DeTomaso Mailing List: February 2001, Message #208

Hi guys,

Due to some severe scheduling buffoonary on my part, I wound up having to 
trade some trips around which left me with a day and a half free in Miami.  
Rather than sit around all day, I convinced Nate Stephens to come down with a 
case of the "DeTomaso Flu" and basically play hooky from work so we could 
play cars. :>)

He came and grabbed me shortly after noon, and we went back to his place 
where his Pantera has been undergoing a Barkleyesque do-it-yourself ground-up 
restoration--it hasn't been on the road in about nine years.  As long as I've 
known him (three or four months) it's been scattered all over his garage and 
house (the decklid has been in the livingroom forever.)

Today his collection of pieces was destined to become a CAR again!  Check it 
out:

http://members.aol.com/mikeldrew/nate.jpg

Throughout the day, we never set a foot wrong--everything went much, much 
better than we had any right to expect.  Jobs which are ordinarily very 
difficult, or at least time-consuming, instead went like clockwork.  The car 
sat and idled forever without overheating (well, the temp sender died so the 
gauge didn't work, but we don't THINK it overheated!), and generally life was 
good.

The OEM Motorcraft POS carb is problematic--the secondaries don't seem to 
want to open, and there are un-plugged vacuum ports all over the place.  But 
in the last photo, up on the shelf you'll see a full set of WEBERS which are 
destined to replace it, so he's not worrying too much about it!

We could have accomplished more today, but for want of a few parts 
(window/headlight gears are backordered, preventing full assembly of the 
doors and headlights.)  

I had a great time today, and it's really gratifying bringing a Pantera back 
on the road, even if I only played a tiny role.  In a few weeks I'll have a 
couple of days off at home, and perhaps will manage to get my new alternator 
installed without blowing myself up, at which point I'll be able to drive MY 
car too! :>)

Mike