At 19 years old I got a job at a Ford dealership July 3, 1978. I retired as the shop foreman of that dealership 42 years later in 2020. Pinto, Saved my career as a mechanic. The owner said he had to let me go due to lack of work. Then the Pinto recall went into effect. Being low man, I was assigned to do Pinto Recalls. I got really good at installing the safety features. At one point I was doing 10 a day. By the time the recall was over, management realized I had skills, and kept me on permanently as a mechanic. I retired as top dog at the dealership. Thanks Pinto!
@Rick Bria i was a mechanic for 32 years and repetition definitely helps in doing a lot of jobs faster i had a reputation of swapping 4 springs and four shocks in mid and full size fords and chevys in 30 minutes. blew my managers mind how fast i was at a lot of different jobs. could do 4 ball joints on ford E-150-250 vans and trucks in just over an hour. we had guys in the shop that would take 3 hours on that job...
I purchased a 73' Pinto and loved that car. It was a Runabout with a hatch back and a 4 speed transmission. You could put the rear seat down and have enough room to sleep in the back of it. I drove it to Florida once. No problems, one of the best cars I ever had.
You are correct. I had two Pintos and got many thousands of carefree driving miles from each. Despite the gas tank woes, it was pretty ok' good car for me.
They had great engines. A place called Pinto Bean made all kinds of performance parts for them and they became popular engines in dune buggies for a while. I had a Pinto for a short time while I was in college in the mid 80s. I bought it cheap and it worked well. Not to mention, it was the source of many, many jokes. Overall, I gotta say, it served it's purpose and I kinda liked it.
In 1986, I drove a 1974 Pinto Wagon "Woody" from Michigan to Florida.. and LIVED in it for 2 weeks, was GREAT ..(didn't blow up, but I never smoked in it ..)
My brother purchased a 1976 Pinto for $2,500. I went to another Ford dealer and the salesman told me they make $100 on each Pinto and would not sell it for less that $2,500.00.
I bought my first brand new car in 1981 when I was 15…a 1980 Ford Pinto (obviously my dad signed for it, but I made the payments!). 42 years and a couple of dozen vehicles later, that Pinto is one of the best I ever owned. Two engine rebuilds, 1 new transmission, about 20 clutches and about 650,000 miles later, I finally sold it to a kid down the street for $300. Loved that little car!!!
Man, your love affair with your Pinto, sounds just my love affair I had for my Chevette. 4 speed, 2 door hatch, NEVER let me down. One of my favorite cars of the many I’ve had over the years.
I have nothing but great things to say about Pintos. Mine was a 73' lowered, mild crane cam, header, and slicks. Lot's of mountain roads with twisties where I live (Rocky Point Road, scappoose oregon) that little car was a holy terror
@@d.m.3259 depends on what you do I worked in my dad‘s body and paint shop every day after school, I work the almond and walnut harvesters during summer vacation by the time I was 15 I had about $40,000 saved up, I could’ve bought a new car but I actually bought a 1957 Ford Fairlane with a 430 Mercury marauder NASCAR banned engine it would pull the front wheels off the ground, so the universe you live in that could be possible is called the United States of America where even A youngster who is raised with principles can accomplish tremendous things, my father told me I’ll buy your dirtbike for you but I won’t buy your first car for you I’ll work on it I’ll help you customize it in anyway you want but you have to buy your first car so that you have an understanding of working for what you want my second car was a 1967 barracuda commando I bought and paid for it while still having my 1957 hot rod Fairlane. I don’t know if that answers your question or not
My Pinto story is that as a new 2LT walking to report in to my new Battalion, a pinto passed me on the street and stopped. A huge Command Sergeant Major got out of the Pinto and headed towards me. My first reaction was to laugh because it reminded me of impossible clown cars. Fortunately I squelched that and then got worried. I forgot about my commission and in my mind reverted to being a Staff Sergeant again. Fortunately, when he saluted me, I remembered who I was now. He offered me a ride but I explained that I was enjoying my last few minutes of freedom before I signed in. Besides, I told him that I didn't think we could both fit in that little car. He smiled and wished me a good day. We had a few encounters over the next few months. He was an excellent NCO. I was privileged to know him. Good Luck, Rick
Cool story! My friend had been a Drill Sergeant. He always got a kick when he walked out of AAFES, in his brown round, and saw Majors and Colonels furtively checking to see if their cargo pockets were buttoned! We’re all in the same family.
Thanks for sharing this story! As a former Spec 4 I would have fainted upon seeing God get out of a pinto and approaching. I can't quit laughing at this one.
Great story... Reminds me of my early army days. During Basic training at Ft. Jackson (October 83) we were out on our overnight bivouac during a torrential downpour and were force marching to another site when the senior D.I. came running back getting volunteers for a mission. I was one of about 5 who followed him, only to find the company commander, reeking of whiskey, cursing his Pinto which had slid off the dirt road in a curve and stuck in the mud! We managed to get him unstuck and the senior drill instructor drove him home. I'll never forget that night. For the rest of our training cycle be was lovingly referred to as "Captain Pinto"... 😂 Good times.
My 1971 Pinto was hit from behind at a red light in 1979, jamming the driver’s door closed, and crumpling the left rear up to the fuel tank. The safety upgrade had been performed a month earlier.
I love the depiction of the Pinto in the movie, "Top Secret!". From memory, a leaf falls on the rear quarter near the fuel tank and the car explodes. (EDIT - No, a big vehicle lightly tapped the rear.)
