DeTomaso Mailing List: April 2001, Message #148

My second-hand swap-meet sphere-balls for 7/8" bars work perfectly on a '72 
L. Since all I got was the plastic holders and the balls themselves, I had to 
fabricate a few things without exactly knowing what the original  design was. 
I built 1/4" thick aluminum top plates- I could see the plastic holders 
wouldn't take any direct bolt torque. I also retapped the metric front & rear 
a-arm nuts that are welded on, to 5/16-18 thread. I used stainless steel 
5/16-18 allen flathead screws countersunk into the aluminum top plates. My 
set-up has plenty of room for Spicer rear axles and U-joints, even at full 
jounce/ rebound. And yes, the bars did not fall into place- I had to pull & 
tweek them a little, both frt and back, into position so the bolts lined up. 
IMHO, sphere-balls are the single most important suspension mod the Pantera 
vendors have yet come up with. Had I realized the difference it made in 
freeing the suspension up, I would've paid full-sucker-price. I suggest you 
get some, or borrow a Pantera so  equipped for a hot-lap. My 2 cents- J DeRyke