by Larry Finch, posted to the DeTomaso Forum on June 17, 2003

The following maintenance should also be the first order of business for any new Pantera owner.

Add an emergency front hood release cable.

Make sure your engine oil dipstick is the correct length. Early cars showed "Full" but were actually a quart low.

Add Zerk grease fittings to your ball joints.

Replace stock ceramic/aluminum-strip fuses with GBC glass fuses and clean all fuse holders.

Make sure throttle linkage has two return springs.

Make sure water temp sender is moved from surge tank to engine block.

Change ZF gear oil.

Change brake fluid.

Change clutch fluid.

Make sure distributor gear shear pin is upgraded to stock pin with a second smaller pin inside for added strength.

Drill drain holes in rust prone areas, if not already done on your car.

Remove stock spring spacers if they are still there after thirty years.

Make sure cooling system has all air bubbles removed.

Re-route overflow tank vent hose to exit behind rear wheel.

Add two heater hose shut-off valves to assist the A/C in actually cooling the cabin.

Buy a fire extinguisher