Fitting the Mendeola Transaxle

Here's an interesting idea I've pursued lately.  I'm looking into putting a Mendeola SDR5 into the Pantera.  It's a transaxle developed specifically for the kit car world, and it is similar in size to the ZF but slightly longer.  It weighs 14 lbs more than the ZF in full dress at 168 lbs with bellhousing, but that includes slave cylinder, etc. In all, it might be 10 lbs heavier.

http://www.mendeolapowertrain.com/transaxles.html

September 2014 Utah Pantera Meet at Station Park Cruise-in

We had four Panteras at the Cruise-in Night, September 11, 2014.   Panteras pictured below, from left to right belong to Rex Marshall, Doug Reynolds, Rich Papworth, and Ron Mitchell.

Rebuilding Clutch Slave/Master Cylinders

I've been working on rebuilding the clutch and slave cylinder.  Most people don't bother rebuilding for a number of reasons:
1.  Rebuild kit availability isn't great.  There used to be a greater supply of seals but not lately.
2.  Pitting in the bores from corrosion is a major cause of seal destruction.  The cylinders are cast iron and rust easily when brake fluid is left for a long time and moisture is present.  It doesn't help that the master cylinder is vented to the atmosphere, allowing moisture to get into the fluid.
3.  There are cheap replica master cylinders and slave cylinders on the market.  I wouldn't call the master cylinders reproduction since the "Benditalia" raised lettering is replaced with "DeTomaso" and the pistons differ significantly.  Unfortunately, these units are notorious for failing prematurely.
4.  Actual replacement master cylinders are available from Italy, at a price that isn't too bad.
5.  Stainless steel versions of the slave cylinder are available but are expensive.

Updates

I have been working on the Pantera but failed to post.  I finished the half-shafts, finally.  I'm going to wait to grease them to keep them nice and pretty looking.  I love the natural cadmium plated finish.

I also bought a fuel tank fitting from Pantera Performance Center.  Dennis and Adam have been around a while and figured out how to do things.  I searched for a fuel tank fitting suitable for the Pantera and found a few, but Dennis and Adam have a fitting that they use. It has an integral sealing washer and the nut & sealing washer spin differently than the body, making assembly and positioning a snap.

I've also finished rebuilding the seat tracks with cad-plated tracks and new plastic roller wheels.  The tracks are awesome but don't slide as well as I thought they would.  I think once I put the seats on and put them in the car, they should slide just fine.  I've started rebuilding a clutch slave cylinder and will post pictures and seal part numbers once I get it finished.  The slave cylinder bore was pitted and rusty so I honed the inside of it with a brake cylinder hone.  If the rebuild doesn't work well, I'm only out $20. 

Nancy's Pantera

I ran into Nancy in Idaho while on vacation over the weekend.  Nancy's husband passed away some time ago but Nancy is still driving their Pantera!

Shift Knob and Clutch Master Bracket

Here's an interesting shift knob I was able to pick up for not a lot of money.  I hope my hand doesn't burn from touching it when the sun is shining.  I tried out a similar knob in a friend's car and liked it.

I also found a used Hall Pantera black anodized clutch slave mount through the POCA email forum.  I bought it for a reasonable amount, but I wasn't satisfied with the spring return bracket.  The bracket was made of mild steel and powder coated, but the coating was worn off in places and the steel underneath was rusting.  I knew that Mark Johnson with IPSCO sells a similar bracket in stainless steel, so I gave Mark a call.  It turns out that the bracket dimensions were really close, and Mark was willing to sell me just the bracket.  I re-tapped the threads for the screws provided.