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Pantera hatch panel for 300ZX?


Trevor

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I was sorting through some stuff out in the garage and found a box of my daughter's old toys. She has the Barbie dream car Ferrari 308 from the late 80's, can you tell we're related? I picked it up and noticed the angular profile, the slant nose. Sr. 'Pinin' Farina go it just right. Then I looked out in the driveway at my '84 300ZXT. Inspired ~ I held the toy car up at the same angle and thought the 1st gen 300ZX would look pretty cool with the Pantera/Ferrari treatment in place of the rear hatch. Anything would look beter than those Federal mandate, Pinto-inspired tail lights.

 

I have seen the fiberglass panel that Arizona Z used to sell for S30 & S130 bodies, has anyone seen a 84-89 300ZX done the same way? With (or without) those long, triangular rear windows it would give it a unique style. And a cooler interior in the summer time.

 

One thing that bothered be about the S30 kit is this tiny rear window.

 

pantdk.jpg

 

Maybe it's no smaller than a hatch window in perspective. I understand why it was designed like that - because the entire panel had to be narrow enough to fit in the width of the stock hatch, even though the car is wider across the belt line than at the hatch hinge. So I took another look at the miniature Ferrari in my hands.... And at the Z......Also the Ferrari window slants back at the bottom, not forward. The 1st gen Z has those small rear windows, so the back glass was slanted at an angle to match and not block them. Hmmm, a mold without that undercut would be much easier to make and use.

 

Well, to sleep, perchance to dream.

 

Cheaper and more effective than any therapist.

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Something would have to be done with the rear side windows on a Z31. Dark tinting at the very least. A novel idea, it would be the only I've ever seen.

 

This is one of those body mods that I think would actually be easier done in steel than fiberglass. One sheet with two bends. Any sheetmetal shop could do it for you once you get the dimensions right. Remove the hatch glass, cut out the window openning larger father down and weld in the new piece. Bend up a flang for the new window and pop it in with a genaric window gasket. Use laminate safety glass and any decent glass shop can cut you the shape you need and it will still be DOT legal and safe. Of course there would be the requisite grinding, finishing, and paint but all in all shouldn't be too bad.

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This is one of those body mods that I think would actually be easier done in steel than fiberglass. One sheet with two bends.

Rather than a permanent install, I am now thinking (read: daydreaming) about a remove-able panel. Not hinged, but something that could be un-bolted...... just thinking about trivia like access to tail lights, spare tire, the 3 nuts on top of the struts.... Yep, still could be either steel or fibreglas.

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You could just attach/bolt it on to where the stock hatch goes. Hey... get another hatch to take the window out of, and build off it for the "pantera/Ferarri" treatment. That way you could switch between the two easily. Like the late 80's Pulsar: it had a hatch that could be removed easily, and there was an option (aftermarket I guess..) that attached in the same place a the hatch, but kind of looked like a Pick up truck cap. Sort of turned the car into a two door staiton wagon... anyway, I wanted to do this to my 85 200SX, but sold the car before I could rip into it..

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280Zone, that's your white z? please, get one of these guys around here always talking about doing fiberglass or carbon fiber molds to mold that puppy! I'd KILL to have the pantera hatch. You are a lucky guy.

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