My very first car was a 2000 cc 1971 Pinto in 1973. I've had a lot of nice vehicles but did I ever have fun with my little red Pinto. If I could find one today I'd grab it without hesitation if the price was right. I was 16 at the time and now 65 and I remember everything so clearly.So many fond memories. Thanks for taking me back.
I had a ‘71 that had a 1600 cc 4 banger engine !!! I could put 5 dollars worth of high test gas in it , and it would go about 400 miles on that much gas ( you can believe it or not !! As you say , If I could find one today ( a hatchback 1600 cc ) I’d buy it immediately !!!
My 72 Sedan was a fun little ride. When I bought it in 78 I took it to a dealer to pick up some parts for my dads truck. Two service guys looked underneath and told me the recall work on the tank had not been performed. I brought it back the next day and they did the work in about two hours. Being a car guy, I took before/after photos. They made quite a few changes in only a few hours. I had a bumper sticker that said "Stay back, I just refueled"
My '71 baby blue Pinto rendered good service for 25 years, with predictably constant service from its 2L engine and standard transmission. An urban car with real maneuverability, and so simple I learned to do basic maintenance, myself. There is a huge market for affordable, reliable and safe cars. And, yes, its tank was safely modified by Ford at a local dealership.
Thats a good story for the sticker, lol. I'd like to get one of those magnetic ones that say " VEHICLE IS CARRYING VENOMOUS REPTILES" that would come in handy in DFW traffic..... even the ja(koffs would leave me alone.
We named our babyblue 1971 Pinto "Gypsy" becasue my wife and I drove it all over the United States and Canada back when I was in the US Navy and had 30 days of vacation per year. It never failed us and I installed a stereo/cb radio/stereo amp "stack" between the center consule and the dash. Looked great at night and sounded great. The front seats laid back so we often saved money by sleeping in the car. Great Memories. She died , cancer, 2001. I gave my life to Christ and will join her soon.
Bart you broke my heart. I was enjoying your memories and nearly cried when I read your partner in that memory had passed. Thank you for serving in the Navy and thank you for sharing such a personal story.
I’d like to thank you for not only a fair and unbiased view of the Pinto, but the fair and unbiased application to all of your videos. In a world where everything is politicized, it’s not I️ cant tell where you stand. Please don’t change this aspect of the channel.
the pinto was not a totally bad car. it has it issues but all cars do. i used to replace a lot of upper control arm bushings on those along with lower ball joints. the upper arms were supposed to be greased regularly but a lot of mechanics never did it when in for an oil change and they would eventually fail. the coil over setup was hard on them too.
Saw a Pinto on the road the other day. It was in pretty rough shape, but it was still going. Both me and my passenger stared at in in shock and amazement. It was noteworthy, unusual and hilarious.
Most old cars will outlast new ones. The old joke it takes a computer to really screw things up! How many early Mustangs and Camaros are still on the road almost 60 years old?
I owned, and drove over 100,000 miles, a 1973 Pinto Station Wagon. It was reliable, fuel efficient, and maintenance was a breeze. I often wish I could find one that was road worthy today.
My girlfriend in high school (1983) drove a 1971 nasal-infection-green, 4-speed Pinto. Her father told her to never use 4th gear so she could pull away from any car that was going to crash into the back of the car. Some personal history was made in that car…. Thanks for the flood of Pinto memories History Guy!
Thank you History Guy, one of your best episodes! My parents owned two Pintos at different times. One, a baby blue wagon with wood trim, that at the time as a young child I thought was the best car on the road. Later my mother got an orange hatchback (without wood trim), with a three speed and groovy plaid seats, that survived a rear end collision with only cosmetic damage. I was much too young to drive, but from what my parents said, both cars were really solid. It’s terrible how the Pinto was unfairly tarnished by lies and misrepresentation. I would love to own one today for Sunday afternoon “runabouts.”
A far worse Ford disaster was the 'Ford Ka '. How this completely wierd and awful design concept ever got past board approval and actually put into production is a 20th century miracle. That said with Ford producing some of the most iconic designs in automotive history - aside from maybe the Edsel.
@@godfreyberry1599 I had to look up the Ka, I had never heard of it, apparently it was never available in the U.S. (we just had plain ol’ Ford Fiestas). With commercials in the U.K. of the car killing birds and beheading cats, what could possibly go wrong?
The Ford Pinto was and still is one of my most favorite car designs. Simple, sleek and utilitarian. I recall our joke at the time, the go-cart who grew up.
It was a great car! I bought one used with 17,000 miles and had to scrap it when someone hit it. Over 200.000 miles. I'd buy one today if a ran across a low mileage example in good shape.
When the state lottery was new in MO, lottery winners were regularly interviewed, probably part of a promotional campaign. This interview process was already well established when they interviewed a significant money winner. When asked how this enormous change would affect his life, he responded, "I think I will Bondo the Pinto.' That remains my favorite Pinto story.
Funny thing relating to this is my father won a NY State lottery around that time. That was in the pre-lotto days, so I think he won $2000, and he took the money and bought-no, not a Pinto, but a Maverick.
My sister's 1st car was a 1980 Mauve Ford Pinto. Never had a rear end fireball, but she used to drive way too fast even during the winter and I remember her needing my dad's help getting the car out of many a ditches.
My dad had a pinto and I drove it often in the 80s. It wasn't a great car but I remember during a bad winter freeze in Chicago, it was the only car on the block that started up right away
Oh man, this is great. As a small child I grew up with my parents owning an orange Pinto wagon and I have fond memories of riding in the back, facing the rear window with my sister and pretending it was a movie. Apparently sitting just above said fuel tank but hey, I never exploded so call that a victory.
