Pantera parts ! (Page 69/75)
Fastfocusguy SEP 24, 02:18 PM
- - - But the REAL accomplishment over the weekend was that I FINALLY managed to fit a Door Skin ! ! !
Granted, this is not hard to do - but it is time consuming and nerve wracking, since you REALLY do NOT
want to sand off too much material, since putting it Back is hard to do, and then it has a 'tender' spot, too -
which is not good for a door ( since doors magnetically attract grocery carts and other car doors ! )
Since I am without a helper at the moment ( My German Shepherd has no opposable thumbs, he claims )
So you will see the numerous strips of duct-tape used to hold the skin in position while I worked the seams
with my magic marker, identifying which bits needed how much more material sanded off !
so, without further delay, I present, drivers side door skin !










Now the fun part begins. Deciding where and how to attach the skin to the Fiero Door Skeleton ! ! ! :O

[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 11-14-2012).]

Fastfocusguy SEP 28, 12:46 AM
Tuesday evening I was running late so I picked an easy task:
a few little brackets in the front compartment were showing surface rust,
so I pulled them out, cleaned them up, primed and painted them.



then, reinstalled them !




[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 09-28-2012).]

Fastfocusguy SEP 28, 01:01 AM
Wednesday evening was still a bit busy, so I decided to paint the brackets I had fabricated,
back when I first mounted the rear clip onto the car. The section of the body between the rear wheel
well and the door opening did not seem to have enough support ( for my tastes = sherman tank )
So I made these braces from some 3/16 High Tensile steel strap I had left over from another project.
It is very hard, and eats saw blades and drill bits ! But should last forever on my car !
The Long one has two bolts that attach to the fiberglass clip and one thru the pinch weld of the Fiero Rocker.
The little short one goes behind the rocker pinch weld, sort of like a giant custom washer,
to help spread out the load when I torque the daylights out of the poor fasteners.
BTW if you squint hard enough you may be able to notice that the bolts are TORX heads !
I had a box of them collecting dust, so I am using them on the Pantero in places where the bolt will
be visible to critics. Makes them more attractive and exotic, don't you agree ? ?? :P



Mounted to the car before painting - sort of gold annodized looking parts -



here they are removed from the car , ready for clean up -



freshly painted with Rust Converter ( rustoleum brand ) [ dries flat black ]



and now bolted back to the car.
( FYI - did passenger side also, if you were wondering ! )
Fastfocusguy SEP 28, 01:15 AM
ah, but this evening time was on my side.
Time to Re-Bond the inner and outer skins that make up the trunk lid ( hood )
They were bonded originally with PL premium construction adhesive -
All was well for 18 months, then delamination began
So, THIS time I purchased the GOOD stuff !
West Sytems Six 10 Thickened Epoxy ! expensive, but NASA approved ( JK )



outer skin, glue-side facing up - - -



inner skin, glue-side facing up - - -



D. A. Sander with 80 grit paper. had to sand off remains of the old PL glop,
and make sure I created a good surface for the new epoxy to bond to - - -



two tubes of Six10 and a zillion spring clamps later ! ! !





Now I just have to wait for a day or so. Normally this material cures faster,
but we are having a chilly fall season here, and the cool temperature is
going to slow down the curing process a bit. Tomorrow afternoon we are
supposed to get some Sunshine, and the garage should warm up,
finishing up the curing process by supper time, I hope !

Fastfocusguy OCT 01, 08:21 PM
Finally took the clamps off today !
Seems to be one monolithic structure now !
I also got lucky with my power sanders,
as now the two skins fit together much better
than previously! No gap at all in many areas,
and very small gaps in a few spots,
easily filled with a mix of epoxy and micro-balloons!
Fastfocusguy OCT 06, 02:25 PM
Busy week, so I only had time to do a few more detail parts.
I chose the Ventilation Fan and the little resistor pack that gives it different speeds !
Fastfocusguy OCT 14, 10:23 PM
News Flash! I have figured out what to do with that gaping hole in the rear end of my Pantero !

The Pantera had its A/C condenser mounted in back, right below the license plate holder,
which is how the gaping hole came to be there. It has a nice factory grill mesh over it, even.

But my Pantero does not have the evil power-robbing A/C system any more. so, no A/C
condenser to deal with.

So my brilliant idea is : Why not put a nice aftermarket engine Oil-Cooler in that same opening !

Use a sandwich style adapter, WITH the built in thermostat, so oil will never Over-Cool -

And use an in-line thermo-switch on the outlet of the cooler to activate the electric booster fan,
in case I am stuck in Los Angeles Rush Hour Traffic !

We all know our mid-engined cars tend to run hot, especially in stop n go traffic.

So, surely it must be a wise move to give my "big block" ( J K ) 3.4 Liter engine a bit of extra cooling !

At this point my only 'boggle' is how to route these two oil lines from the oil filter area, back to the
rear mounted cooler in such a way that they don't get cut, pinched, kinked, or otherwise mangled in
the normal course of driving around. And also NOT get Toasted by any exhaust pipes !

Perhaps it will be best to run two 'conduits' through the rear trunk, welded to the trunk metal at each end,
and then pass the oil lines through the conduits ? ? ?

Something for you engine swap guys to chime in on, perhaps ? All ideas are welcome !
Fastfocusguy OCT 19, 06:54 PM
Here are the home-made mounting brackets for the new oil cooler kit ( see next post )

Once the primer has dried, they will get the same Ford Red Engine Paint as the other parts you have seen !





[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 10-19-2012).]

Fastfocusguy OCT 19, 06:56 PM
The Cooler Kit is here ! ( Sounds of celebration taking place in background )
Here are a few pictures showing all the goodies that came with the kit -
The adapter has a built in thermostat, so oil only goes to cooler when it gets over 185 degrees F.
Fastfocusguy OCT 24, 10:34 PM
oil cooler - part 2

Once primer dried, then the obligatory Ford Red engine paint is applied -



so here is a close up shot of how the mounts fit on the moulding of the cooler -




and an overall view of the mounts on the cooler. Sticky back felt lines the slots for padding -




Next I used my cardboard to make a preliminary version of my Fan shroud.
This is sized for a 7 inch fan, as the cooler is just a fuzz over 7 inches "tall"



and here is the fan I have ordered for this mission -




Next, to contol said fan, I am using a thermostatic switch. Goes on at 185 degrees,
and off at 170 degrees. Will be mounted in the line returning from the cooler,
so that Fan will only run if the cooler alone is not doing the job with ambient air flow -




I also had to solder on a ground lug, since the thermo switch has no dedicated ground lug of its own -




The sandwich adapter has its own internal thermostat, so oil only goes to cooler when hot enough -
Naturally, it also got a few coats of Ford Red engine enamel, for Corrosion Prevention, you see !



smooth side goes towards oil filter, O-ring groove mates up with engine block surface ( instead of filter itself ) -



Next Post we will 'blast' a hole in the rear body clip for this cooler, so stay tuned, Pantero Fans ! ! !

[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 10-24-2012).]