[DeTomaso] Aftermarket Disc Brake System for a 1973 Pantera

[Sean Korb]

On 4/30/06, MikeLDrew at aol.com <MikeLDrew at aol.com> wrote:
>
>
> In a message dated 4/30/06 9:04:12, 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.
> Thanks. >>
>
> >>>If you are truly only going to be driving on the street, then the stock
> brake system with subtle upgrades is by car the best 'bang for the buck'
> solution.  If your master cylinder is tired, then replace it with one of
> the various
> OEM-derived solutions the vendors have cooked up (EIther Ford or
> Corvette-based).


Care should be taken when selecting a master cylinder provided by a vendor.
I have one of the Ford units.  It's quite nice and aluminum and it does stop
the car, but...

It takes quite a bit of pedal effort especially just starting out when
vacuum is a bit low.  A blip of the throttle takes care of it, but the
problem is the cylinder is 1" and the Pantera really needs a piston in the
7/8" range.  It doesn't sound like much, but it makes the pedal hard and
high, and it's a good thing I have thighs mutated from boyhood newspaper
delivery.

It's only scarred me once, and that was in Charlotte NC traffic, so I would
probably have been scarred in any of my cars, but I would prefer a smaller
master.  I'm going to switch it out with the one in my '68 Mustang since it
needs a bigger one and the Grenada master is a 7/8" unit.  I'm just glad the
Pantera vendors still make the adapter plate: I've got a wide range of fine
Ford masters to choose from :)

--
Sean Korb spkorb at spkorb.org http://www.spkorb.org
'65, '68 Mustangs, '68 Cougar, '78 R100/7, '71 Pantera #1382
"The more you drive, the less intelligent you get" --Miller
"Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." -P. Picasso