My first brand new car was a 1973 Pinto. I loved that car and would load it up with my friends to go out partying. I was involved in a rear end collision in it and it did not explode. It was great in winter. Although it got stuck in snow constantly, it was so light that I could put it in first gear, let out the clutch and push it out myself. Thank you for giving a fair view of the much maligned Pinto.
That is similar to my experience with the ‘73 Pinto we had. It was horrible in the Midwest snow. We had a couple of very snowy winters in a row in late 1970s. I got a little better traction by putting two 40 pound bags of sand in the rear hatch. The tires that came on the car were complete crap. The traction was so loose that you could put the car in first gear and get out to push on the A-pillar to try to get the car moving. There were several times I had to do that to try to get up the slight grade leading to the street my house was on. I never had that issue with any other car.
Lou, you are mischaracterizing (and mispelling) "muckraking" journalism: " muckraker: a person who searches for and tries to expose corruption, scandal, or other wrongdoing, especially in politics. The original muckrackers were journalists who exposed child labor, sweatshops, poor living and working conditions, and government inefficiency, in the early 1900's". In particular there was a group of about 15 muckraking journalists writing for McClure's magazine who made it their mission to expose societal problems and the people exacerbating or profiting from it. Teddy Roosevelt tried to turn the term into an insult, using it to denigrate journalists who covered him unfavorably, but overall, at least in those years, their influence was positive. We could use some altruistic, crusading, muckraking journalists nowadays; perhaps then, complete and utter liars like George Santos would not get elected to office. (BTW, there actually was a local Long Island newspaper, the North Shore Leader, that dug into Santos' background last October, before the election, and wrote about his sketchy financing and fake bio, but the story was never picked up by any larger papers or the wider news media. The publisher of the paper, a Republican, reluctantly endorsed a Democrat for that congressional seat. PBS posted an interview with the publisher on RU-vid yesterday).
I had 3 Pintos. Learned how to drive a standard in one (my wife taught me!). We had them at first because we were broke. As we started to do better and look for a newer car, I shopped for another one. When they disappeared, we started driving Escorts. The Pintos never gave us trouble. They were easy to drive and repair. And great on gas.
I drove a Pinto for years. Nice little car. Although in certain circumstances it may cause an issue, I thought the gas tank issue was waaaay overblown.
"I thought the gas tank issue was waaaay overblown." It was, read the court cases from the lawsuits. All the fires were from high-speed crashes. The one discussed in the video of three teenagers is a Pinto sitting still on a highway got rear-ended by a large van moving at 60+ mph. The Grimshaw one was also stalled on a highway and hit by a Ford Galaxie (a very large car) also at 60+. Those changes that Ford did not make that people gave them crap for would have been able to protect the fuel tank from puncture in rear end crashes up to 50mph. So, if they had made the changes, those accidents still would have resulted in the same way.
Typical hysteria of the media, the public and government. Unfortunately, people never change. Especially the media, they’ll stir the pot as hard and as long as possible squeezing every dime they can.
I owned an early pinto fastback, was in 2 rear end collisions, the first one was when my very young child was in the back seat. The only damage to my car was a broken rear window. The second accident was in the left turn lane in a small town when I was struct from behind. Other than a little dust from the accident. All together to me it was a great car, good gas millage, smooth ride, excellent handline because of the rack & pinon steering. No fires from either accident.
My soon to be wife apologized for her fingernails. A little dirt from Points, Plugs, Condenser, Filters & Oil change a few moments before our first date. She was accomplished in maintenance skills. Her "Little Pinto" pulled 30mpg on a trip to Oregon from mid California. Now that is two wonders found in diminutive stature. Great car and great partner in life. Ps. I own a Ford. Wonderful episode!
Your comments reads to me as if were a poem. I suggest that you submit everything, except the last line, to a poetry contest or community for feedback.
I had a '75 Pinto Blue hatchback for 5 years. I loved that little car. I had no problems at all with it, and it went everywhere.I really liked the fact that it came with a set of tools and a comprehensive book to do your own maintenance and repairs.
It was fairly easy to work on - the engine compartment was pretty roomy, as I recall. My grad school roommate had a Pinto station wagon, and I help my dad install a cruise control from a junk-yard Cadillac in that Pinto. Made the drive from MA to CA much more enjoyable than the drive out from CA had been.
@@FirstLast-gv1zl Just a heads up, I can see your post as a highlighted reply in the preview section but when I open it under “View All Replies” it has apparently been ghosted by YT algorithms. I would try reposting minus the first paragraph as it apparently offended YT’s censorship algorithms
I worked in a Ford Dealership when the recall for the fuel tanks was being performed. We had one full time guy that only did the recalls for about a year, 40 hours a week. I did a lot of them too, and I owned a few Pintos over the years. I truly agree with your thoughts about an overblown situation, and I distinctly remember that parts and pieces we used to update them. There were rusty old beaters that shouldn't even have been on the road anymore, and we had repair kits for the recall to address rusty old beaters too. When this video started, I had a frown because I knew a lot of this story, and by the time you were done, you explained the misconceptions. I appreciate that, although the damage was done long ago. I replaced the engine and transmission in one of mine with a Maverick V8 and Mustang rear end. No one noticed that the Mustang II was almost the same underneath. The V8 Pinto is a fun car. And no believed that all fit in there with no body modifications, but yes, I did perform the fuel tank recall ! Thank you again for your History Guy series, I love watching and learning, and I like the way you present them. Good Luck and Be safe.
