DeTomaso Mailing List: April 2000, Message #291

Bill wrote:

>I am new to the forum (and Panteras). 

>>>Welcome! :>)

>I have been shopping for a Pantera =
and have found most of the cars have stress cracks at the windshield =
pillars and on the rear roof tunnels(?). =20

Is this something to worry about?    Is there a fix?

>>>These are very common areas where stress cracks form.  The bottom outside 
corner on both taillights cracks too.

You are correct, these are stress cracks.  The degree to which they can be 
considered a problem varies.  For most people, they are a mere nuisance.  
Years ago, Larry Stock used to beat his black Pantera fairly hard on the 
racetrack with slicks, pulling about 1.2 lateral G's, and he managed to break 
BOTH a-pillars right off the top of the fender!  But that's pretty extreme 
use.

Normally, when a Pantera is re-painted, they should make a special effort to 
dig out the lead between the A-pillar and the fender, weld in some 
reinforcement, then re-lead.  When my car was painted, apparently they failed 
to do so, and worse yet, apparently they used bondo there (which is utter 
doom), for on the first drive I developed 2-inch cracks on both sides.  So 
next month the whole damn thing will have to be done over again.

Dennis Quella sells a Y-shaped reinforcement piece that is welded atop the 
sheetmetal in the bend on the quarter panel where the decklid curves.  I 
guess the body shop has to hammer an indentation into the panel, then weld 
this reinforcement atop it, and grind it all smooth.  It simply moves the 
stress from that one fixed point to three points about 6 inches away, 
essentially eliminating the problem.

Mike