I had a '71 that was a excellent car. The owner I bought it from did tell me to NEVER take it on the freeway because he couldn't get it to do more than 50mph. Well I gave him $225 for it, drove it home. Did a valve adjustment, engine flush 2 times over. New plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser. New oil, filter, 1 tank of 93 0ctane gas with 4 cups of Berrymans B-12 in the full tank. Ran like it was brand new!! Took a roadtrip to Long Beach California from Portland Oregon and back with ZERO problems. One of the best lil cars I owned. Only sold it later because I married and started a family and needed a bigger car. Sure miss that lil pony now. 😪😪
The Pinto came out when I was 13 years old, and soon it seemed like you saw them everywhere. I had several friends who owned Pintos, and I both drove and rode in them. They were considered decent small cars with good fuel economy, and were fun to drive-- especially when contrasted with the typical "road yachts" of the time. At the time, there was nothing "unique" or rare about them... between 1971 and 1980 Ford made over 3.1 million of them in three basic body styles: the 2 door sedan (which is what Lance's car is) with a conventional trunk, the Runabout with a hatchback and folding rear seats, and a 2 door wagon. In the early '70s, imports were taking over the small car market (following in Volkswagen's footsteps), and many Americans purchased Pintos, Vegas, and AMC Gremlins in their effort to "buy American" and still get some semblance of good fuel economy.
I had a fairly large number of Pintos over the years, butr I never forgot my 1st one: a red, '71 with the little 1600 CI engine and 4 speed. It was also my favorite. Light, handled well, fun to drive, cheap to own and RELIABLE. Also RARE. Never saw another "1600" in all the years... Great little car. I'd keep it stock.
I have been driving a 1972 Pinto Squire wagon for over 30 years. 2.0L SOHC/4 speed. It has zero rust, but lots of patina. It is an original AZ car, and the sun has burned the paint and faded out the woodgrain vinyl to almost white. It was originally Ginger Brown. Except for the cracked dash and drivers seat, the interior is very nice. A new paint job and new woodgrain vinyl would make it look almost new again, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do. It gets a ton of attention the way it is, and I don't have to worry about scratching it. These cars are so easy to steal (not that I can see anyone wanting to steal a Pinto) all you have to do is connect a wire from the positive battery terminal to the coil, and jump the starter relay with a screwdriver. You might want to put a hidden switch in it somewhere. The biggest issue with the 2.0L SOHC engine is the Ford copy of a Weber 2 barrel carburetor. They are almost impossible to get right. I'm thinking about putting a one barrel carb on mine. I set points with a business card. So far it has worked every time. I would pour some two stroke premix into the carburetor. Starting fluid tends to burn holes in pistons, and has no lubricating ability. Accelerator pump diaphragms don't last long with ethanol gas. I have to replace mine about once a year.
The #1 reason the media ran with the story is Ford decided it was cheaper to pay wrongful death lawsuits than to recall the cars and fix them. Also the first people to die in a Pinto crash/fire was a single mom and her son. They ended up issuing a recall anyway and retrofitted the early cars with a super thick plastic sheet in between the gas tank and the rear axle. I actually had a recall/retrofit car with the plastic sheet that I built into a circle track car. Many more people died due to the Chevy pickup saddle tanks on the outside of the frame rail than Pintos.
Exactly right. The cars wasn’t the problem, it was no different to other cars of the era. The issue was Ford making a financial decision where a safety decision was required.
This Pinto has the 1978 Factory gas tank fix. So, no explosions happening here. You can tell by the gas cap. It's definitely a 4 speed. The drivers seat is out out a later Pinto. Ooh, you got the Kent 1600 CC motor. My 72 Pinto Runabout had the 2000 CC engine with factory disc brakes and automatic transmission. It was exactly the same color as yours, but it had a black interior. 1971 had 2 door sedans only. The Runabout was a midyear option and had a smaller window, which was later enlarged in 1972. The wagon was introduced in 1972. Yoour Pinto has the same motor as my brothers 1978 Ford Fiesta. That was a fantastic little car, too.
Great video men. My father and 2 of my brothers worked at Ford. Two of them are now retired. Thankfully I never worked at the plant in Oakville Ontario.
