The Pangra
Cookieboy's New Toy for 2011 - The Pangra that shouldn't exist? Ever since I first saw this Pangra in 2007 the questions were raised... where did this Pangra come from and what is it doing in Northern Minnesota. Since they were a dealer built car in California how did it end up in Minnesota? Sure you could purchase the parts to build your own but I knew the dash kit and rear Pangra badge were reserved for Huntington built Pangra's only. See after the pictures and description for an interesting update.
Here we have a 1973 Ford Pinto Pangra - Restomod
Previously owned and built locally
Father purchased in the 70's with the original 2.0L AK Miller turbo
Left to the son who improved on the original build
AK Miller Turbo 2.0L removed for... a Ford 306L built and blue printed by Tesar Engineering Racing Engines. Wisco Pistons, Competition Hydraulic Cam and Harland Sharp Roller Rockers, topped off with an MSD Ignition.
Add on some March pulleys, TCN Aluminum Dampener and an Aluminum waterpump. Mounted with a front engine plate.
AFR 185 aluminum heads and Headman Headers.
Edelbrock RPM intake and 600 CFM Holley carburetor.
Milodon oil pan and for cooling it has an AFCO aluminum radiator and electric fan.
Dual exhaust to a single muffler and for the rearend it's a Ford 8" Detroit Locker and 4.11 gearing with 15" P205/60R Goodyear Eagle GTII tires in front and P255/60R in the rear.
For the rest of the drive train it has a heavy duty T5 transmission with Hurst Plus Shifter. Centerforce clutch and pressure plate with an aluminum flywheel and aluminum driveshaft.
The Rare Pangra Dash
With the correct gauges, electronic tach isn't all that accurate and replaced with the steering mounted tach.
A view from the other side
Deluxe door panels, unfortunatly speakers have been installed and covered by coffee can lids.
I now have a pair of Ricaro seats, need recover, to add the final touch and "correct" Panga setup. BMW E21 seats were as close as I could hope to find. Few of the Pangra's actually had the Ricaro seats installed, I've been told maybe only 2 of them.
Factory crank-back sunroof.
Rear seats look new.
It's 1st big showing at the Weekend of Wheels in Grand Rapids, MN with some of my other toys...
and the Pangra gets a 1st place award
and now for all the details...
Update: November 27th, 2011 I am contacted by George Davis. One of the original buiders that worked for Huntington Ford and later took over the Pangra project when Jack Stratton left. Below are some excerpts from the conversation with George Davis on the FordPinto.com forums about this Pangra.
George Davis: Are you sure you didn't get a "Factory" Pangra? I don't remember us selling ANY of the center consoles with the digital tach and gauges to customers who built their own kits. I think one may have gone to Canada (the console) but we had a real shortage of parts and kept those in reserve for the "dealer" built cars, which also got the RARE Pangra badges.
Me: I'm not actually positive on any of the facts on the V8 Pangra I bought this year... son told me dad built it, dad passed a few years ago... they didn't buy it new but had it by the mid/early 70's. I know the DSO code for this one was Illinios as I recall, not a california Pinto. I have seen a few of the California Pangras in person and except the front seats it sure does look correct for a Huntington build but... when the family says it was built here and the DSO confirms it's not a California Pinto... what can I say unless someone comes forward, that worked at Huntington, to say they recall this car getting built for someone out East (Illinois or Minnesota) I gotta go with Built from a kit???
George Davis: you are correct, if it was not a "California" car then Huntington Ford didn't do it and it came from a kit. We did however have a midwest dealer that could get most all if not all parts to build a Pangra, i think he was in Chicago area. I orginally did a fair amount of the builds and front end installs at Frieght Container and then moved over to Huntington Ford to Manage the Pangra project, after Jack "left" I took it over completely until it's demise. EPA and CARB put Huntington Ford OUT of the custom car business.
Me: If I recall correctly... the DSO code was for Chicago... I wonder who that dealer was? I could maybe confirm the dealer that sold the car was the one doing the conversions and that would answer the question as to why it looks so correct (dash and badges) without being a California - Huntington Ford Car.
George Davis: I'll see if i can dig up the name somewhere, most of the records were lost/destroyed after Mr. Hoke pulled the plug on Pangra and decided to sell off the name, molds and original parts that were left. The ONLY way someone with a kit would get the emblems and dash would to be an "authorized Pangra builder/Dealer". Jack was very smart about getting a trademark on the name and design and we kept those emblems in a locked cabinet at Huntington Ford.
Me: it would be nice to confirm if this car was built by an authorized Pangra dealer, this is the 1st I have ever heard of someplace other than Huntington Ford to get one pre-built. I may just have to get the Marti/Fords 999 report and see if I can identify the original dealership that sold this... I have gotten the impression from the son that the car was purchased as a Pangra and they did their own mods as the years went by.
George Davis: I'm guessing this dealership built the car minus the Recaro's as they and the dash would be seperate. As you can see from the brochure there was no mention of the dash,gauges or recaros in kit form, and we were again, very strict about badging on non "REAL" Huntington Ford built Pangras.
