Pinto Pinto

[geeorge]

Here is my 1972 ford pinto that we crammed a 302v8  in back around 1978

[jmohme]

20 hours ago, railfancwb said:

We had a pinto station wagon. Stick shift. Took it on at least one road trip out west. Was later totaled. No problems otherwise. 

And it didnt burst into flames?

I never really bought into that anyway. I was driving wreckers all the way up into the early 90s and not once did I see one catch fire. I have no doubt that it happend, but not in large enough numbers for me or any of the other wrecker drivers I know to have seen it.

[janice6]

10 hours ago, DAKA said:

Aren't the Pinto's the ones that "exploded" when hit in the rear?

That's the joke.  They used the top of the gas tank for the trunk floor. In the Three door, the trunk was in the passenger area.

[janice6]

2 hours ago, geeorge said:

Here is my 1972 ford pinto that we crammed a 302v8  in back around 1978

I was working on muscle cars back in the 60's and 70's.  I helped a friend shoehorn a 302 into a Pinto with an automatic transmission.  Very short drive shaft and re-machined water pump shaft.

One day he showed me that he could stand on the added 4 wheel disc brakes and press the accelerator making the 9 Inch slicks in the back smoke.  He did this in the garage with the door down.

I drove my wife's three door over many times to take dimensions from so his was the same riding height as the normal 2 liter version.

[Eric]

3 minutes ago, janice6 said:

That's the joke.  They used the top of the gas tank for the trunk floor. In the Three door, the trunk was in the passenger area.

That's why I asked if they made the rear bulkhead of the passenger compartment of that custom Pinto with a trunk I posted pics of earlier in this thread a firewall, but I got some confused reactions

[Eric]

I love them without anything coming through the hood.

 

[janice6]

The guy that made the V8 Pinto I posted about told me he used to cruise on lake street in Minneapolis, and one day a Corvette pulled along side him and gestured that he was laughing at the Pinto with slicks. 

He said I just look at him at the red light, and pressed on the brake while slowing going down with the accelerator, the smoke and screeching was deafening.  When he slowly let off, the light turned green and the vette motioned him to go first.

[Eric]

[Dukenukem]

Mom had a Pinto when I was little.  We all survived.

[Eric]

2 minutes ago, Dukenukem said:

Mom had a Pinto when I was little.  We all survived.

They were tough little cars. Not many cars had a Cujo Resistant™ rating.

 

[Dukenukem]

2 minutes ago, Eric said:

They were tough little cars. Not many cars had a Cujo Resistant™ rating.

 

It looks the same urine yellow color we had. It also had a 2 tone green stripe on it.  She traded that car on a Lynx and that car got T boned by a lady from Michigan in a Caprice wagon.  Mom never liked driving large vehicles.

[Eric]

2 minutes ago, Dukenukem said:

It looks the same urine yellow color we had. It also had a 2 tone green stripe on it.  She traded that car on a Lynx and that car got T boned by a lady from Michigan in a Caprice wagon.  Mom never liked driving large vehicles.

I forgot about the Merc Pinto counterpart. They recycled the 'Lynx' name for the Merc Version of the Escort, when Ford finally started offering them in the US. The Escort was a huge seller in the UK for more than a decade before they started offering them here. Folks in the UK liked to hotrod them. They were a favorite Rally car as well. The MKI and MKII Escorts sell for absolutely ridiculous money today, over there.

 

Here's a pic of an early Ford Escort Mark 1. They were RWD until 1980. Their changeover to the FWD model coincided with their introduction to the American market.

[Dukenukem]

24 minutes ago, Eric said:

I forgot about the Merc Pinto counterpart. They recycled the 'Lynx' name for the Merc Version of the Escort, when Ford finally started offering them in the US. The Escort was a huge seller in the UK for more than a decade before they started offering them here. Folks in the UK liked to hotrod them. They were a favorite Rally car as well. The MKI and MKII Escorts sell for absolutely ridiculous money today, over there.

 

Here's a pic of an early Ford Escort Mark 1. They were RWD until 1980. Their changeover to the FWD model coincided with their introduction to the American market.

That's better looking than the 80's models were.  I think we had an 83 or 84.

[Eric]

2 minutes ago, Dukenukem said:

That's better looking than the 80's models were.  I think we had an 83 or 84.

I've driven a Mk1 with a dual-cam 1,600cc engine. It was a fun little ride.

[janice6]

Mom's first Pinto came with an owners manual and a maintenance manual including some basic tools (I forget exactly what tools) for instructions on performing mechanical work other than internal engine stuff.  I was impressed by that.

[minderasr]

On 12/27/2023 at 1:36 PM, DAKA said:

Aren't the Pinto's the ones that "exploded" when hit in the rear?

If I recall, there were a few pickup trucks that exploded too.  But I think that was when it was t-boned.

I once owned a stock 72 Vega and raced my friend who was driving a stock 72 (I think) Pinto.  I won, the friend was pissed.

[minderasr]

Double-tap.

[gwalchmai]

33 minutes ago, minderasr said:

If I recall, there were a few pickup trucks that exploded too.  But I think that was when it was t-boned.

T-boned, soaked with gasoline, and set alight with pyrotechnics, what I heard.

 

[jmohme]

46 minutes ago, minderasr said:

If I recall, there were a few pickup trucks that exploded too.  But I think that was when it was t-boned.

I once owned a stock 72 Vega and raced my friend who was driving a stock 72 (I think) Pinto.  I won, the friend was pissed.

Vegas were pretty good runners. They just didnt last long.

The pinto with the 2300cc cyl would throw a timing belt now and then, but at least it didnt bend valves. Just toss a new belt on it and keep going.  About the time the Pinto was getting the new timing belt, the Vega was starting to leave a trail of blue smoke and rust particles in its wake.

As for the pickups, Most had the gas tanke sitting upright behind the drivers seat until the mid 70s. We had one that we towed in that the poor old guy could not get out of his seat belt and burned to death in it. That was a terrible design but unless you were T Boned, the tank was pretty well protected. Still not the brightest design.

[minderasr]

23 hours ago, jmohme said:

Vegas were pretty good runners. They just didnt last long.

Truth.  Aluminum block, cylinders "re-sleeved".  Fender wells rusted out from the inside, taking out the top of the fenders.  Total shitbox, but was still fun to drive as a 16yo who didn't know any better.

[railfancwb]

On 12/28/2023 at 9:00 AM, gwalchmai said:

T-boned, soaked with gasoline, and set alight with pyrotechnics, what I heard.

 

TV network sued by truck manufacturer, lost, had to pay up. Doubt the penalty offset the unwarranted damage to the manufacturer. 

[jmohme]

On 12/29/2023 at 8:17 AM, minderasr said:

Truth.  Aluminum block, cylinders "re-sleeved".  Fender wells rusted out from the inside, taking out the top of the fenders.  Total shitbox, but was still fun to drive as a 16yo who didn't know any better.

A local antique shop had a Vega station wagon sitting out front a couple months ago. It had no paint left but looked solid overall. I can't imagine how it survived unless it was stored in a vaccum.