My parents bought a brand new Pinto in 1971, I remember how exciting it was when they bought it. My dad drove it to his work for years, he put over 200,000 miles on it. The only thing I remember is it needed a carburetor so we went to pick a part. We got lucky and found a Pinto with the same 2000 cc engine and 2bbl carb. Got the carb went home and changed them out. The car fired right up and ran great! Back in the days you could work on your own car. Oh yeah, my dad taught me to drive a manual transmission in that car! Great memories
Thank you for giving a factual and unbiased story on the history of the Pinto. Too often the sensationalist of the main stream media skew the perceptions of the public.
I learned to drive in a 79 pinto panel. With bubble windows and an orange rainbow down the side. My father purchased it in 1980 and still has it to this day. Thank you for the entertainment. Keep making, I'll keep watching.
@@shereesmazik5030 My '73 Pinto, given to me by my Dad in 1977 was completely rusted below the doors. This was partly due to a drain plug under the doors that were never removed and was full of water by 1977. I did the body work the summer of 1978 and got a $99 MAACO paint job, My dad paid $2,800 for it as a demo in 1973 and I sold it in 1980 with about 120,00 miles for $600. It was not a good car but got me around. The biggest and most expensive problem was the 4 speed manual trans would sometime get stuck between 3rd and 4th gears and costly to fix by a mechanic. The drivers seat frame also collapsed in 1978. Fortunately, my Uncle from Germany was visiting us and fixed the seat frame with scrap metal we found in the garage! Good Times! :)
My first car was a ‘79 Pinto. It was also orange. But it didn’t have any wood grain. I drove it for 156,000 miles. The only repair was a new clutch. I sold it to a friend who added 100,000 miles. It was nice to drive. Often took long trips with groups of friends. One of the best cars I ever owned.
Thank you for an honest analysis on the Pinto. My Dad traded in his 1970 GTO Judge for a Pinto when the fuel crisis hit and more children arrived in the family.
In 1974, my mom & I took a trip to Santa Cruz, California; she rented a car for the trip, which was a blue '72 Pinto Hatchback. She loved it so much that she later bought the 1976 Pinto Wagon - beige, with the "wood" trim. She loved that car, and we had it for well over a decade.
My first car was a 1980 ford Pinto with a 2.3 liter engine, and manual transmission, forest green metal flake paint, bullet hole chrome rims, tinted windows and a great stereo. It looked great and was one of the best cars I ever owned. I would buy one and drive it if I came across one tomorrow.
One of my favorite cars when I was a teenager was my pinto. I had bought it from a buddy who had had it previously rear-ended so it was already pre crashed safe. It had cragar mags all the way around and b50s and b-60s in the front. It was I love that car. Drove it all over hell and back
HaHa me too! I was a high strung teen-ager and I bet I put 100,000 miles on that car. My dad got it from a neighbor when it wasn't running. I don't remember what the problem was but he had it going in no time. That little 4 cyl was strong and mine had the 4 speed transmission. I loved that car.
The father of a guy I knew in High School in the 80s bought 4 used Pintos at an auction. They drove them to death. Over the years the size of the fleet gradually dropped. The least viable member of the fleet was retired and used for spare parts to keep the remaining Pintos running. By the time my friend was given one to drive as a teenager I think only 2 remained. One was blue with a red door salvaged from another member of the fleet. Everybody loved the cars and the owner's family took great pride in them.
WOW that's crazy, my dad bought me one because my car I bought was always breaking down I couldn't believe it!!!.. it was the most ugly car I ever owned, all my friends made fun of me but I had a family & a job it turned out to be the most dependable car I ever owned !!!!???....
I used to own a 1977 Ford Pinto. It was OK, but because of its rear wheel drive, it slid all over the place every time it snowed. No traction whatsoever! It still looks terrible that Lee Iacocca and his toadies at Ford openly knew there was a design flaw in the Pinto’s gas tank that could (and DID!) cost lives…and just ignored it to save money! They got everything they deserved in court, however…👎👎
I worked at a Ford dealer back then. The only problem was the fuel filler hose from the filler neck in the quarter panel to the bottom of the fuel tank. In a rear end collision, the quarter panel moved forward faster than the tank, pulling the hose out of the bottom of the tank and spilling it's contents. The recall was improving the clamp on the fuel tank and installing softer bolts on the filler in the quarter panel. Those would break but the hose was long enough little fuel would spill.
Mike I was a Ford Mechanic at that time in Canada. I don't recall the filler neck repair but we were putting a heavy plastic shield that attached to the tank straps at the front to help avoid the tank hitting the diff. if pushed forward.
I thought it was long bolts at the bumper that would penetrate the tank and not an issue with the Wagon models A brown wagon Pinto is near us still, with side windows of cargo area solid metal except for dome-like round windows, like a 1970s "Don't Come Knockin' If this Van's Rockin' " street van
@@markrossow6303 hey, it was almost 50 years ago. Pretty sure about the soft bolts at the fuel filler but that jogged my memory and I think John's reply was right and it was to protect from the bolts near the diff. I was a service writer so I never did the recall, but I wrote plenty of tickets for it.
The wagons had a different fuel fill neck and 4" more space between tank and differential. Both the adjustments to the runabout neck and the plastic shield to keep the tank from rupturing on the differential bolts were employed. The panel wagon with moon windows was a factory option in 1977 - 1980(? Maybe just 77-78) wagons.
A lot of our childhood WAS a lie. But then, a lot of our adulthood, especially recently, has been a much larger and more dangerous lie. Thanks for another great romp through history!