Me: confirmened - Canadian built DSO code was 41 and Chicago for a destination. It's that badge and the dash kit that have me questioning the origin of this one. I know neither were available outside of Huntington Ford so how did they end up on this one? If you can remember the name of that chicago dealer.... maybe, just maybe... I can find out more ?
George Davis: I'm with you, the badging and dash are a outside the norm. I have a folder on Pangra stuff, I'll see if I can find anything on authorized dealers, with Huntington Ford even gone now it's likely we may never find "documentation" on this car. But I can say that NO kit while i was there ever got a dash as that digital Tach was so rare we didn't have spares to fix any that went out in the Dealer cars and had to remove them and send out to a circuit board guru to try and get them fixed. When we started the Pangra Owners Association some of the people in the club who had kits tried to buy badges and we didn't sell any. There is only one "kit" Pangra i know of that got the badges, it was green 2door and belonged to my then girlfriend (now wife). I'd have to say as a builder, manager and seller of Pangra and Pangra parts that this car is a Dealer car. Unfortunetly there were not very good records kept on serial numbers etc of the cars that were built. There was talk of doing a separate vin plate like Shelby's, but that never got off the ground. For all extent and purposes we GUARDED those Pangra Badges like they were Shelby vin plates and those were used to verify a "true" Pangra.
Me: This was another interesting item, similar to the badge and dash.... I have 4 slots that were original with the car. 2 of the tires have been replaced but the other 2 are Continenials. The wheels have a "shelby" centercap?
George Davis: that sounds correct, some had Shelby center caps some had American center caps, we bought them from a local speed shop in Arcadia on Balwin Blvd.
Me: gads! I was happy just thinking this was built from a kit... NOW! I have to know the true details (haha) on where this car came from and who / where was it built!
George Davis: I'm with you, I think your car is pretty rare and it would be cool to find original build details. Good luck and if I hear/find anything else out about your car i'll sure let you know, like wise if you do, please let me know!!
Me: Hey George, got the Marti report and it says... special ordered and sold by...
SCHMERLER FORD INC
1200 BUSSE RD
ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL 60007
George Davis: WOW, Elkgrove sounds REAL familiar. I remember a guy from Elkgrove Village (?), took him out for wine/dine at a local club when he was out discussing "dealer" status, the reason I remember the Elkgrove part is 'cause the guy looked like he should be hunting Elk, flannell shirt, big red haired guy and MAN did he like to drink. Pre drinks i took him out on the 210 freeway in the Black Demo car and showed him the high side of 100 mph. Wish we still had some documentation to prove he was legit.
Me: Harry A. Schmerler - January 10, 1997
Harry A. Schmerler, 66, a South Barrington resident who founded Schmerler Ford in Elk Grove Village and Racine, Wis., died Wednesday in Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. Mr. Schmerler served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was a past president of the Ford Motor Co.'s National Dealer Council. "He was just a good man, took care of a lot of people and we're going to miss him terribly," said his daughter Mary Schmechtig.
Unfortunate... . can't contact him for more info...
George Davis: Mr. Hoke was at one time a higher up in the Ford National Dealer council, probably where they knew each other from. Sorry to hear he passed (Mr. Schmerler), as guess as with anything 40 years old it's hard to back trace. If I had to I'd weight on the subject, I would say they did your car as an Authorized Pangra Dealer, I can verify to everything that I know, NO straight "kit" Pangra had the dash and emblems, they were reserved for Huntington Ford or authorized Dealer built cars only. I couldn't even get the dash for my wife's (girl friend then) Pinto and IF I could'nt get a dash, let's just say no one else would have either and there were many requests. If asked to "offically" verify your car, I would.
Me: Re: If asked to "offically" verify your car, I would.
Thanks George but I would really like to "confim" the details, really need more info on this cars history before I would consider making a statement like that. If there was a way to confirm that Schmerler Ford was an authorized dealer, that actually built and sold even 1 true Pangra... then I might consider calling this that one. Until then I'll keep digging for more info on it's history...
George Davis: Sorry i can't positively confirm without a shadow of doubt. Unfortunetly Huntington Ford is no longer around either. It may be a case of if the right person involved with their dealership gets wind of it they could confirm. It would be great if his son is/was involved with the business and would remember that portion. Until then we'll have to go with more that likely. I've been involved with vintage Corvettes for ever and every time some so called expert says "there's no way, or none were ever built like that, or they all had too", it's be proven there are exceptions to every "rule" when it comes to performance cars. As these were "hand built" those involved would be the final word on what was and what probably wasn't, the KEY word being probably. At this point you may have to be happy with the fact that no matter what, you have a very rare and cool car.
Me: No worries George, I'm more curious in the history of this odd ball and how it came to be than I am concerned with proving it's a "real" Pangra. While that would be interesting and cool it's so heavily modified / not a Pangra anymore....
it's as you put it... a very rare and cool car
...and this is where I'm at for now, unable to confirm a "true" dealer built Pangra. Unable to track down the original buyer, unable to contact the owner of Schmerler Ford, can't find contacts for past employees of Schmerler Ford and no official records to indicate if Schmerler Ford is the Chicago dealer that built a couple authorized Pangra's built outside of California and Huntington Ford.
If you have seen this car in the past or know anything more to add to my search of the history of this Pangra, Please contact me, Brian Campbell at: