- - - 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).]
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).]
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 ! )
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 !
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!
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 !
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.
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).]
Hmm - a few cob-webs under the old chassis I see !
but first, here is the adapter being test fitted to the filter - Kit comes with 5 or 6 threaded sleeves, and installer has to select correct one who knew filters have so many different thread options !
then it was time to grab the torque wrench and the creeper and figure out how we want to orient the hose connections. All threaded fittings were given the teflon tape pipe thread seal treatment, BTW.
drat - the hose supplied in the kit is only long enough to make one run, not both. Guess I will have to stop by the auto parts store this week - :S
Ok - ordered an additional length of oil hose ( golly, that stuff is NOT cheap ! ) Will pick that up from O'Reilly's to morrow - In the mean time I am trying to re-design my cooling fan mount The eBay seller sent a fan which RESEMBLES the one in their listing, but the one I received has many fewer mounting points, and is NOT a 7 inch fan, but is in fact an Eight and one quarter inch Fan ! ( Insert your favorite expletive here ) But at least it IS the pretty red color, so it will coordinate with my all red & black color scheme !
Temporary Topic Shift ! I have been sanding and priming and resanding and painting my new / used center console and finally tonight I test fitted the gauges into it to see how it will look ! Sweeeeeeet !!
so here is the part as I purchased it on eBay -
and then after much sanding and priming and sanding and painting with Duplicolor Trim Black -
an now this evening with the four Veglia Gauges installed for a photo shoot !
now all I need is the rocker switches which fill all those rectangular holes !
Next I have been wrestling with the issue of how to drive the vintage Veglia Oil pressure gauge, and the old school "low oil pressure" red light, and still retain the "fuel pump on" feature of the stock Fiero Sender - ( Please see my thread on this subject in the technical questions page for the gory details ! )
so, here is what I have ended up doing :
here is a wide angle shot so you can see the entire flexy hose ( 5k psi max pressure !
This way I have the veglia sender for the gauge, the little 6 psi switch for the red idiot light and still have the fiero sender connected to the factory fiero harness.
the flex line will let me mount this sender-pack to a bracket bolted to the fiero frame, since the flex line will allow for engine movement.
So the next logical issue to tackle was the Veglia Pantera Temperature gauge - While looking for the various senders and sensors on my engine, using color codes in Haynes manual, I finally gave up and asked the other members for help ( See my thread in the technical questions section for the exciting details ) Turns out my temp switch for the cooling fans was broken, and the sensor which feeds the ECM was damaged , as was its wiring connector. It was also determined that the fiero sender for the fiero gauge and light could be eliminated, and that port used to drive the Veglia Pantera gauge. Finding a sender that would match the requirements of the 40 year old Veglia gauge turned out to be a Hideously time consuming and frustrating job. But the good news is that I have tested the sensor that seemed to be the best electrical "fit" with a pot of water on my stove and a meat thermometer, and it is deffinitely "close enough for government work" ! So here are a couple pix showing the new sensors/senders I bought this week to solve the above issues !
Meanwhile, back to that rear mounted oil cooler and the eBay fan that turned out to be 8 inches, not 7 !
So I had to re-design my fan mounts. But I am very pleased with what I came up with - The vertical studs are #8 bolts, and I simply tapped the holes in the four Tabs, screwed the bolts in from the bottom with a dollop of Red Locktite to make them Permanent.
top view and two from angles for better perspective - - -
and now we fit the fan mounting lugs down over the #8 studs, and Viola' ! Instant cooling fan ! Four washers and four lock-nuts will secure the fan to the tabs -
notice the 30 amp relay to control the fan !
the thermo-switch kicks the fan on at 185 degrees F. and will be located on the outlet port of the cooler, so wires will be short and simple ( other than the two "Hot" wires coming from up front )
[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 11-04-2012).]
Hmmm - a valid point my friend! Perhaps a rubber seal of some sort is in order here.
I did look at mounting the fan directly to the cooler core, but was concerned vibration from the fan would cause the edges of the shroud / housing to slowly 'chew' into the somewhat delicate fins of the cooler over time -
Also, since the cooler is mounted in the Rear of the car, I am toying with the notion that the fan should be PUSHING air through the cooler , since it is technically in front of the cooler core.
an engineer friend of mine and I had a long and lively debate on this subject last week !
