's how I found out about my buddy’s Pantera. I've helped load the body on and off a trailer and helped provide subjective feedback on ideas for the wheels and different parts he has contemplated for the project.  I was wingman during a cutting operation to clearance the firewall for the Coyote 5.0L engine swap too. I like to tell car buddies that I'm pretty skilled at holding a drop light. I also like to take pictures of cars and I like to dig into the details.  I consider this a pretty rare opportunity to be around a Pantera projects.  I'll be annoying as possible to make sure I'm involved as much as my friend will tolerate.  haha

Pantera body after being media blasted

Right now the body is getting metal repairs completed at "Finn's Auto Restoration" in Woodburn, Oregon.  While the body is away in Oregon, my buddy is collecting various components. I really like the direction he's going with the car. The Pantera was purchased as a project in pieces, the body itself being a combination of two cars put together to make one "good" car.  Good being in air quotes because there is a significant amount of metal work needed to get it straightened out and ready for paint. There was a good chunk of body filler applied by a previous owner that is being corrected.  The overall look will be "restomod". Classic exterior with some modern parts to freshen up the performance and look.

Posing next to the Pantera project with the Coyote 5.0L during a very cold test fit

 Utah winter car projects, brrrrr....

Coyote 5.0L mated to factory refreshed ZF transaxle during test fit 

 My buddy actually has an original 351 Cleveland engine that Pantera's came with from the factory. But, the price and work to get the 351C up to running condition is not cheap.  Plus, even once its running, its a heavy engine and carbureted. Going with a modern EFI 5.0L Coyote engine is the perfect choice in my opinion. It will be able to make power cheaper because of huge Mustang 5.0L aftermarket and the drivability and reliability will be so much better than the 351C.  The gas mileage will be better too. Hey, I know this is a sports car, but the ability to take this thing on long drives to see the beautiful National Parks near by will be more enjoyable in a modern engine setup like this.

Coyote 5.0L and ZF transaxle in place

This particular Ford 5.0L DOHC Coyote engine is from a 2011-2012 era F150 work truck that had issues (burnt valves I believe). I was picked up for a reasonable price too since they're so plentiful used. This engine is being upgraded to Mustang GT specs as well, which include the intake camshaft, intake manifold, Boss 302 valve springs and tensioners, oil filter relocation kit, etc.. You can see that the intake manifold is flipped 180 degrees from the factory setup to fit the Pantera's mid-engine layout. Pretty cool that this is even possible. I would have assumed it would have been asymetrical. Maybe there was some other reason to make it symtretical because putting the engine in mid engine projects like the Pantera.  The nice part is, this is not the first Coyote swapped Pantera, so the lessons should be learned already by others in the Pantera community. Ford makes an off the shelf harness that works with the Coyote in the Pantera.  Pretty cool!

Now on to some of the supporting pieces to this Pantera puzzle.  Wheels are always a key ingredient to the overall look of any car. My buddy has some original 15" factory magnesium wheels, but they're not the most aggressive size and its hard to find a good tire in the right sizes for 15". After weighing the options, he went with the Forgestar F14 as seen here.  I also posted a photoshop of a friends Pantera with these wheels at the beginning of this post to get a glimpse of how it will look. They're a good looking wheel for sure and are in the right size and fitment and are a strong, high quality piece.

I've never owned a car with an aftermarket steering wheel. I'm racking my brain, trying to remember if I've driven a car with one.  The only memorable steering wheel in a car I've driven that comes to mind was the factory alcantara wheel in a friends 2013 Camaro SS 1LE. Loved it!  Seeing so many cool steering wheels in car magazines over the years, I REALLY want a cool steering wheel on my car one day. My buddy is going to go with a Momo Retro model. I snagged this image off of americanmuscle.com website.  It will look perfect in the Pantera's 70's interior.

The other very important piece to the interior are the seats.  He's going with these black cloth Recaro seats that he bought from a Pantera dude who had already modified them to fit the Pantera.  I wish I knew what they came out (if they're a factory seat) or what model they are. Great score for the project! In my opinion, these seats have a 70's, 80's feel with the boxy/squared off design of the cushions.  I think these will work great with the overall look of the car.

Black cloth Recaro bucket seats

A more modern coilover is going in to make the handling firm and sporty.  These are Ridetech coilvers with hyperco 300lbs/in front and 450lbs/in rear spring rates. Ride height and dampening adjustability make these perfect to dial in the ride height and handling.  Two thumbs up!

Ridetech Ride height and dampening adjustable coilovers 

Stainless steel quad tip muffler set up 

Every Pantera needs that quad tip exhaust look and that's the plan for this project tool.

If you made it this far, this is just a brief highlight of the years of patient preparation my friend has put in.  Hop over to the "Project Pantera #1998" blog (link below) for more photos and details of the build so far.  I can't wait to see the body come back from Oregon and really get this project progressing toward the finish line.  I will say, I admire my friend's attitude about the build.  His mentality is to try and enjoy the journey of building the car.  Don't rush things, do them right, enjoy the process itself, its half the fun.

http://pantera1998.blogspot.com/