DeTomaso Mailing List: May 1997, Message #26
     



From: MikeLDrew@aol.com

Subject: Re:  Photo registry, hood vents...

Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 14:26:57 -0400 (EDT)



Capt Mike Drew

150 Westgate Dr.

San Francisco, CA  94127



Home/FAX:   (415) 334-7860



E-mail:  MikeLDrew@aol.com



Hi All,



Brent wrote:



>I understand that a photo registry is being championed by a local Vegas

Pantera owner of a nearly identical car to the aforementioned though

starburst blue. (plate: FLYER 1).  Any further info on this?



>>>That would be Reno-Tahoe Panteras president (and American Airlines pilot)

Jim Nowlin of Incline Village.  He's got a really neat photo album containing

one photo of EVERY Pantera he's ever seen, organized in numerical order.

He's got a bunch of cars in there, for sure, mostly photographed at Vegas,

Monterey, etc.  If you didn't happen to make the Vegas trip or are from

outside the area, but would like to contribute to this photographic registry,

send a decent photo with your name and address and any brief comments on the

back to:



Jim Nowlin

884 Tyner Way

Incline Village, NV  89451



(702) 831-1730



The really interesting thing is, he's been doing this for awhile, and has

multiple photos of several cars that have changed hands or been modified

several times.  It's interesting to see how a particular car went from having

funky wheels and weird paint in the '70's to stock in the '80's and then GT5

in the '90's and now sports 17-inch wheels...



>Can anyone offer opinions on cooling grills on front deck lid.



>>>There's a lot of highly religious opinions circulating about this.

Frankly, with a decent radiator, fans and water pump, there is NO need to

hack up the front hood and put vents in it.  Yes, I know all the arguments

about hot air wants to rise and there's a low-pressure zone atop the hood and

so on and so forth, but I think that's a lot of bunk.  I drove two Panteras

this weekend at Las Vegas, both with unmolested hoods, and they both ran fine

even in stop-and-go traffic; one with a pumped-up motor ran at below 160

degrees the whole time (TOO cool in my opinion; I'd like to see them right

around 180-190 degrees.)



The other thing is, the hood has a very difficult contour to work with; it's

not flat at all.  Rather, it curves in all four directions (curves front to

back and side-to-side), and the hood vents commonly found are all completely

flat.  So you're committed to not only hacking a bloody hole in the virgin

hood, but also smashing the contours of the hood skin flat in the area

immediately surrounding the vents, which, if you've got a nice paint job,

causes a weird ripple effect in reflections immediately surrounding the

vents.



I'll grant you that they can look fairly nice; I was seriously considering

installing them on my car, but was convinced against it after some Long

Heated Debates with the fellow who was doing the work.



>Regarding Pantera owners...there is no friendlier group of people,  always

eager to share with others the deTomaso experience.



>>>A-yup, 'tis true...they're also willing to lend a hand to those in need; I

know of at least three Panteras that broke down during the Vegas experience

that were fixed by other POCA members who happened to be in the area; the

owners of these cars were mechanically helpless and would have been socked

with hundreds of dollars in repairs were it not for the friendliness and

knowledge of POCA members.  One woman (driving her Pantera solo) even had a

bunch of guys completely change out her radiator in the parking lot while she

partied in the hospitality suite with their wives!



Mike