A GT40 MkII goes by

[Kirby Schrader]

A couple of weekends ago, I took my Pantera race car to TWS for a shakedown. It'd been sitting for about 3-4 years doing nothing prior to getting it and I've been trying to resurrect it... Lots of things to fix...
But even after that, three times prior at the track, I had to be towed in.
My ego can only stand so much, ya' know....

So I seemed to have fixed the 'just stopping for no reason' problem. Ran great for one session and then blew a head gasket in the second session. Well, at least I hope that's what it is... haven't got the heads off yet, but #4 likes to shoot water across my garage when doing a compression test.

A guy in an LS1 RX7 put some videos on YouTube.
The Pantera from his perspective.
Texas World Speedway PDS May 3, 2014 2014 Morning Session #1 - YouTube

Oh, yeah... about the GT40. When the Pantera broke, I was mad and went home and got the GT40. When I arrived back at that track and started to unload it, people were asking... so your backup car to the Pantera is a GT40? Wow....

So he put another video on YouTube.
Texas World Speedway May 4, 2014 chasing GT40 with overlay - YouTube

Yes, my lines suck, but I was having fun. I was hitting 170 at the end of the straight.

FWIW,
Kirby

 

[John]

Sweet!
I love Pantera's. Sorry to see you only have 2 of them. But the GT40 'backup' car helps make up for that.

I love seeing those cars on the track.
A bit off topic, but did I hear some talk about them closing TWS?

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Sweet!
I love Pantera's. Sorry to see you only have 2 of them. But the GT40 'backup' car helps make up for that.

I love seeing those cars on the track.
A bit off topic, but did I hear some talk about them closing TWS?

I've had a Pantera since 1983.
The red race only Pantera was never planned... My son-in-law said he wasn't using it, so go have fun! It's been quite an ordeal to revive it.

Yes, it's just a matter of time before Texas World Speedway disappears. The owner/developer has gotten approval to turn the area into a housing estate.

The word is that 2014 events are scheduled and good. 2015 remains in the air.

FWIW,
Kirby

 

[Dave]

I love the Pantera as well........wish I had one. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mike]

RX7 with an LS1? Pretty cool an "old" GT40 can get away from that!

 

[Ron R.]

Kirby,

Just curious, what are your motor's specs, and how long was that straight?

Trying to get an idea of what I can expect of my car.

 

[D. Nye]

Kirby,

It warms my heart to see a GT40 fly by a RX7 like you did. Pantera's are cool cars, hope you get it sorted soon.

Don

 

[David]

I heard TWS was going to be shutdown. This is a loss that can not be replaced. Nice cars. Hopefully I can check them out in person someday.

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Kirby,

Just curious, what are your motor's specs, and how long was that straight?

Motor is a 9.5" SVO iron block, B351 aluminum heads, 427ci, solid roller cam, TWM throttle bodies, Electromotive TEC3r ECU.
There are pictures of components and stuff on my website.
It dyno'd at 544HP.
ZF is straight out of a Pantera with a 4.22, but 5th gear is .642.

As far as the length of the straight... Well, it's not really a straight, but part of the big tri-oval. Probably about 1/2 a mile that you can accelerate on. We were running it 'backwards' to me... CW.
I'd never run TWS CW before. I'd always ran it CCW. Took a few laps to 'get it'.


FWIW,
Kirby

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Kirby,
It warms my heart to see a GT40 fly by a RX7 like you did. Pantera's are cool cars, hope you get it sorted soon.
Don

Thanks, Don.
My intention is to join Tom Upton with his Pantera with CVAR vintage racing. I am determined to have the Pantera going well for their September school event at TWS so I can get my racing license.

I have incentive, as they say.

Thanks again,
Kirby

 

[Jim Hutchinson]

Are you running studs or bolts in the heads? I chased an intermittent head gasket issue in a Cleveland that turned out to be one of the head bolts bottoming out, giving me a false torque reading. Took me many sets of gaskets before I figured it out.

 

[Kirby Schrader]

I heard TWS was going to be shutdown. This is a loss that can not be replaced. Nice cars. Hopefully I can check them out in person someday.

If you're in Hempstead, you can't be more than an hour away, methinks.
My address is 6902 Windcrest Estates Ct, Magnolia 77354.
I'll be home all weekend mowing grass, cleaning the yard and working on cars.
:laugh:

Regards,
Kirby

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Are you running studs or bolts in the heads? I chased an intermittent head gasket issue in a Cleveland that turned out to be one of the head bolts bottoming out, giving me a false torque reading. Took me many sets of gaskets before I figured it out.

It has studs, as far as I know. I actually know far too little about the car, but as I fix things, I'm learning.
It's a 9.5" SVO iron block, just like my GT40, but the Pantera has A3 heads on it. What I do know is that it is 431ci (definitely not vintage legal!), dyno'd at 705HP and has to run 110 octane.
I know it's cylinder #4, but details and how bad it is will have to wait until this weekend when I pull the heads and see....
When it goes, it really goes and it is a handful.

Thanks for the reply,
Kirby

 

[David]

If you're in Hempstead, you can't be more than an hour away, methinks.
My address is 6902 Windcrest Estates Ct, Magnolia 77354.
I'll be home all weekend mowing grass, cleaning the yard and working on cars.
:laugh:

Regards,
Kirby

I'll be passing thru on a fun run today. I'll be by in the afternoon. Thanks, David

 

[David]

Enjoyed the visit. Nice cars. David

 

[Ron McCall]

Kirby,

If the motor is toast in the Pantera, let me know . I might have something that will work perfectly for you!!!


Ron

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Enjoyed the visit. Nice cars. David

Nice meeting you!

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Kirby,

If the motor is toast in the Pantera, let me know . I might have something that will work perfectly for you!!!
Ron

I got the right head off this weekend and the head gasket had gone. Everything looks good, so I'm going to pull the other one, put new gaskets on and put it back together.

Why did it fail? Don't know...

FWIW,
Kirby

 

[Jack Houpe]

Is this the KC motor?

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Is this the KC motor?

Nope, this is the race car motor that got hot at TWS weeks ago. I had done a compression check and #4 was getting water in it. I finally got around to pulling the head and the gasket had let go.
It was built by Leonard Vascholtz in Colorado over 10 years ago. I actually know very little about it... What I do know.
It dyno'd at 705HP and is 431ci.
Iron SVO 9.5" block with aluminum C3 heads. Solid flat tappet cam, shaft rockers. Uses 110 gas.

The KC motor is in my silver Pantera.