It's frightening, isn't it? One must make a concerted effort to not freak the crap out over it all. Even knowing that we are being lied to in all directions doesn't make us immune to some of it. I just keep telling myself "It's still not as bad as the year 536AD" lol
@@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785 Dude, politicians will be politicians, and if you think that one group is better than another, then i really feel sorry for you. It's not rocket science here. They all lie.
I bought a 1971 sky blue( I called it) pinto in 1973 while in the AF. I drove it from Texas to Florida, back to Texas, and then to California. I learned how to change points, cap, plugs, oil and brake pads which made it easier on other cars I owned. Top speed was 85 to 87 mph. Did that on Hwy21 going down hill into Bastrop on my way to Austin Tx. I had some GREAT times in that car. I wish I had kept it.
The Ford Cortina and the Ford Taunus that used the 2 Litre Pinto engine would do 100 mph. The Ford Escort RS extracted over 200 hp from the Pinto engine.
Thanks for this! My dad loved Ford automobiles. When I was a child we had a Ford woody wagon. When I was in high school we had a Galaxy, then I got my license in the Corvair. When I got married he got a deal on two Pinto wagons with "woody" trim, one for him and one for us. I have no regrets, except that I had to let them go with time. The cars were always a member of the family ~ is that true anymore? We genuinely loved our cars. Thanks for this episode, sir!
The Pinto wagons had a longer, stronger rear body than the sedans and hatchbacks, so were less vulnerable in a rear-ender. Back when used wagons were plentiful, that was a reason wagons generally were preferred for demolition-derbies! In 1980, I took a '77 Pinto Pony MPG hatchback in trade for a motorcycle I was selling. After '73, all Pintos had a stronger rear structure to accommodate the new 5 mph bumper standards, and my '77 already had the gas-tank shield upgrade. So I wasn't too concerned about detonating on impact. While it was sluggish due to the optional MPG economy gearing, and somewhat crude, it was a clean, solid car, and my first with factory AC. Had it been a wagon, I might have kept it. But it couldn't match the refinement, and especially - the cargo-room of my '71 (admittedly trouble prone) Audi wagon. Wouldn't mind a decent Pinto wagon today, even without the 'Junior Country Squire' trim package! 🙂
My girlfriend back then had a Pinto. Aside from the fuel tank issues, and the horrible rust issues, the little car with rack and pinion steering and the top loader 4 speed transmission was fun to drive. Not fast, but it handled and drove like an MG sports car. It also got 3X better gas mileage than my Chevy Laguna SS 454 V8! And we survived it. The body's also made great Modified Stock Cars! 8)
I remember fixing a Pinto wagon in the bodyshop that had woodgrain. The car owner couldn't afford those expensive woodgrain applications...so I used Mac Tac , and a heat gun to stretch it around and into the door handle recesses. Looked great! Not sure how long it lasted.
I’m glad you straightened this out. My friend was a big Pinto guy. He could make them scream! One time in 1982 a guy on I44 St. Louis tried to race him in a Mercedes sports car and lost! That little 4 cylinder could be made to scream and my Citation with its V6 couldn’t catch him either! How about a video on the despicable Citation. You could call it “The car that paint refused to adhere to!”
My friend knows nothing about cars, so he sensibly had his mechanic inspect a used one. He said it was a good car! Of course, it was the worst decision he ever made, excepting getting married 🙄
A Citation was the worst car my family owned growing up. Even the radio was sideways in that piece of garbage. We were far happier with two Chevettes than having that Citation!
Thank you for presenting a factual review of the Pinto's safety performance. It has always bothered me that Lawyers and the media had so distorted the true situation for their own benefit.
Tell that to the 'Spider boy', that 13 year old kid that was horribly burned over his whole body to the point where his thin blackened body 'looked like a spider'. All so Lee Iacocca, a 1%'er, could make more money by making a cheap car. Who cares if people got hurt or killed? Profit is everything, Working class people don't count.
@@raygamma36 Just because the boy was burned in one accident does not mean the overall safety numbers (or lack thereof) of the car was not also misrepresented by lawyers and the media. As for your ignorant and divisive 1% comment, which reveals how much of a clown you are, EVERY business has a breakdown where lawsuits are weighed against product design. But you do know that Iococa also designed the Mustang. Which featured seatbelts before they were mandated. But your only take is "screw him because he wanted to build a low-priced compact car" -- when all the competition, foreign and domestic we're building cheap, subcompact cars and that's what the consumers wanted. I realize the people who bitch about 1%ers and the minimum wage are utterly clueless how business work. I mean, I guess if you want to live in the stone age, fine. But you just exposed yourself as the Neanderthal bitching that the Homo Sapiens have caves and fire. Damn those 1%ers.
I had a 1974 2300cc Runabout hatchback with factory mag wheels. When rust finally forced it out to pasture, we had put 800,000 miles on the body. I rebuilt the engine at 300,000 miles twice and shortblocked it the final time. It was reliable like an old farm tractor. When jeeps were in ditches in snow storms, I was driving past them. 😅
My first new car I bought was a 78 Cruising Wagon, that I still own! I drive it everywhere. Currently on a two month road trip to Florida. Oh the looks and comments I get. Nearly all positive. Thanks for trying to set the record straight. It's a tough job to do.
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes We are retired, getting away from the snow for a while lol! Over 3,000 miles on the trip so far. Will be in Key West the next couple of days then head back north.
My sister had a 71 pinto and later I bought a 76 bobcat. Both were great cars! Low maintenance, good gas milage, and fun to drive. I loved my bobcat- wish I still had it!👍🇺🇸❤️
Was my first car. A 72 hatchback, auto w/AC, bought in 73. Drove it for 5 years bringing it from Hawaii and drove it from Cali to Delaware. Only issue was water pump replacement. All the best! "The JJ" SW Penna.