Great car. My first new car was a '72 Pinto Runabout, Forrest Green Metalic (the actual color name) with green interior. LOVED that car. I had the 2000cc engine. You are correct about the fire issue, I believe the actual deaths from fire were like 7. The Pinto was actually much safer than many other cars of the era. I drove mine cross country a number of times.
next time you get a hd to start pinto, have a closer look at the choke, now open it all the way up and shoot some 2 stroke fuel in there! should light off right away, while you are at it, tale that carb off, get a rebuild kit for it and go through it, it'll run better with a carb not fully choked and overgrown with weeds!
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊 that’s one nice 71 Pinto I had a 72 with a 302 that damn thing was fast and they kicked ass and spit out Chevy and dodge out in the tailpipes. Keep up the good work. I see some more videos of new ones instead of a year old, I might subscribe
Pinto are very cool I have a 1972 2.0 modified but it's been siting for 20-30 years I need to refreshin the moter then put it backing the car get new seats ......
There was the Ford Pinto and the Mercury Bobcat they are the same cars just like the Maverick and Comet are the same with some styling differences but all the parts will fit
If Ford had just addressed the gas tank issue immediately, the Pinto's history would be a much different story. I still love the Pinto despite an easily fixed issue.
Nonsense. There was no gas tank problem exclusive to the Pinto. Extensive bad publicity caused by the lawsuit made it seem worse. The circumstances would have been as disastrous in a deuce and a half. A vehicle stopped in the travel lane, with a just filled gas tank, minus the fuel tank cap, rear ended by a van driven by a distracted driver with a suspended license travelling at excessive speed. The lawsuit was about money and someone desirous of political ambitions.
My friend has a first or second year Pinto and he took a 2.3 out of a thunderbird turbo coupe and put it in the Pinto the thing is quick with the turbo on it plus he did a bunch of mods to make it faster buddy should get the 3.8 out of a T bird super coupe with the supercharger and put it in that thing that would be cool
The reason them cars exploded is because where the fuel take it and if your rear ended the tank can rub on the rear axle and cause spark and explode but Ford did a recall on them and put a fiberglass guard piece around the front of the gas tank so it will not spark if rear ended.
Pintos were never any more dangerous than the Toyotas and Bugs at the time. It's just that Ford got caught cutting corners on safety. It chose save money to by not addressing a known safety issue. The bean counters at Ford estimated that it was cheaper to deal with the lawsuits than fix the problem. If it wasn't for that fateful decision, the Pinto would just be another 70's economy car. It would be great to see more of this car. There are not many Pinto videos on YT.
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊 there’s a Pinto wagon in California. It might be for sale. If not, I know a lady that has another Pinto that she might sell and she has three of them and I want to see the motor run of that pinto. You have now the poison, green pinto, and let it rip after when you’re done working on it.
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊 in a 59 Ford pick up the white one that is Hella sweet lowered to the ground. I bet you that thing will burn rubber good that’s sweet. Take care. Have a good week.
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊 bro what is the best year to beef up a pinto cause I’m thinking about doing another one cause I had like I said I had a 72. I don’t know what when I should go with and I wanna make it light and fast so that always kick ass
I like to see that Fairmont in the next video like you did when you took off I just saw part of it when you were going to see the Pinto is there any coupons around like that? I’d like to find another one
I had a '71 that was a excellent car. The owner I bought it from did tell me to NEVER take it on the freeway because he couldn't get it to do more than 50mph. Well I gave him $225 for it, drove it home. Did a valve adjustment, engine flush 2 times over. New plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser. New oil, filter, 1 tank of 93 0ctane gas with 4 cups of Berrymans B-12 in the full tank. Ran like it was brand new!! Took a roadtrip to Long Beach California from Portland Oregon and back with ZERO problems. One of the best lil cars I owned. Only sold it later because I married and started a family and needed a bigger car. Sure miss that lil pony now. 😪😪
The Pinto came out when I was 13 years old, and soon it seemed like you saw them everywhere. I had several friends who owned Pintos, and I both drove and rode in them. They were considered decent small cars with good fuel economy, and were fun to drive-- especially when contrasted with the typical "road yachts" of the time. At the time, there was nothing "unique" or rare about them... between 1971 and 1980 Ford made over 3.1 million of them in three basic body styles: the 2 door sedan (which is what Lance's car is) with a conventional trunk, the Runabout with a hatchback and folding rear seats, and a 2 door wagon. In the early '70s, imports were taking over the small car market (following in Volkswagen's footsteps), and many Americans purchased Pintos, Vegas, and AMC Gremlins in their effort to "buy American" and still get some semblance of good fuel economy.
