[DeTomaso] Aftermarket Disc Brake System for a 1973 Pantera

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/30/06 9:04:12 AM, bwerner at ykwc.net writes:

<< I am looking for a good street disc brake system for my 1973 pantera.  I 
want the most bang for the buck.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
>>

Depending on what your ultimate intentions are for the car, your first mod 
might be Porterfield brake pads to replace the stock units, and discarding the 
stock non-adjustable proportioning valve and re-plumbing the brake lines so the 
front calipers run at full pressure. This alone improves braking noticably.
After that, there are some drop-in ventillated discs available that are 
identical in dimensions to the stockers and do not require replacement of the stock 
calipers. They are lighter and run cooler than stock solid discs but will not 
live long for intense open-track work. I've  run these myself on our street 
car successfully since 1990. One similar system is sold by PPC-Reno (Larry 
Stock at <www.panteraparts.com> and others. 
Going up in complexity, for track work or pseudo-racing, you'll need thicker 
ventillated discs (sold by every vendor), and those will require wider 
calipers. If the discs are much larger in dia than stock, you will also need 16" or 
17" wheel$ & tire$ to clear them. 
Unless you have some experience in swapping such stuff around, for safety's 
sake I suggest you call a vendor for their recommendations. Brakes and steering 
are serious mods IMHO... Finally, there are many articles in various 
back-issues of the POCA news detailing all the above. Good luck- J DeRyke