The following lists some of the modifications with their benefits and problems in general with some specific Pantera info.

Move seat track The tracks/rails under the seat on can be pushed back which gives more leg room. This is one of the easiest modification to make. However, depending on the design, the bolts may have to be moved back as well which means that new holes would have to be drilled and the carpet cut. On true two seat sports cars, especially mid-engine cars, there is not much room to move the tracks back, so this is not an option on the Pantera.

Lower seat track The seat tracks can be cut down which gives more head room and still allows the seat to move on the track. See the Curing the Bends article in the November 2001 PCNC newsletter.

Bolt seat to floor The track/rails can be removed altogether and the seat bolted directly to the floor. This gives more head room and may also improve leg room if the seat can be bolted farther back. The down side is that the seat cannot be moved forward for other drivers. For Pantera owners this is not much of a problem since we are not likely to let spouses, teenage children or parking lot attendants drive the cars anyway.

Remove seat padding The foam padding can be removed from the seat and/or the seat back to give more head room and leg room. A good upholsterer can peel back the leather cover, carve out some foam and reattach the cover. There is not much padding in the Pantera seats to begin with, so the increase in head room and leg room may not be significant. The downside is the reduction in comfort.

Loosen seat webbing The foam in the seats is supported by webbing. Think of it as a butt hammock stretched across the frame of the seat. If the webbing is loosened, it will hang down lower giving more head room. If done to the seat back, it will give more leg room. Usually this is done in conjunction with the seat pad removal.

Replace seats Replacing the stock Pantera seats with racing seats may not help much since the stock seats are rather thin to start with. Seats from other cars can also be used but may reduce headroom. See the Corvette Seats article by Dan Mixon and the two articles in the November 2001 PCNC newsletter.

Drop the pan Underneath the carpet is the metal floor known as the pan. It is a thin sheet of metal supported by cross members under the car. A section of the pan can be cut out and lowered a couple of inches. Several vendors sell kits for dropped pans. The seat sits on the lowered section. The upside is that the head room can increase as much as two inches. The down side is that the seat cannot be moved forward as far or at all for other drivers. The lowered pan reduces ground clearance on an already low car. See the FloorX.jpg pics at www.qis.net/~gpd4/pantera.

Replace steering wheel The stock steering wheel can be replaced with a smaller diameter wheel which will give more leg room while driving and will make entering and exiting easier. The modification is fairly easy to do on a Pantera but may be harder and significantly more expensive on cars that have an air bag. The downside is that a smaller wheel has less leverage. On cars with no power steering and wide tires, turning can be difficult at low speeds such as maneuvering in a parking lot.

Move the pedals The pedals can be pushed forward to give more leg room. The only downside is that takes some effort to do and only yields about 3/4 inch more space on a Pantera.

Remove the visors The sun visors can be removed to provide better forward visibility. The downside is that there is no visor available when the sun shines directly into the driver's face. The workaround is to wear a baseball cap and/or sunglasses.

For more information, see the Tall Club of New York City which has general information on modifying a car.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that some of these modifications may affect safety, may be at odds with your area's vehicle code, may void your warrantees and may even void your insurance. The modifications may also impact the resale value if they cannot be backed out.