These are the things that keep me awake at night ! :S
[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 11-06-2012).]
Looks like you're doing a great job. I'd like to point out one thing that might interest you. A number of years ago I installed an oil cooler in my 308 replica that looked just like the one you have pictured. After about two years one of the inlet pipes fatigue failed, which then sprayed engine oil onto my exhaust system and caught fire. I would have lost the entire car if it weren't for the fact that the fire dept was in the vicinity when it happened. It still caused over $16K in damage. I can look up the manufacturer of the one I bought if it interests you, but the point I wanted to make is that you should make sure you mount the cooler in such a way that you can inspect it on a semi-regular basis.
Thank you for the 'heads up', Bloozberry! The brand name of my cooler kit is Derale. ( hoping yours was not ) Either way, You have given me three excellent ideas ! 1. - Have a good quality Automotive Fire Extinguisher mounted in the cockpit in an easy to reach location! 2. - Add some mounting points close to the cooler inlet & outlet where the hose assembly will be clamped and supported.
In theory if I support the hoses well enough, that will drastically reduce the movement, and in turn, minimize fatigue of the pipes where the enter the cooler. 3. - Have an easy to remove "hatch cover" over the cooler area for "pre-flight inspection" as well as Fast and Easy access if said fire extinguisher is ever needed !
For what it is worth, my cooler sort of " Floats " in the mounting blocks since the notches in said blocks are lined with felt so that free floating will also hopefully help minimize stresses on the inlet and outlet pipes - I hope !
:S
------------------ Love my Fiero-Pantera !!
[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 11-07-2012).]
I did my testing last night with a regulator and air hose connected to the package in the photo above, and then wired the Napa sender to the Veglia gauge. Napa part number is OP6091 ( brand is ECH ) Mixed results I guess -
From zero to ten psi the sender remains an open circuit, so no gauge reading until 10 psi is achieved. ( goofy )
but -
when the Pantera Gauge showed 17.5 psi, the mechanical air gauge on my regulator was showing 15 psi when the Pantera Gauge showed 35.0 psi, the mechanical air gauge on my regulator was showing 30 psi when the Pantera Gauge showed 52.5 psi, the mechanical air gauge on my regulator was showing 58 psi when the Pantera Gauge showed 70.0 psi, the mechanical air gauge on my regulator was showing 94 psi
all readings relative, since the mechanical gauge is probably not super accurate either ! ! !
But as long as I am aware of these limitations, then I can decipher my gauge fairly well and I will have my trusty red idiot light to back it up, and best of all, my Vintage Antique Pantera Gauge will be functional !
Okay - we had a few warm days last month, and some progress was made !
first I welded the two long threaded studs to my little home-made mounting bracket - - - -
Then the oil senders "package" and the new bracket were bolted into the Car !
next I need to 'extend' the wiring harness so the connector for the Fiero oil sender will be long enough to reach its new location!
Then I will need to make up wiring harness from scratch to connect the two Pantera senders to the dashboard quadrant -
But once the sender pack was properly connected to the oil tube, I was able to fire her up and check for oil leaks since the cooler connections, sandwich adapter, and pressure sender plumbing is all new, there were a few moments of tension when I first cranked her up.
but the Force was with us, and no drips were detected from any of the new connections !!
Anyone know where OPM2000 is gotten off to ? He does not reply to email , nor will he answer his telephone ? I need to get my dashboard and center console from him, but can not reach him. Blackrams, have you any info to share ? ? ? I have also tried his email but it comes back as undeliverable ?!?! Any recommendations or suggestions ?
[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 01-21-2014).]
I am also re upholstering my fiero seats with leathers from Mr. Mikes ! black bolsters, with red insterts to match planned paint job ! The new covers also have the De Tomaso Isis logo embroidered into them, right about where my shoulder blades touch the seat.
[This message has been edited by Fastfocusguy (edited 02-18-2014).]
Fastfocusguy. I have a few questions. I hope you don't take the wrong way. I love what you are doing. I had a choice one time to buy a brand new Pantera or a new 900Z1 Kawasaki, a Gt 500 67 Mustang Shelby, and a kick high end custom stereo with Sansui speakers. I sidewas 19. The later 3 won out for less money. No real regrets except the Shelby is gone. . Anyway just a few questions. Since the fiero is not a wide as the pantera, when you follow the fairly flat side body panels why did you not flair the wheels wells innthe beginning? Are you planning that upgrade to your future builds offered. Also I was wondering why you didn't use plastic for you oil radiator mounting blocks as the wood ones won't last long and will be sloppy soon? They can print these now out of good materials. Don't think they would cost much. Again man great idea. I love the looks of that car.
