Ford V8 Autopsy From De Tomaso Pantera Is Painful To Watch

Engine teardowns are the best way to investigate what went wrong with a broken power plant. David of Hagerty got his hands on a Ford V8 from a De Tomaso Pantera engine to find out how it died at a relatively young age.

The De Tomaso Pantera may have an Italian heritage, but the revered sports car ran on American might, housing a 351 cubic-inch (5.8-liter) Ford Cleveland V8 that would also have been found in the Ford Mustang of the era.

This particular power unit was sourced from a 1972 Pantera, which had around 42,000 miles on the clock — relatively low for a fifty-decade-old car, but that does not mean it was safe from failing.

The teardown started with removing parts like the distributor and fuel pump to gain access to the valve assembly and intake manifold.

Upon removal of the valve cover, the rockers looked better than expected, but the cylinders appeared nasty and rusty.

From this point, David reckoned the main issue could be found in the block. After removing the cylinder heads, the head gaskets looked fine. With overheating as one of the most common causes of engine failures, it was surprising to see the gaskets were not blown.

David removed the oil pan so he could gain access to the crankshaft assembly. Once that was out, the pistons were hammered out of the cylinders. He found one piston with white corrosion, stroking through its cylinder with a ridged bore. He concluded it was the main culprit that locked up the engine.

While the cause of the piston corrosion wasn't mentioned in the video, it is believed that lead deposits could lead to these damages, especially when running lean. Lead was used in gasoline, particularly high-octane gas, until 1986, when it was banned entirely.

Rounding up the teardown project was the removal of the caps, crankshaft, and camshafts, as well as disassembling the cylinder head, which, by the way, had lots of nasty crud and rust.

According to David, the engine will be rebuilt and returned to the Pantera. When that day comes, the sports car will once again hit the road with its exquisite Italian aesthetics along with the roaring V8 sound, much like its contemporary successor, the De Tomaso P72, powered by Ford's Coyote V8.