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Saw the cat this afternoon, basically to stop by and make sure they were working on it to get it ready for pick up this weekend. The seats were finally installed and look outstanding. Door panels still have to go on as well as center console switches and gauges, buffing and detailing, and I will have her back. Car was on the lift, so I couldn't crawl in and try out how I fit in the seats, but that will happen tomorrow. This will be a very special Fathers' Day, indeed. I can't wait to hear the roar. Pictures and video coming this weekend!
PBBarb,
Well I didn't get the Pantera back last weekend, it wasn't done enough on the interior to drive, and I was not happy. However, today, I sat in her to see if I fit in the new seats as they moved the rails back a bit after a test fit, yesterday. But, more exciting, is that I got to hear the new engine and exhaust run for the first time in 4 years, and it was really unbelievable. The car is so loud, now, that it makes an F-type V8 sound like a pussycat. I can tell that if I actually take the car on a long distance drive, I will need ear plugs or headphones, it is that thunderous; a profundo base that is sure to rattle every car alarm within a several block radius.
The Red Cat is coming home this Friday, and going to Supercar Sunday this weekend, followed by a run through the Santa Monica Mountains. It was astonishing to hear the big engine roar to life on the first flip of the key as the new fuel injection did its job and will be quite a change from the previous chore of having to unscrew the air cleaners, dump gas through a funnel into the carb secondaries, then run back and start the car, often taking 3 or 4 stabs at this sequence before it would stay running. What a change! And what a sound! Video, sound bites, and photos coming this weekend. And by the way, the leather diamond stiched interior is gorgeous and a significant upgrade to the original seats, door panels, firewall, and dash.
Stay tuned for a few more days.
One more delay! Shift linkage to the transmission was experiencing problems, and a few interior things to finish, so maybe next weekend. I told the shop owner, that I'm growing tired of being told it's going to be ready and then finding out, it's not. I am anxiously awaiting it and my X100 refurbishment (different shop). We'll see which one comes back first.
The Cat's almost back. Saw her this afternoon and seats are installed and adjusted, headliner installed, engine and fuel injection tuned and ferociously loud. Gauges to be installed on new leather console panel tomorrow, rear hatch to be installed and paint buffed out tomorrow, and side mirrors going on tomorrow, awaiting transmission bushing (to keep the car in gear, due imminently), headlight motor bushings also due soon, but won't prevent me from driving the car out in the daylight. It is conceivable, I will be driving it by July 4th, and believe me, the sound of the engine will create its own fireworks. I can hardly stand these last few days of waiting. As you can see in these poor pictures, the Pantera is in good company with a Lambo on the lift, and a LaFerrari back in the corner behind the Pantera. She's gonna miss her stable mates.
I hesitate to ask if there is an update. I need someone to have their baby! I just updated my ongoing saga with the service department at my local Jag dealer and it's about to get ugly. I really, really hope you've got your Cat and are out having fun and that's why there's not another update yet.
I actually went to pick it up, this afternoon, and it still wasn't ready, and boy, was I pissed. I just emailed the owner and told him, I'm picking it up next Friday, whether or not the transmission problem has been fixed. I told him I'll put it on a flatbed and take it to someone who can fix it. Just clean it up, put the hatch back and have it ready on Friday. I think he'll get the message as he wants me to build him a new shop on a property I own, and I'm a little irritated with him right now. There will be pictures next weekend, one way or the other. Hope your dealer issues improve.
Thank you, Karen. Car was towed to the transmission specialist this morning to deal with bushing issue. The interior is all put back together, gauges installed, door mirrors back on, minor setback when driver's side door handle broke off, but ordered a new one that should have arrived today. Friday, car goes to be detailed after sitting for nearly 4 years, and with any luck, I'll be driving her home Friday afternoon. I'll believe it when I'm behind the wheel. It's 110F all week in the San Fernando Valley, not a temperature at which the Pantera likes to play, so I'll not be doing anything stupid, however, I'm not sure I can control myself, so I may take her out for a 5am morning run in the cool air just to hear that rumble. The engine sound is ferociously NASCAR loud, and I think that's what I look forward to the most, HEARING IT! Film this weekend (with any luck).
Okay, the Cat's coming home tomorrow afternoon. Last minute welding to one of the popup headlight buckets tomorrow morning and then I'm bringin' her home! I was not sure I'd actually see this day, it's been so long. Sunday mornings will never be the same. A lot of my neighbors will be shaken out of bed. I will try to get my son to film and record some sound on Sunday morning and add it to this post. I must admit, I'm a bit nervous. With the neuropathy of my feet, I just don't want to hit the "go" pedal too hard and break loose on a 550hp 3000lb. car that could easily spin its wheels when it had half that horsepower. Early Sunday run through the Santa Monica Mountains, I think, followed by a visit to Supercar Sunday followed by a round of golf. You can actually get two golf bags in the luggage compartment that sits above the engine and transaxle.. Story and photos on Sunday. Stay tuned.
Well, I was hoping to report that I got my other cat back tonight, but alas it won't be until Monday afternoon. However, I did get to ride in it as a passenger for a short trip today
as they are still sorting out some shifter issues on the tranny. One thing is for sure, it is one of the loudest vehicles I have ever heard, positively ferocious!! I can barely wait to take it out for a nice early morning tour through the local canyons. There are a few little things that still need to be done to finish her, but it won't prevent me from driving her next week. For those of you forum members in Southern California, on Sunday, November 4, the French/Italian car show will be held at Woodley Park in Van Nuys. It's always a terrific show with lots of unusual cars, and I will be displaying my old cat there as well. Hope to see some of you there.