Yes more of the pinto I have a 1974 pinto love these cars mine is just like Lance's
My son's daily driver is a '71 Pinto Runabout that sat in garage for 30 years. Lots of patina and no actual rust damage.
No one i ever knew that had a pinto had a problem with it, they were great cars!
BOOOOOM..when hit in rear just right the tank exploded
I had a fairly large number of Pintos over the years, butr I never forgot my 1st one: a red, '71 with the little 1600 CI engine and 4 speed. It was also my favorite. Light, handled well, fun to drive, cheap to own and RELIABLE. Also RARE. Never saw another "1600" in all the years... Great little car. I'd keep it stock.
Lance needs to call this the Green Bean (Pinto bean) . Love it!!!!
He does love the name!
I have been driving a 1972 Pinto Squire wagon for over 30 years. 2.0L SOHC/4 speed. It has zero rust, but lots of patina. It is an original AZ car, and the sun has burned the paint and faded out the woodgrain vinyl to almost white. It was originally Ginger Brown. Except for the cracked dash and drivers seat, the interior is very nice. A new paint job and new woodgrain vinyl would make it look almost new again, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do. It gets a ton of attention the way it is, and I don't have to worry about scratching it.
These cars are so easy to steal (not that I can see anyone wanting to steal a Pinto) all you have to do is connect a wire from the positive battery terminal to the coil, and jump the starter relay with a screwdriver. You might want to put a hidden switch in it somewhere. The biggest issue with the 2.0L SOHC engine is the Ford copy of a Weber 2 barrel carburetor. They are almost impossible to get right. I'm thinking about putting a one barrel carb on mine. I set points with a business card. So far it has worked every time. I would pour some two stroke premix into the carburetor. Starting fluid tends to burn holes in pistons, and has no lubricating ability. Accelerator pump diaphragms don't last long with ethanol gas. I have to replace mine about once a year.
The #1 reason the media ran with the story is Ford decided it was cheaper to pay wrongful death lawsuits than to recall the cars and fix them. Also the first people to die in a Pinto crash/fire was a single mom and her son. They ended up issuing a recall anyway and retrofitted the early cars with a super thick plastic sheet in between the gas tank and the rear axle. I actually had a recall/retrofit car with the plastic sheet that I built into a circle track car. Many more people died due to the Chevy pickup saddle tanks on the outside of the frame rail than Pintos.
Wow crazy!
Exactly right. The cars wasn’t the problem, it was no different to other cars of the era. The issue was Ford making a financial decision where a safety decision was required.
This Pinto has the 1978 Factory gas tank fix. So, no explosions happening here. You can tell by the gas cap. It's definitely a 4 speed. The drivers seat is out out a later Pinto. Ooh, you got the Kent 1600 CC motor. My 72 Pinto Runabout had the 2000 CC engine with factory disc brakes and automatic transmission. It was exactly the same color as yours, but it had a black interior. 1971 had 2 door sedans only. The Runabout was a midyear option and had a smaller window, which was later enlarged in 1972. The wagon was introduced in 1972. Yoour Pinto has the same motor as my brothers 1978 Ford Fiesta. That was a fantastic little car, too.
I learned all about the Ford Pinto in ethics class at uni. The car wasn’t the problem though.
Love your work 👍
Awesome haha
Great video men. My father and 2 of my brothers worked at Ford. Two of them are now retired. Thankfully I never worked at the plant in Oakville Ontario.
Great car. My first new car was a '72 Pinto Runabout, Forrest Green Metalic (the actual color name) with green interior. LOVED that car. I had the 2000cc engine. You are correct about the fire issue, I believe the actual deaths from fire were like 7. The Pinto was actually much safer than many other cars of the era. I drove mine cross country a number of times.
Loving my new daily
Pretty killer
My family had a 71 that died with 180K on it. I drove my 73 till it rusted away. I would still drive one if I could find one. They were fun to drive.
I’d love to have one of these and put a “Keep Back 20 feet” and “Explosive” sticker on the back.
Oh yeah it'll run. Be a cool going to towner.
Absolutely!
I had a 1972 Pinto in 1980 and the one you have looks better than mine did in 1980, lol, so I’m guessing even before watching, that it will run.
Nice car and hope to get it run soon.
PUT A 302 IN IT IT WILL FIT OR A 289
I'd leave it alone. Get a 2nd car with a 2000 or 2300 engune and mod that one w/ a 302 ! This one is RARE and a little gem.
