DeTomaso Mailing List: May 2001, Message #84

>>> "Mike Dailey" <mdailey@tectelsolutions.com> 05/04/01 04:35PM >>>
have the lower front pillar developed a nasty crack.   Paint jobs are
expensive so there must be some way to keep the cracks under control.

****Some food for thought. I'm told that the factory wide-body cars received extra reinforcing in the areas prone to cracking, and are less prone to cracking than the earlier cars. I know they have no additional cross braces, they do have big, wide tires, and they don't appear to crack. I haven't been on the track with mine, but I have neither cracking nor any signs of the beginning of cracks on my GT5-S, not the case on my '72. 

Has anyone seen cracking on the late cars? If not, then this indicates that the problem can be addressed without chassis braces, but instead by using additional material in the areas prone to crack or whatever DeTomaso did...

Charlie McCall
1972 DeTomaso Pantera #3847 (for sale)
1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
"Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/gt5s_1985