After 4 long years my other big cat has come home about an hour ago. She is beautiful and so ear-splittingly loud that I will have to purchase ear plugs. There are a few little things to still do next week but, she's home, drivable, and going to the French/Italian Car Show on Sunday at Woodley Park. Below are some pictures of the re-unification "ceremony." My first look at her cleaned up and polished in 4 years. What a sight. Try not to stare. What a rear end! New all leather diamond quilted interior and leather dash
Went to meet forum member Ralphwg at Malibu Cars and Coffee early this morning. It was my first trip of more than a few miles and the first trip on the freeway since getting the car back. In the cold morning air, the car ran well below its usual near overheating status, so I was a bit more relaxed driving it than the pins and needles feelings I most often experience. It ran flawlessly and was certainly the most exotic of the whopping four cars that showed up to this pre-Christmas meeting. Ralph and I ventured down Pacific Coast Highway a little way and had breakfast nearby where a caravan of Lambos, Ferraris, McLarens, Porsches, and Corvettes and their owners were also having breakfast, and parked among them, I still thought it was the most striking design and certainly looked at home with exotics 50 years its junior. A trip back home through the canyons was uneventful and gave me more confidence that it won't strand me as it did on the first two days I brought it home. It's going back next week for some heat shielding and the installation of a much more accurate digital temperature gauge, but all in all a wonderful day in its return to the road. Very happy!
So although I got my Pantera back from restoration/modification about a year ago this week, I really haven't had much of an opportunity to "open" her up for some spirited driving during the year. First, during the usually very warm weather here in Los Angeles, I was experiencing vapor lock even with the EFI when the engine bay got too hot, and I've been hesitant to run the engine at high rpms for fear of finding myself stalled and having to wait for the car to cool down before it will run again. Secondly, I had 3 surgeries over the last couple of months, so bending to get in and out of the Pantera was out of the question. However, this past Sunday, I got together with a driving group called Malibu Autobahn, and in the cold 40*F morning weather and no traffic, the engine and fuel injection were eager to run. About 200 cars met in a shopping center in Agoura for about 2 hours. There were about a dozen Lamborghinis, about the same number of McLarens, several Ferraris, a half dozen F-types including a beautiful black SVR convertible, many Corvettes, GTRs, a new Supra (boy is it ugly in person), and large BMW and Mercedes and Audi contingencies. After 2 hours, we all embarked on a series of twisty mountain/canyon roads through the Santa Monica Mountains out throught Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, and Camarillo through to Pacific Coast Highway and out to Malibu where the 200 cars gathered at a Zuma Beach parking lot once again. Along the way, I was able to do some high speed acceleration runs for the first time during this year. I wasn't willing to do crazy dangerous things like some of the drivers were doing, but I did have some very spirited accelerated portions. The car performed flawlessly, was fast, and ferociously loud, so much so that owners of cars half a mile behind me in the procession came up during the after drive gathering and told me they could hear the roar from way behind. Afterwards, my friend and I went up Pacific Coast Highway a bit, had lunch at the famed Paradise Cove Cafe on the sand in front of the water, traveled back over the mountains to the San Fernando Valley and ushered in a new year with a great drive. This week the Pantera will go back in to deal with a few small issues as well as a real solution to the vapor lock issue, but what an exciting drive it was. Can't wait for the next drive in January. Any forum members in SoCal should look them up and join the next drive, great cars, great roads, friendly car people. The drives are well organized, free, and the car gathering before has lots of interesting vehicles. Again it's Malibu Autobahn, visit their website and sign up to receive their info.
After 3 months of trying to diagnose a fuel injection problem that has plagued me for two and a half years since I brought the car home from its restoration/modification. Every time I drove it in warm weather or traffic and the engine temperature reached about 180*F, the fuel injection would simply turn off as if it vapor locked and leave me stranded in some dangerous situations for about 15-20 minutes until it cooled off enough to start it and drive again. It's the Holley EFI system and dozens of calls to Holley over the month of December only resulted in more than 8 hours of holding with no answer. Last week, I gave up and we re-installed a carburetor (Edelbrock). Yesterday, in nearly 90*F Los Angeles weather with some traffic on the freeway, I took about a 30 mile round trip and am happy to say that I had no issues I'm still not confident so I'm going to need to have a couple of dozen non eventful drives to build that confidence. My goodness, this car is loud, I think it scares some drivers as I pull up next to or in front of them., it's ferocious.
Every weekend in a small shopping center on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, hundreds of cars descend upon the center and turn the parking lot into one of the best car shows in Southern California. Mostly supercars and classics, me and some friends attend a couple of times a month. Today, we arrived early about 8am and were captured on a video of the proceedings. My friend Riley's and my red Pantera were filmed at the very beginning of the video right after the opening shots of the Ferrari.
Life returning to normal post Covid.
An acquaintance found this Instagram post and sent it to me a couple of days ago. I was pulling into and parking at a Malibu Car Meet several Sundays ago. Kind of fun listening to someone else narrating about your car.
06-12-2018, 08:34 PM
