Recently in Interior Category

The half shafts came in and they look great. They seem about the same size,
just stronger, better metal. They are zinc plated which makes them look
good as well.

What do you need to go to the track event? How about an IO-PORT rollbar
camera mount, fire exstuinguisher, and batter shutoff! Getting the camera
mount setup should be a lot of fun.

I picked up my upholstered interior and the powder coated trim this week. I
have finished putting the trim on and one of the door panels is installed.
It came out pretty nice. However it does need some detail added to it so I
ordered some carbon fiber composite sheets which I can cut into a "swash"
and put on the door as the newer style interior is done on the pantera.

I change the jets in the carb back up to 70 primary and 76 secondary. While
driving to the mustang club event I was having problems with backfiring
when the secondaries kicked in and lean surging. However the carb still
idles so rich that it will tear your eyes.

Next on the list is to install the speedo cable, new half shafts, clean up
some more interior, and other cosmetic issues. I am also going to try and
put some mileage on the car as well.

Getting ready for the POCA Fun Rally this year, it's time to do some
cosmetic and creature comfort changes to the car. Since I had the car on
the road, I haven't had time for those types of changes. I have been
driving without windows, carpeting, door panels, and other fuzzy things
since the car has been restored.

So this weekend I mocked up some door panels for the doors. I am going to
use a flat panel and then use material to cover the metal that joins the
door to the window ( where you rest your arm ). This spot is ussually
covered by the door panel, but I do not care for the stock door panels.

I also fabricated a new console piece that covers the tunnel to the rear of
the car. The door panels and the armrests and he console will go to the
upholstery shop for covering. I also purchased the replacement door handles
and installed them. One of my handles was cracked so bad it wouldnt stay on
the car.

I changed my oil last weekend and opened up th efilter for inspection, the
picture shows what i found. Mostly machining parts, but the motor is just
broken in.

I still have to install the door windows, and some wiring, also some carpet
and interior lights.

I know it's been a month, but I have made some significant progress. Last weekend I went to L.A. to pick up some of the parts I still needed. Among them was the refurbished transmission, the new Boyd Coddington wheels, and the exhaust. I have installed the dash and roll bar. If you ever install a roll bar into a pantera ... don't. It is a major pain in the ass. This roll bar was a four point unit from Precision Proformance. We had to shorten one side of the roll bar because it was too close to the roof on one side of the car. We shortened it about an inch. After re-welding and painting we assembled the two front down tubes that go from the firewall to the dash then the cross tube that ties those together. The back bar is one piece and just slides in. The hard part is getting the whole thing to slide together once you have contorted yourself to pull the front assembly into the back assembly, all the while putting significant pressure on the front down tubes to bend them to fit. I think my back will be hurting all week.

The dash looks great in the car. I have also installed the headliner and new roof trim. I still have to install the wiring harness, guages, steering wheel, and seats. The rear window and windshield has been installed. I also re-undercoated the entire underside of the car, and installed the new power brake booster.

I have started thinking about the interior lately and what to do with my stock 71 dash. At first I was going to upgrade it to a later style dash and accent it with the carbon fiber inserts that you can get from the vendors. Then I thought about covering my stock dash in leather. I found some shops that would recover my dash with real leather for $2000. The fiberglass replacement dashes of the later style dash will cost you about $350 from the vendors. That price does not include upholstery. I then talked to Pantera by Wilkinson who quoted me about $650 for the later style dash in carbon fiber, or $1300 for a fiberglass dash with leather upholstery. And if you add up the cost difference between re-upholstering your entire console and dash or buying carbon fiber, it's an easy decision. One week later I received my carbon fiber dash and the upper console which joins it to the floorboard, the look absolutely top notch. Wilkinson has the best quality on these pieces.

I also included a picture of the Sparco seats I am installing in the car. This week will also see the front windshield installed in the car.

Today was the interior. I wanted to make sure that I properly documented all of the wiring connections for the dash so I first took pictures of all wiring connections then sketched all wiring connections. Lastly I taped each guage wire bundle together with masking tape and labeled it. That should allow me to put everything back where it came.

The wiring harness itself was pretty clean. There was a stereo power connection added and a digital clock connection. Unfortunately the clock is mounted into the dash above the glove box. The person who installed it just cut a rectangular hole in the dash. I am not sure what to do about it. I may be able to fill it with an emblem attached to a plate.

The dash was attached be several screws with spacers. The screws are located underneath, very high, next to the windshield. You have to remove the speedo and tach to get to them on the drivers side. I also dropped the steering column to make access easier. It helps having a removable steering wheel here.

We then removed the heater/condenser assembly. The unit is very heavy. I was suprised to see two squirrel cages with one motor driving them. This seems overkill but works pretty well. I might replace the motor if there is any indication of wear. If the heater core is aluminum I will replace that as well. You cant trust aluminum heater cores.

I also landed a pair of A3 SVO heads for the motor. I got mine from a man in Florida for $2000. They are bare heads still in the box. A good find but a little pricy. They are getting harder to find.