DeTomaso Mailing List: May 2001, Message #94

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


>>> "F. & D. Terry" <gt5s@erols.com> 05/04/01 07:11PM >>>
	I hate to say it but our GT5-S cars are just as prone to crack problems
as the early cars. It's just that a few more years are needed before
things start to go bad.
	Fred T.

***I guess time will tell! I have the same number of miles on the '72 as I do on the GT5-S, and I looked very carefully at the 5-S before buying it to see if I could see any signs of cracking and  I couldn't. If I were keeping the '72 I would repaint it, because it is cracked pretty good, both cars now have about 40,000 miles. 

In looking at other late model cars at the factory last year, I didn't specifically look for cracking in this area, but I don't remember seeing any cars with this phenomenon. This year at the meeting in Italy I'll take a closer look and see what I see on the late model cars. For some reason I thought I remembered reading somewhere over the years that the body was strengthened to prevent cracking, but I could have faulty memory, it could have been speculation (or wishful thinking!) on someone's part, I don't know. 

What I DO have is bubbling on my factory rear wing. It isn't rust, as I think the wing is aluminum. The PO told me that every 3-4 years he had to repaint the rear wing because of this. I think I remember a thread was back in the early days of the Forum where one of the Swedes had this same problem? Going from memory here, but the wing is formed by aluminum folded a billion times, and with the heating/cooling cycle it eventually cracks or bubbles the paint. You have an Amerisport wing, don't you? It's kind of an annoying problem, but I'd rather that than a body that cracks in the corners, I suppose...



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