I hope the original gas filler hose did not get replace. Besides, it would make a GREAT demolition derby car!!!!!
next time you get a hd to start pinto, have a closer look at the choke, now open it all the way up and shoot some 2 stroke fuel in there! should light off right away, while you are at it, tale that carb off, get a rebuild kit for it and go through it, it'll run better with a carb not fully choked and overgrown with weeds!
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊 that’s one nice 71 Pinto I had a 72 with a 302 that damn thing was fast and they kicked ass and spit out Chevy and dodge out in the tailpipes. Keep up the good work. I see some more videos of new ones instead of a year old, I might subscribe
More Pinto please! Just bought a 71 as well.
Pinto are very cool I have a 1972 2.0 modified but it's been siting for 20-30 years I need to refreshin the moter then put it backing the car get new seats ......
There was the Ford Pinto and the Mercury Bobcat they are the same cars just like the Maverick and Comet are the same with some styling differences but all the parts will fit
If Ford had just addressed the gas tank issue immediately, the Pinto's history would be a much different story. I still love the Pinto despite an easily fixed issue.
Nonsense. There was no gas tank problem exclusive to the Pinto. Extensive bad publicity caused by the lawsuit made it seem worse. The circumstances would have been as disastrous in a deuce and a half. A vehicle stopped in the travel lane, with a just filled gas tank, minus the fuel tank cap, rear ended by a van driven by a distracted driver with a suspended license travelling at excessive speed.
The lawsuit was about money and someone desirous of political ambitions.
One "nice" thing about all the scare-tactic publicity: it helped keep the resale price low: You could buy a nice used one REAL cheap!
Had the same type of problems with my '72 Pinto wagon. Needed a new fuel filter and a new mechanical fuel pump, then it ran fine.
That engine appears to be the 1600cc Ford UK unit.
If I had seen that car for sale first , it would have been mine ...
My friend has a first or second year Pinto and he took a 2.3 out of a thunderbird turbo coupe and put it in the Pinto the thing is quick with the turbo on it plus he did a bunch of mods to make it faster buddy should get the 3.8 out of a T bird super coupe with the supercharger and put it in that thing that would be cool
The reason them cars exploded is because where the fuel take it and if your rear ended the tank can rub on the rear axle and cause spark and explode but Ford did a recall on them and put a fiberglass guard piece around the front of the gas tank so it will not spark if rear ended.
Pintos were never any more dangerous than the Toyotas and Bugs at the time. It's just that Ford got caught cutting corners on safety. It chose save money to by not addressing a known safety issue. The bean counters at Ford estimated that it was cheaper to deal with the lawsuits than fix the problem. If it wasn't for that fateful decision, the Pinto would just be another 70's economy car.
It would be great to see more of this car. There are not many Pinto videos on YT.
My parents had a green 1 with green interior
Definitely want to see the pinto
Sounds exactly like my dad's pinto when i was 2 in 1988, ran just as bad too.
Haha
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊 there’s a Pinto wagon in California. It might be for sale. If not, I know a lady that has another Pinto that she might sell and she has three of them and I want to see the motor run of that pinto. You have now the poison, green pinto, and let it rip after when you’re done working on it.
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊 in a 59 Ford pick up the white one that is Hella sweet lowered to the ground. I bet you that thing will burn rubber good that’s sweet. Take care. Have a good week.
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊 bro what is the best year to beef up a pinto cause I’m thinking about doing another one cause I had like I said I had a 72. I don’t know what when I should go with and I wanna make it light and fast so that always kick ass
Put it on a Wrangler chassis with a tdi swap❤ some 33's and some wagon wheels
I like it haha
❤😂😢😮😅😅😊😊😊😊😊😊 I like to see that wagon too the Fairmont I had a LTD wagon it was nice six cylinder still got up to 130 or 140
❤😂😢😮😅😊😊😊😅😊😊😊 eco-boost 2300 will fit perfect in that and it was smoke the tires up and down the street and the track so far so good with the video
❤😂🎉🎉🎉🎉😢😮😅😊😊😊😊😊😊😊 damn that’s pretty damn good for 30 and beat on my Ford and they still run.
I like to see that Fairmont in the next video like you did when you took off I just saw part of it when you were going to see the Pinto is there any coupons around like that? I’d like to find another one
I bought a brand new 79 pinto in Dec 1978. I was an E-1 (AB) at Wright Patterson AFB.
Mines a '73 Ford Pinto 2door sedan, drive her every day