...typical of the lawerly class...atbthe time there was a joke...how you could make murder look.like an accident...give you wife a Pinto with a set of Firestone 731 tires...
All the bad stuff said about Pintos are dumbass Leftist lies, similar to Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle." THE PINTO WAS NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN ANY OTHER CAR. Socialists are always spreading lies They try to bring down corporations. It's time to speak out BACK. Socialists are either paid by Russia to hurt American companies, or they are misguided and trying to "help" the little guy.
I appreciate the research presented here and in all the History Guy's episodes. I had a white two door '76 Pinto that was rear-ended by a loaded gravel truck, but it didn't explode. Fortunately, the recall to fix the gas tank problem had been done before that accident. It did burn a lot of oil. When I went to the gas station, I'd say, "Fill up the oil and check the gas." I lived in New Jersey, which I think still doesn't have self-service.
I was stationed in New Jersey while in the Navy (Colts Neck NJ) and I was surprised that they didn't allow you to pump your own gas. The funny thing about it was that the gas didn't cost any more than in places where you were allowed to pump your own gas. Can anyone explain why that was so?
@@eyesalooking It's a law on the books in NJ. Certain groups believed that allowing a citizen to pump their own gas would be dangerous (as they couldn't be trusted to not cause a fire or explosion). And many lawmakers have already tried to get rid of the law, but those same groups continue to make the specious argument that people can't be trusted to pump their own gas and that it's a safety issue.
Dude. When the t.v. and magazine and newspapers went nuts over the Pinto story I suspected that there was a lot of hyperbole in popular data. Now 50 years later you clear it up, confirming my feelings about a car that I very much liked for no particular reason. It had that "La-de-da I'm chill" face. Thank you. Plus it got pretty good mileage.
I was 16, had my driver's license, gas was .45 a gallon at a nearby convince store. One of my older brothers had a yellow 73 pinto, which he often gave to me because his then girlfriend had her car. $5 took me almost everywhere. What fun days!
@Sic Semper Mortem Tyrannis Around 45 cents a gallon for premium (high 30s for regular) was the price where I lived in the Midwest in the mid '70s, before the '79 oil crisis temporarily drove it up to around $1. I got my first car in '76 and it required at least 98 octane, and at that time Sunoco 260 was in the mid 40's. Adjusting for inflation, 45 cents in '76 is equal to around $2.30 now. Under $3 is pretty typical for regular right now in the Midwest.
@charlesivey100 My father bought a yellow ‘73 Pinto, and soon afterward moved out of state, leaving the Pinto behind with maddening vagueness about if/when he’d want it back. In addition to driving to school and work, I took my beloved gran and great-aunt anywhere they wanted to go (people did double-takes at the Taco Bell!). Unfortunately, we were having altogether too much fun, so my parents abruptly demanded the return of the car over Xmas break. I got around on a bicycle after that, but the elderly joyriders were tragically out of luck.
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes I was going to say that "Nostalgia is remembering yesterday's prices and forgetting yesterday's wages," but it looks like there's less truth to that than I thought.
@@derrickodyes1934 BOVINE SCAT...VERY few 'flames' resulted (from mine, too, that was involved in a rear-ender...no flames). Read my above response...the 'tests' by the MSM failed to ignite/explode ANY of the multiple ones they wasted their money on, until someone put a pyrotechnic device in the headlamp of the colliding vehicle! THEN it blew up!
Excellent recap! Every small car has fuel cell concerns to some degree. Remember too that most cars of the 60’s had fuel fillers behind the rear license plate.
This is the first time I have heard an honest recap of the entire situation. My Uncle was an engineer at FoMoCo at the time and he was livid at the unsupported diatribes hurled at the Pinto as he felt about the ones against the Edsel. As for me, well I bought a Cosworth Vega. 😮
As a passenger, I got rear-ended in a 1976 Ford Pinto sedan in 1989, by a 1974 Monte Carlo SS going 55 miles per hour. I can still feel the effects of those injuries, because the interior was very poorly padded. We had later heard that the recalled 1975 model could explode if rear-ended while the left turn signal was on. Luckily, we were turning right! The car was totalled. Within a few weeks, he had that engine transplanted into a red hatchback.
Turn signal had nothing to do with it. And as the video explained… it was all just media journalists try to make a name for theirselves. Almost ALL of the cars that made it in the news from the 60’s through the 90’s were falsely accused and later found to be ok, including the pinto
AMEN! Ralph Nader's heart was in the right place but he was not an engineer and he killed a really nice car. The characterstic he thought so dangerous was completely designed out of the '65 and '66 models and they were terrific cars. My '65 Beetle was every bit the twitchy, oversteering "death trap" he labeled the early Corvairs. Any one who was paying attention soon learned not to provoke it into misbehaving and a really cheap modification kit called a "camber compensator" was a great upgrade for my model. Nader got a lot of safety legislation going but on the corvair, he blew it!
I had the slightly up scale (I use this term loosely) 18976 Mercury model of the Pinto, called the Bobcat, hatchback, white with blue interior. I fit all my belongings in it when I drove off to college. I have such affection for this car.
I will never forget getting a ride home after high school from my friend's mom in their family Pinto and she yelled at me when I began putting my seatbelt on. She said it was safer to get thrown out of the car than trapped inside and burned if there was a crash. By the time I got over the shock and thought through what she just said, we were on the way and I rode the entire 15 minutes that felt like a decade, fully believing that it was going to be the last ride of my life.
