1980 Panther Lima restoration project

Hello Everyone,

My name is Alfonso from Houston Tx and i am currently restoring a 1980 Panther Lima, based on the 2.3L, 4spd, Vauxhall Viva/Magnum floorpan and drive train.

So i wanted to start a project thread so that i can document my progress and get any help or tips i can get from you guys as i work along.
I have a Youtube channel (19charger74) where i have been making videos of the progress.

https://www.youtube.com/user/19charger74/videos?view=0


I hope to be posting more videos soon so stay tuned and follow me on my journey.
here is the latest video i did where i have already removed the body from the car and im now starting to dissassemble the front suspension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShQ7MpXtkV8

That's a very neat car you're working on. An interesting mix of parts as well. Good luck, and we'll help any way we can.

Alfonso, hi welcome! I think we have chatted briefly on the Vauxhall Viva boards as well. I am in Toronto and have the only Viva GT on the forum and one of 2 (that I know of) in Canada. To my knowledge they never brought the GT into the USA so you are looking for unbelievably rare parts! If you rummage around the Vauxhall boards a bit you might <might> find some alternatives. I seem to recall that some are using a Volvo rear axle and I know some here are using RX7 rear ends for their cars. Good luck! and if I can help, PM me or post. I also have pretty much all the manuals so if you need me to scan anything I am happy to, though they aren't so hard too find on ebay either.

drooartz said:

That's a very neat car you're working on. An interesting mix of parts as well. Good luck, and we'll help any way we can.

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Thanks Drew i cant wait to drive this car. Yes it is one big mix of parts. i have good luck so far searching and happen to find compatible parts with British cars that were more readibly available here in the states.

JPSmit said:

Alfonso, hi welcome! I think we have chatted briefly on the Vauxhall Viva boards as well. I am in Toronto and have the only Viva GT on the forum and one of 2 (that I know of) in Canada. To my knowledge they never brought the GT into the USA so you are looking for unbelievably rare parts! If you rummage around the Vauxhall boards a bit you might <might> find some alternatives. I seem to recall that some are using a Volvo rear axle and I know some here are using RX7 rear ends for their cars. Good luck! and if I can help, PM me or post. I also have pretty much all the manuals so if you need me to scan anything I am happy to, though they aren't so hard too find on ebay either.

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Hi John i remember you from the Vauxhall forum. So i guess your car is even more rare than The Panther Lima here on this side of the pond and you must know how hard adn frustration it is to find parts here on this side.

This is some good info to know about the rear ends, i will have to look into it. I at one point thought of using a Mazda Miata rear end but maybe in the future. Well from what i have researched Jensen Healey, more readily available in the US, alos used Vauxhall drivetrain and that the rearend from the Jensen will work with slight modification of lengths of the driveshaft and upper control arms. So currently im trying to hunt one down here in Texas if possible.

and thank you for offering to scan the manuals. If i need some info off of them i will let you know

Thanks Alfonso

I wanted to post this information in case anyone is searching:

This information will pertain to Jensen Healey & Panther Lima owners both based off of some of the Vauxhall Viva/ Magnum drivetrain components, in this case the rearend / rearaxle. This information was provided by a fellow member over at the Vauxhall Viva forum after looking at my Youtube video of me comparing the two rearends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FekqkY7aGlA

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To assist you have a
good look at your diff casting, if its a magnum axle the ratio will be
identified by a letter stamped on the pinion housing (hard to find but worth
spending time looking)

on the top for OHC engines, bottom for OHV
engine

A - 3.88:1
B - 4.125:1
D - 3.45:1
K - 3.727:1
None -
4.24:1
(some are not stamped and these are OHV axles )

Apart from
some slight differences in brakes and handbrake the axles are a straight swap
for each other, bar two items

1/. Prop length some axles have longer
pinions that others.

2/. The two inner trailing arms, on the OHC axles
these are shorter, due the higher position of the two rubber mounts on the diff
casting (its easy to shorten the longer ones but harder to lengthen shorter ones)

Easiest method I know is to look at the diff cover, the OHV ones are
dome shaped the OHC ones have a pressing to make room for the diff unit.


Looking at your video/images I can see the clean looking axle on the bench is
a OHC axle, and the rusty one is an OHV axle.

Sounds like using the Healy
one will work, other than the two issues mentioned above, but the performance
will fall right off due to ratio change, although its top speed and MPG will
improve. The 5-sp Jensen cars have a 3.45:1 ratio while the 4sp cars have a
3.73:1, the OHV engine vivas came with 4.24:1"

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for you guys wondering what a Panther Lima is here is a pic of the one im restoring









and where im at now. i have removed the interior, body, and now im working on removing the engine/trans and subframe.







and one day we hope it will look like this..

Nice! but why would you want it to look like a yellow 2CV? :wink-new:

seriously one of the better shapes out there - especially the grille! BTW as I said earlier I do have a spare HB axle but I think it would be too light.

Here's a 1979 Panther Turbo Lima in southern Alberta, the one here is in beautiful condition!



All the best with your restoration, is that how you purchased the car? In that condition...

JPSmit said:

Nice! but why would you want it to look like a yellow 2CV? :wink-new:

seriously one of the better shapes out there - especially the grille! BTW as I said earlier I do have a spare HB axle but I think it would be too light.

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lol yeah i dont think the yellow would work unless it was the Turbo version. And thanks for the offer on the axle John i appreciate it, though you are a tad far from where i am but if all else fails i might need to go visit canada for vacation lol.

Sherlock said:

Here's a 1979 Panther Turbo Lima in southern Alberta, the one here is in beautiful condition!

All the best with your restoration, is that how you purchased the car? In that condition...

Click to expand...

Sherlock, now That is one beautiful turbo version ... No the car wasnt anywhere near the condition the turbo is in the picture. The condition was pretty much what you see on the first pic. The paint was rough with cracks, bad repairs, cheap single stage paint, the floor pan needs to be replaced because it is rusted through in some spots, alot of rust repair for the frame. The car was neglected for many years ... but i hope to restore to at least what that turbo looks like.

so we continue with the disassembly of the Lima. I removed the exhaust system, the steering wheel and shafts. i power washed off all of the dirt, grease and grime off of the shafts and rack and pinion so that i can store them away. now all that is left is to remove 4 bolts to drop the subframe and the bolts on the transmission crossmember and we can get onto repairing the frame.

Here is the latest vid of the updates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilQfC2R7Z-M

Alfonso