1977 24-7 pantera restoration
 

hello all. as many of you already know, i've purchased a 1977 pantera 24 and have begun a major restoration project.

the boat is #2 made that year according to pepe. i bought it from the second owner who owned it for the better part of the last 33 years. the boat was a lake erie boat its whole life. the boat was originally a 350 chevy/volvo 280. the last owner repowered it with a chrysler 426 hemi. :eek: i plan on powering it with a big block chevy/bravo drive.

here are some pics of the progress so far:

pics of when i brought it home

pics of me taking it apart and assessing the situation. it's really solid as it was always stored inside. i found a bit of rot in the bulkhead between the engine compartment and fuel tank. i've cut the floor out to remove the fuel tank and found it to be corroded beyond saving. bummer but better to find it now than after i have it all back together.

i've decided to use a bravo drive and i'm almost done patching in the transom for the new gimble. the transom was solid so i cut out the layer of plywood and glass on the outside, leaving a 3 inch "lip" on the inside layer of plywood.

i'm using an epoxy resin.

inside the patched area. i had to patch the exhaust holes as well as they are not in the right spot for the new power.

i've just ordered more epoxy and i'll keep updating this thread a s i go.

have a good night all, rob. :coolcowboy:

Yeah! Keep the photos coming.

looking great!!!!! glad to see your making progress! KEEP THE PICS COMING

Sweet!

Looking good.

Looking good. We will have to get some Panteras together next summer around the islands. Hopefully mine is running right by then, LOL.

dale i will bring the beers!! i owe you a couple from cumberland!!! 8 more months til boating season!!!!!

i bought a bravo one drive, gimble, trim rams,trim pump and prop off evilbay. it has minimal hours on it. it's a 1.65:1 ratio. it should be here in a couple days. oh boy!

also, i just glassed in the inner transom tonight.

I think you will do great with the 1.65, will be interesting to see how much better it is than a 1.5 on your boat. The Volvo was a 1.61 right? I went through the same thing you are doing now several years ago with my 24 so i would be glad to give you some insight on my experience with drive heights etc..

hello. yes the volvo was a 1.61. i'm thinking 17 inches for the x dimension. is the 1.65 "better" than the 1.5? i thought it was just a matter of propping the setup to get me in the desired rpm range, regardless of drive ratio.

anything you can add would be greatly appreciated.

this is such a cool old boat i want to make sure i do it justice.

have a good night, rob.

I'll be watching...:drink:

8 Months, what are you talking about? I am thinking 5 and a half for the early bird at Kellys Island.:drink::drink::drink:

any updates?:evilb:

been working feverishly on the project.

i received the new drive system via truck freight last week. it looks really nice and fresh. it's a bravo 1 with a 1:65 ratio. it came complete with the gimble, inner plate, drive, prop, rams, trim pump assembly and hoses and the power steering unit.

i'm almost dome with glassing in the transom as i just have to do the final fairing. i used an epoxy/thickened epoxy system with alternating layers of mat and woven roving. it's super solid!

i've been blocking the whole boat with 120 grit and i've managed to get almost all of the original fiberglass roving bumps out. i will probably use a ve surfacing primer to get as lat a surface as possible. lots of hours to be spent here but overall it's in really solid shape.

i've found the original aluminum fuel tank to be porous and in need of replacement. looks like i'll be contacting florida marine tanks or someone of the sort soon.

i'm going to paint it this coming spring with ppg dcc concept. i've used the system before and i like how it works. it will be white on the top and bottom and jet black on the sides and the transom. i debated the merits of holding true to the original, all white, scheme but i really think it will be great looking with the black in the center and back.

i'm also considering a wooden deck in the cockpit area. teak planks, specifically. simple but nice. not sure about this one.

here are some pics of the transom glassing and the new drive:

more:

something else i've been wrestling with.....

am i making the "right" decision with the bravo conversion? my thoughts were that the bravo was able to be trimmed at speed and that the parts/aftermarket was better with the bravo. plus i'm partial to mercruiser as i have an old merc #1 on my little searay and i feel a bit of familiarity with the mercruiser stuff.

i know the volvo 280 is a strong and decent drive and i hope i'm not making a mistake in regards to originality by doing the bravo conversion.

Bravo will be the cheapest way to go w/ modern equipment, that i would feel confident in this setup.
If you wanted to use a transmission and get the COG forward a bit, then you could go w/ a Konrad setup, but that's more $, and you probably wont benefit, as your boat was a volvo, and not a TRS, to begin with.

your going the right way imo, the fact that you couldnt trim it at speed is reason enough

today is december 11th, 2011.

been sanding the transom flat for two weeks now. i've faired it out with west systems epoxy and 410 filler. the stuff works great but the cure time sucks!

i will be ordering a new fuel tank soon so i can reinstall the floor.

here are some pics of the faired out transom:

here's the original swim platform. i cleaned and oiled it and have it stored inside.

i've also decided to go with real k-planes and full external steering. i hope to reuse my original steering wheel on the new hydraulic helm. it's a three bolt teleflex design. does anyone know if it will fit up to a latham helm?

i really want to use the swim platform in my previous post so i'm going to have some "layout" work ahead of me on my transom. i think it will all jive from some preliminary measurements i've taken.

wishing for warmer weather as my building is not heated! :eek:

Most hydraulic helms are 6 bolt pattern. Dont think current wheel will work.
Transom looks nice!!

Yea I know the feeling on the warmer weather. I was out messing with mine and within 30 minutes my fingers were killing me. I think it is suppose to be like 16 here tonight.

where are you in ohio bigboat? i'm in lorain county.

here's a pic of my car hobby addiction. washed it up today:

A+
 

A+ work

Sweet car.

I am in Alexandria, 20-30 minutes east of Columbus. We boat out of East Harbor in Marblehead in the island area.

On Lake Erie

Vintage, were in lorain county? I'm in North Ridgeville

hey bobo. i'm in penfield township, just south of lagrange. 20 mins. from center ridge and rt.83.

we should hook up and talk boats this winter. :drink:

That would be great! My sister lives in Lagrange, her last name is Dill, big family to Lagrange!

update.....

just ordered a new tank from florida marine tanks. they built the original one so i'm sticking with what works. can't wait for warmer weather so i can get back to glass and body work.

i also had the front cleat rechromed, bought new stainless side vents and bought a new morse mt-3 remote control as mine was a bit too crusty.

i'll post some pics when i get the tank. they said about four weeks.

have a good night, rob.

back to work on the pantera as the weather has started to turn.

my florida marine tank is a couple weeks out. i talked to them today and i will have it by early april.

lots of "v'ing" out cracks and filling them back in right now. i have the transom ready for some surfacing primer.

spent some time in the bilge grinding and figuring out the best strategy for reassembly of the stringers and the rear bulkhead.

here's a few pics:

working feverishly on the 24. i've finished the fairing on the transom and shot it in a 2k surfacing primer. it's as flat as a sheet of glass.

i'm busy grinding glass in the bilge to make ready for new stringers and battery boxes. (i decided to remove the old boxes as there were signs of underlying rot)

the florida marine tank is due in at the end of the month.

here's some progress pics:

built the new stringers over the last few days. they are 11 ply birch plywood with a ve resin and matt center.

the engine cradle is a custom piece from the 426 hemi that was in the boat. i'm going to modify it to accept the bbc.

here's some pics:

a few more:

i used a scarf joint on the match line.

Wow....You have done a ton of work!! Nice.