Crazy, thank you! I thought the (taxi) drivers in third world countries saying they dive safely and do not turn on the lights to save fuel were the craziest.
@@judydoyle1124 My cousin would have been killed if he'd been wearing seat belt when he wrecked his car. It was a one in million, He was thrown out though right side window. The steering wheel and column was pushed through driver's seat into back seat. That was in early 1990s he was driving a 1970s 2 door sedan. I do still wear my seat belt when in vehicles and don't drive under the influence.
A 71 Pinto was my first car - no problems. In 1980 I bought a new one with 4 miles on it. I owned it until 1997 when the engine finally went and it had gone a bit over 587,000 miles. Never had a major repair, only the expected. The trick to making a Pinto last was to change the oil every 3,000 miles. Everyone I knew that did that had a dependable long-lasting car.
Omg , i was 12 or 13 and we had a 72 orange pinto wagon, im thinking around 1978? we used it to take our garbage to a community dumpster 5 miles away. I learned to drive on the road with it. Had a 76 mercury bobcat in 1983 right after boot camp. Loved it, wreaked it, Still here. Pinto frames are very popular with kit cars, AC cobras! Rich uncle bought a pony pace car with a straight six and a fancy Nascar factory paint job and decals , spoilers, special edition! Hit any car hard enough, and it'll explode. Heck, smart cars will run you into a block wall! Ah, thanks History Guy, that was fun reminiscing!! 😀 .
Bravo Lance! History must be revised in light of new evidence! i was born in '62. i'm sad to say at least 90% of what i was taught growing up was a lie 💜🙏
I am old enough to have been driving since the early 70s. In those days, I have friends that drove Gremlin, Vega and Maverick, all "crap" cars. The number of people I know that drove Pintos were order of magnitude higher than all those cars combined. A coworker of mine drive a Pinto Wagon to work (yes, wood panel and all) and his commute was over 100 miles a day, 6 days a week. Over the 4 years we worked together, he has zero problems, except for a bunch of speeding tickets. In the early 80s, I worked with somebody that was a street drag racer. His car was an old Pinto, he installed a jet fuel tank in the hatch back, did not concern him at all. Yes, that was a really fast car. My uncle's orange Pinto lasted 2 generations, until his daughter graduated from college and traded it in.
I am NOT a Ford man at all but the Maverick and Fairmont were by far much better cars than a Pinto. Many times did I replace the junk plastic bushing that supported the shifter in the manual transmission and then there was the timing belts and the emissions system problems. None of that ever happened to a 6cyl Maverick or Fairmont.
I owned a '72 Pinto station wagon and a '76 Mercury Bobcat (Mercury's version of the Pinto). Both cars were admittedly pretty basic, but they both served me well for years and were pretty trouble free. I loved that little station wagon and which I had it now!! Hard to look cool in a Pinto station wagon but I am old enough to not care!
I was a "line mechanic" at the local Ford Store in the late 70's. One of the few recalls I even really made good time (money) on was the Pinto tank upgrade kit! Also did a#of door handle R&R's.
I drove a "Drive-Away" Pinto wagon in '78 from DC to Newhall, CA. Not a peep of trouble, plenty of room for my belongings that I dropped off in Phoenix. Hit a pretty wild bug storm outside Tucumcari, NM. Great memories and from my experience a great little car.
I have very fond memories of our Ford Pintos. We owned a two-door, a hatchback, and a wagon…and all of them light blue. They were very comfortable to drive, fairly good gas mileage, and wagon had lots of room for its size. They were a great car for the time.
I am sure Lance is giving us accurate information regarding Pintos versus similar cars. My first cousin was one of those girls in the Indiana Pinto accident. Indiana capped lawsuits at a $100,000 if memory serves, so my aunt and uncle did not get rich by any means. My dad and mom drove Chryslers, but even those heavy cars had issues. Sad story. A lot of good came from it though due to improvements in safety.
The Pinto has the same reputation as the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. I'm from Ohio and people in other states still ask me if our rivers catch on fire. It's been 53 years since that happened and the 1969 fire was out so fast, they use a photo from 1952.
I've heard that other rivers had burned too. The Cuyahoga got all the press. There've been fish in the Cuyahoga for a long time now, for heaven's sake!
If they use the 1952 picture, that does mean the river burned at least twice. It might be over blown, but most of us find a burning river a might unusual.
@@cdjhyoung , My understanding is that the Cuyahoga burned a number of times, more than twice for certain. If a river needs to burn more than twice in order for government to say we need to do something about it, then that looks pretty short sighted on the part of the people who watched it burn repeatedly, doesn't it? Where
I wish more modern car companies made compact and space efficient cars. I hate that modern cars have so little interior space yet on the outside they are larger than the biggest SUVs in the past.
Learned to drive in a bright green 4-speed Pinto. Was headed home one day, heard a clunk and then scraping. When I pulled over, I saw that one of the metal bands holding up the fuel tank had broken and the tank was being dragged along the road. I laughed, said a little prayer, tied the tank back up with a piece of rope and limped home.
I learned the meaning of "gallows humor" after reading the "EXPLODES ON IMPACT" bumper stickers that graced the back bumpers of many a Pinto in those days.
In truth the Pinto wasn't a bad car at all. It looked pretty good, got good gas mileage and was dependable. One little thing that I loved to point out to Pinto owning friends was the door handles. They were made of pot iron and tended to break very quickly. We would go to salvage yards to get replacements but most the time the Pintos we located also had broken door handles. Vise Grips became the norm!!