Originally posted by Diamond Dave: Also I was wondering why you didn't use plastic for you oil radiator mounting blocks as the wood ones won't last long and will be sloppy soon? They can print these now out of good materials. Don't think they would cost much. Again man great idea. I love the looks of that car.
I had emailed him some time ago in regards to the same thing. I had suggested using King Starboard, as it is pretty easy to work with using normal wood working tools. I pointed him to a guy on eBay (Acesany - Cesany Plastics) who sells it in smaller sections up to 1.5" thick and in various colors (including Red, IIRC) Jay
I simply typed in "Pantera vs fiero" and I see this thread come up. I am starting to fall in love with the pantera and wonder were the similarities between these two are. Is it even possible to mount a pantera engine into the fiero? I imagine you wouldn't want to because of the gas mileage but who care's about that right?
[This message has been edited by zzzhuh (edited 07-06-2014).]
I simply typed in "Pantera vs fiero" and I see this thread come up. I am starting to fall in love with the pantera and wonder were the similarities between these two are. Is it even possible to mount a pantera engine into the fiero? I imagine you wouldn't want to because of the gas mileage but who care's about that right?
Pantera used a ford 351 transverse to a ZF trans. Many other engines I would prefer,
------------------
87GTseries 1 3800sc (7.597 @88.53 1.579 60ft) (series II swap in progress) 85GT Northstar/ 4t80e 86GT 3800 n/a---sold Northstar Rebuild
Pretty sure the Pantera motor was longitudinal, behind the driver's seats.
i stated that wrong no idea why, you are correct. the ZF is longitude trans, the engine is a ford 351c There is a Gt5 replica with molds for sale located in Nashville. It was on ebay for a bit.
Diamond Dave : The manufacturer did not offer the body kit with fender flares, so I just bought a set of fiberglass flares from Hall Pantera ! They fit perfectly on the kit body panels ! ! Will post photos soon ! ! I may upgrade the oil cooler mounts to some sort of plastic material at some point. I work in wood a lot, and since the car is and will be garaged, and only driven in nice weather, the wood will last a while ( since I did seal it rather thoroughly ! )
Sad to hear that Dave in Kentucky has lost interest in the Pantero business
Wish I had the cash to buy up the molds and run the business here ! :P
is Dave in Kentucky where the GT5 replica come from? it would make a great project., Last time i seen it on-line the frame body and molds were around $7k....without zf trans or engine..
News Update for those of you still following my build ! My apologies for little news and no photos lately - working on getting back on line SOON ! In the mean time I am busy building the center console assemblies, and mating up the Pantera Dashboard to the front portion of the Fiero Dashboard ! tons of fun ! and frustration ! haha Reupholstered seats look great in red and black leather from Mr. Mikes !! new carpet from Fierostore looks fantastic, too ! starting to look good in there ! Will keep you posted !
Good News! My internet is supposed to be back up and running by mid March ! Yahoo ! So I can soon resume posting photos, and get you all caught up with progress ! Have made huge progress on Dash and center console, and other interior trim ! Naturally lots of wiring with console and dash ! Multicolor spaghetti ! We are locked in arctic freeze, so only parts small enough to fit into my house and basement are getting worked on at the moment ! hehe More soon ! David
Ok - My home internet is up and running againg, as promised. So, now I can get busy and post pix showing what has been accomplished in the last 24 months, more or less ! hehehe Hope you enjoy ! Regards, David
I'd like to point out one thing that might interest you. A number of years ago I installed an oil cooler in my 308 replica that looked just like the one you have pictured. After about two years one of the inlet pipes fatigue failed, which then sprayed engine oil onto my exhaust system and caught fire. I would have lost the entire car if it weren't for the fact that the fire dept was in the vicinity when it happened. It still caused over $16K in damage. I can look up the manufacturer of the one I bought if it interests you, but the point I wanted to make is that you should make sure you mount the cooler in such a way that you can inspect it on a semi-regular basis.
