Pantera East Koni Coilover System
By
Mike Dailey
After this picture was taken I lowered the front another 1/4".
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When
I rebuilt my suspension in 2000 I found some slightly used
OEM type Koini orange shocks to replace my original shocks and they gave the car a pretty nice ride.
They were installed without the spring spacers, but after a few years I
wanted
to lower the Pantera a little more and new Koni yellows would do that.
I
wanted to buy the
new system
from one of our Pantera parts vendors
so I could take advantage of their experience on what works best for my
Pantera. Pantera
East had exactly what I was looking for with a turn-key high
quality name
brand Koni coilover
setup that are pre-adjusted for the
ride height and the
rebound
setting.
They are sold ready to bolt in with everything you need to install them
including high quality, springs,
spring hardware, spherical ends, end spacers, bumper, etc.
The shocks are the high quality Koni 30 Series that are designed for
racing applications and are fitted with your choice of the well known quality
Hyperco springs.
I went for 450# springs on the front and 550# on the back. Other springs rates are
available.
The
overall length of the Koni 30 Series is slightly shorter than the OEM Koni but
that’s not relevant because the body
length of the shock from the top of
the body to the center of the lower mount is almost identical to the original
OEM Konis. The distance from
the bottom of the bumper to the center of the top mount is also identical to
the OEM Koni.
I
Installing
The Front
On
my car,
the anti-sway bar mount on the A arm is easiest to remove with the suspension
loaded so I removed the mounts on both sides before jacking up the
front and putting it on jack stands.
Disconnecting the anti-sway bar from the A arms will allow the A arms
to be lowered so the old shocks can be removed.
After
removing the wheel, the retaining bolts
were removed from the top and bottom shock mounts.
I kept the lower one in place until I removed the other bolt in the
lower ball joint. I then pushed
the lower A arm down while supporting it with a jack.
The lower ball joint pivoted on the shock bolt.
I removed the bolt and lifted the shock up and out behind the lower A
arm and beside the brake caliper.
Removing the
shock by way of the lower A arm does not change the alignment.
My
car being a 71, has a large radius
mount for the upper end of the shock
and I had to cut a small notch in the mount for clearance with my Dremel-Tool
and a cut-off disk. I think the
mount was smaller starting in the 72 cars and they should not require cutting
a
notch.
Before
installing the shock assembly I installed wire ties on the top of the shock in
the holes provided on
each side. The wire ties keep the
spring positioned in the upper perch so when the car is jacked up the spring
cannot get out of the perch and get caught under the perch edge. I
lowered the lower spring mount
two
turns
before installing the shocks.
When you make this adjustment It is helpful
to put a piece
of masking tape on the threaded
tube to mark the position of the set screw in the spring perch. The threaded
tube is free to turn so the tape marks the reference point as you turn the
perch. This is especially helpful if you are adjusting them when they
are installed on the car. The load must be removed from the suspension
to make the adjustment and after the set screw is loosened you can turn them easily
with your hands .
The
new shock being smaller, is easy to install through the
opening from behind the lower A arm.
I attached the upper end first and bolted it in place.
The
lower end slides down in-between and
into the ball joint
mounting ears.
The shock end is a snug fit between the ears and must be aligned
perfectly for it to slide in. I
used the jack to lift the A arm and move the lower end of the shock in
position. I then attached the shock
with the shock bolt.
View
of the Koni assembly installed with the suspension loaded and the anti-sway
bar mount bolted in place.
After the new Konis are installed they can be easily removed by just be disconnecting the anti-sway bar end and unloading the suspension. No need to disconnect the lower A arm.
Installing
The Back
Side-by-side
view of the new and old back Koni coilover shock.
Unlike
the front,
the back coilovers do not need wire ties because the spring is held snugly
between the perches.
The
back anti-sway bar does not need to be disconnected to remove the old Konis.
I jacked the back of the car up, placed it on two jack stands and
removed the wheels. View of the
old shock with mounting bolts removed.
The
lower end of the shock can be pulled out and then moved to the front, pulled
down and out.
The
upper mounting tabs had to be cut to clear the upper shock perch.
The
upper end bolted in place. Note
the clearance provided by cutting the mount.
The
shock fully installed without load.
I
left the height adjustment on the back shocks as they came from Pantera
East.
This adjustment has the spring just snugly held between the perches.
The
before
and after view. Old OEM
Konis on the left and the
new Pantera
East Konis on the right.
Measured
from the top of the wheel arches,
the
car is about 3/4” lower in front and
back than it was with the
OEM Konis. Not
all Pantera springs are the same so your results may differ. The distance from the
pinch weld (just behind the front wheel well
)to the ground is
1/4” lower than
the
back of edge of
the pinch weld (measured just in front of the back wheel well) giving
the car a slight nose down rake.
The
ground clearance on bottom edge
of the front tow eye hooks is 3
1/2”
and the clearance at the de Tomaso logo plate on the back cross
member is 4
1/4”
The
lower back A arms are
almost parallel with
the ground.
In this image the fuel tank is full,
making the lift side slightly
lower.
The ride is a bit stiffer and more solid than the old OEM Koni coilovers and it feels wonderful. I'm going to let the springs settle in for a few weeks and then recheck the ride height. After I get the final height set I'll take it back to Grand Turismo East to have Jeff check the alignment.
If you lower the front you may need to modify the windshield wiper motor cover for more clearance.
Many thanks to the nice folks at Pantera East for helping me with my improved suspension.
Learn more about the Koni 30 Series on the Koni Racing website.
Ride Height and Wheel Size Information
|
Item |
Front |
Back |
| Dunlop SP Sport 8000 height 245/45ZR16 and 335/35ZR17. | 24.63" | 26.18" |
| Top of stock bumper to ground (published in 1972 Motor Magazine for a 1971 car) | 20" | 24.5" |
| Stock Koni shocks, without spring spacers. 245 and 335 tires. | 18.50" | 23.25" |
| Pantera East Yellow Koni system. 245 and 335 tires. | 17.75" | 22.37" |
| Nose down rake, measured at the bottom of rocker panel edge. | 1/2 | degree |