My experience with our ‘73 Pinto was pretty much the opposite. Just about every interior component which could fall apart or break off did. For example, the window cranks were zinc pot metal and broke easily, same for the heater control bracket which broke easily and I replaced twice. The plastic door handles also came apart. The syncros in the 4 speed manual transmission jammed. I remember trying to time the German-made distributor and due to the rounded lobes on the cam, the timing mark drifted back and forth in the strobe, so I just set it by ear somewhere in the middle. Also chunks of the grille inexplicably fell out. An aesthetic insult was part of the fuel tank mitigation consisted of installing a big ugly black metal ring which sat slightly proud of the car’s contour around the gas cap due to heavy rust on the rear quarter panel. The Pinto got even with me for my despise by clobbering me in the head when both gas struts on the rear hatch let go simultaneously while grabbing my briefcase out of the back. I didn’t miss the Pinto. We replaced it with a ‘79 Chevette which was also a cheapie car but actually pretty reliable.
@@faulltw Apparently Pintos must have improved after the first few years. The one I had was despicably poorly manufactured. My uncle had a blue 1971 Pinto where the passenger door got so loose that he simply bolted it in place never to be used again. About the only major system which didn’t fail before 50K miles was the brakes.
Great video! I especially love how you took the Mother Jones article and the conclusions MJ 'mistakenly' came to, and refuted them with accurate information. This rigorous attachment and pursuit of truth and accuracy is something we need so much of; now, in the past, and in our future. Bravo!
My brother had a Pinto back in the early 80s, I think it was a 72 or 73. I loved that car. It actually got destroyed when a semi rear ended him while he was at a stop light and the semi didn't brake when it hit him. Totally crushed the Pinto, but no explosion or fire. My brother lost two teeth from hitting the steering wheel. But the high back seats saved him from whiplash or worse. So kudos to Ford for those high back buckets seats in the Pinto. A Pinto is on the short list of Fords (Mustang and F150 are the other two) I would buy, I'm a Chevy guy.
I had a 1980 pinto that I was rear-ended by someone who's going at least 55 mi an hour unlikely my car did not explode but I got the hell out of that cars fast as I can
The ford pinto was not a disaster! My mother won one back in 1972 ! It had a little 1600 cc motor and my family put 460000 miles on it and it was still running when i retired it ! That car was a jewell !!
i agree 10 million percent. I know someone who was rear ended in hers - NO BLOW UP! Such a dramatic time for the news - especially since other mfrs cars were blowing up but guess what - they paid to HIDE IT! shame on them
@@g.t.richardson6311 My friends mom had one and it was fine. From when I was 8 until I left the house at 18 she had that same car. It was good for 10 years anyway, I'd call that pretty darn good!
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy Totally agree, never had one but friends did It’s kind of like escapes now, 2012 or before Have 2 of them , no issues , 140000, 150000 miles Had a 2005 till 2019 too Got my moneys worth out of it
I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for the Pinto - even after the controversy started. Cute car and fun to drive! I honed my clutch skills in a friend’s green hatchback in H.S. I’m glad to hear the real story!
There is a scene in the move "Top Secret", where a Pinto is rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle just barely taps the Pinto and you hear a "ping" and then the Pinto explodes. Great movie and it was Val Kilmer's first movie.
Say what you want about the Germans, they do build good trucks! (After rearending and exploding the Pinto, and driving away in a Mercedes truck with flames all over it) great movie!😂😂😂
@@theboyisnotright6312 I took my wife to a drive-in, remember those, to see this. I thought is was great, but she did not like it. I think I will go make so flaming hog balls now. lmao
I took a 1971 pinto from the land fill in Kona Hawaii. Replaced the transmission from another junker and drove that thing for a couple years. That straight six was easy to work on and great on gas. Mine was the station wagon model. Loved that thing
My father entered a sweepstakes drawing at Sears and Roebuck to win a new car. Well, he won that drawing and the car was a gold 1970 Ford Pinto. Black interior and manual transmission,. It looked stylish, ran great, and was very reliable. Later on, I bought a silver 1976 Ford Pinto from my wife's friend. Another good looking car that never broke down. I ended up giving it to my father in law at 186,000 miles. He loved it and drove it to work for two more years after that. 🦓
I owned 4 Ford Pintos between 1973 and 1985, I was in the Air Force and bought a used one at every new base. Never had a problem, was even rear-ended and the gas tank didn't rupture.
Dad had a 1974 Pinto, and I drove it until I went in the Army in 1977. In 1981, I bought a used Gremlin X (The X had a pin stripe and power steering). Both cars were decent, economical, and never broke down.
People used to install the AMC 390 or 401 engine in Gremlins scavenged from a Matador, Ambassador or Grand Wagoneer. Not much back in the day could keep up.
Really enjoyed this episode. One thing I've never heard anyone mention is that the 1964 through at least 1966 Ford Mustang had exactly the same gas tank installation as the Ford Pinto. The floor of the trunk was the top of the gas tank and there was almost no crush room between the rear bumper and the tank. But I don't remember anyone mentioning an issue with the Mustangs.
I learned how to drive in my dad's red 1974 pinto station wagon. When I got married years later, dad loaned me the car until I bought my own a few months later. When he passed away in 2000, I got the car again and we gave it to a neighbor of ours. It was still in good condition for a 26 year old car in 2000.
I owned a 77 hatchback (full glass hatch) and a 79 wagon, used to pull a 16' English style house trailer behind the wagon. Both cars had the 2.3l OHC German engines. Blew timing belts regularly at 80,000 kms, always carried a spare belt, took 30 minutes to pop on the new belt, line-up the 3 timing marks and was good to go, just needed a 10mm wrench! Loved both cars.
