DeTomaso Mailing List: February 2001, Message #3

Ron wrote:

<< Here are two new questions.
1) Where can I find the sway bar - with detomaso name plate on the rear side 
of the sway bar. You know the one where you don't have to look through the 
bar to see the plate. I believe it is integrated with bushings. 

>>>That's Marino Perna's baby--Pantera East in St. Petersburg, FL.  
Beautiful, well-made piece.  Bring money.  Lots of it. :>)

>Oh, should I 
upgrade the sway bar or is the stock OK, even with the larger tires which may 
be added later.

>>>Dollar for dollar, moving up from the stock 3/4 inch to the "GTS" 7/8 
swaybar is the single best improvement that can be made to ANY Pantera.  It 
is even more important when larger rear tires are fitted, but any Pantera 
will see a dramatic handling benefit--I was involved in a direct test of 
various swaybar combinations, and the single largest gain came from making 
this transformation; in fact, going to larger swaybars actually resulted in a 
LOSS of cornering G's, as measured by a G-meter.


>2) Has anyone used the wrap stuff for the headers to reduce heat in the 
engine compartment? I need to take them off to prep and repaint and was 
thinking this may be a good idea.

>>>It's not.  Header wrap is a decent race-car trick to reduce under-hood 
heat, but it drastically reduces header life.  If you're running a 
small-block Chevy on a dirt track, you wrap the headers and then throw them 
in the trash at the end of the race season (if they live that long.)

Pantera headers are expensive!  If you're going to pull them, and if they are 
in decent condition, and if you like them, then have them coated by Jet-Hot, 
HPC or somebody like that.

I wouldn't waste a dime on stock exhaust manifolds however--if I had stock 
manifolds and was removing them for any reason, you can bet that coated 
headers would go back in their place (and all the vendors offer them in that 
persuasion.)

>Tonight I plan on just sitting in her for a while and dream of spring :-)

> >>I'm sitting at Greg Sullivan's house in the mountains above 
Alberquerque--the snow is actually resting against the window pane, but we're 
taking the Pantera for a drive tomorrow as the roads are clear! :>)

Mike