Half Shaft Rebuild Part III

I couldn't get the last two u-joints out, so I took it to a machine shop.  The machinist couldn't get the u-joints out either, so he cut them out with a torch.  It's now time to blast them, paint them or have them plated and re-assemble with new u-joints.

Here are the half shafts, laid out as they came apart.  My marks are easy to see but it's important to keep  the yoke sides together as they are balanced that way.

Interior Ideas

I have never really liked the two-pod dash style.  I traded some parts for a single pod dash that looks like this:

I have the vent inserts and two of the switches.  While I like the concept of the dash, blonde leather is not what I want, unless it could be used as an accent.  Also, the burlwood dash piece has too much of a glossy, plastic feel.  I think dash inserts are classic and needed in a Pantera interior.  It seems to break up the sea of black in the interior.  Most new vehicles don't have all-black interiors; car manufacturers usually include some form of trim piece that serves to break up the look.  Original early Panteras used chrome accents on gauges and other parts to break up the black look.

Taillight Lens Rehabilitation Part II

I work on my car here and there, mostly around 9:30 at night when the kids have gone to bed.  It occupies my time a little better than other things I tend to spend (waste) my time on.

I cleaned each lens with soap & water twice, then masked and painted the lens interior using rattle-can metallic paint.  One side has definitely turned out better than the other side, but both are acceptable.  I won't be showing off the interior of the housing, so who cares if I got a run or two?

One side painted with rattle-can metallic paint.  Should be good enough.

The next step of this restoration process is to investigate new connectors.  The old connectors are fine for a car that won't see much but sunshine, but I gave up on and sold the original wiring harness.  Maybe the choice of connectors will be another blog post.

That's it for now...