DeTomaso Mailing List: January 98, Message #10
     



From: 	JDeRyke <JDeRyke@aol.com>

Subject: Re:  Re: Chassis stiffening (was powder coat wheels/tire options)

Date: 	Thu, 1 Jan 1998 18:55:57 +0000



Thought #2: before you attack your Pantera with a tube-bender & welder, it

might pay to study the chassis design in the back of the orange Parts Book.

Anecdote: at the San Diego Vintage races a few years back, a race-modified

Austin Mini (another monococque design) tipped onto it's side at high speed

(for a Mini, anyway) while entering a turn. Sliding, the car directly impacted

a guardrail with it's top. The full roll cage punched through the floor

mountings, slid down like a nutmeat mincer and killed the driver. Reportedly,

over a foot of roll bar legs were protruding from the underside of the car! In

retrospect, the floor mountings weren't of large enough surface area, and the

underlying floor area was very rusty but wasn't inspected. Don't know if the

cage was welded in or not. J DeRyke