I was a kid in the 70's but I can tell you how much I Loved the Ford Pinto my dad bought after years of owning Beetles for one major reason. There was actually heat in a car for the first time in my life.
@@briansquire8825 I would imagine that at least some of them had to have worked. I think the one my cousin had did, but I will have to ask her about it.
@@thehopelesscarguy The only heaters in the beetles that worked in cold weather was the ones that had Gas heaters, they burned more gas than the Engines! Every body that owned a beetle also owned a window Scraper and a Good warn jacket!
@@mylanmiller9656 I agree with you my mom had both of these cars. We lived in the midwest. Froze my butt in the bug. Was glad when my mom got the Pinto.
Our family car in the 70’s was a Pinto. I didn’t know it was a piece of crap because it was our only car. I was amazed when I grew up and bought my own first car and it had adjustable seats on the passenger side too! We were a happy family because we didn’t have people telling us we were poor, so we didn’t know or care.
My first Pinto had dual adjustable seat but the drivers one was broken so I swapped them. This created a problem as the lever rubbed the center hump so I raised the seats using lug nuts as spacers and this made the car much more comfortable to drive.
@@BuzzLOLOL But at least Buzz you could slap on a new belt. Check and set the timing and you were off again. Unlike today's zero engines that grenade themselves.
Great video! The Pinto, despite the scandal, was a good car. My parents each had a Pinto and later I did too. I also owned a Chevy Monza. It's funny, I'm old enough to actually have driven most of these cars and can relate to a lot of what you said.
Like what years im curious because im trying to find info on a small batch of mercury Bobcats that had a unique blue that was only on 424 of them in 1980 the last model year for the car. You remember anything on them like the color description or at least a place too find a add campaign they had for it so i can figure out the color name anything like that would be huge for me
@@brendanliamgill99 ....There was a decal inside the drivers side door jam that had the color code for that cars color. I sure wish I can help you more but I worked on the main line(finish line), we had to read manifests that corresponded to the car number. Every day the number begins with 1 and ended with something like 490 or 500. That's how many cars that the shift put out for the day. Maybe someone who worked in the paint shop or the body shop will see and read this message and can help you better than I can and provide you some better information.........Good luck.
@@brendanliamgill99 ........Hello, it's me again. I was thinking and for that year I remember they made a run of Pintos for that year of approximately 5000 cars for the U.S. Postal service that had a special color to them. Maybe you have one of them or are you sure it's a Mercury Bobcat.
now that is a car to miss ! most people don't really miss selling a Pinto ! I had a v8 vega and had fun but I used it and got rid of it , don't miss it I used it for all it was worth , the car I miss is my first car , a 1967 firebird ! I restored it in the 80's then sold it ( like a dummy ) then saw it two weeks later TOTALLED ! I just about cried , took me two years to restore it ! I miss that car !
I owned a '74 Pinto hatchback (2300 4-speed), as well as several 1970s-era Japanese cars (Corollas, Datsun 1200/B210, Celica, Mazda RX7, GLC, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Horizon TC3, Honda Civic and a '74 Gremlin. One thing I learned, not only from my own experiences but from those of many others as well, is the following: Sales numbers do not equal quality. In fact, the opposite is often true. Examples: Ford sold gobs of 1980s Tempos. GM sold a shit-ton of early-80s Citations, Chevettes and Cavaliers. Chrysler Corporation flooded the market with Omnis, Horizons and Neons. All three of these manufacturers and their above-mentioned products featured some of the poorest-quality and abysmal durability figures imaginable for any era. So how did they sell so many pieces of shit? 1. High advertising budgets. 2. Bought-off automotive press personnel. 3. An existing patriotic domestic market. 4. Fleet sales. 5. Easy financing options. 6. Dumping a heap of cash on the hood to clear out unsold models before the next-years' models arrived and finally 7. A patriotic yet naive consumer base hell bent on (eventually) finding out the hard way that they were being screwed. Sure, the Pinto and Vega were decent handling cars by early-1970s standards vs. most of their Japanese econo-box competitors. They were also roomier, better-equipped and more solid-feeling than the Japanese cars of the day, as well as more powerful. Trouble is, they needed every one of those extra ponies to push themselves and their extra weight down the road at the same pace as their Japanese counterparts, and consequently returned only 30 mpg - vs. closer to 40 mpg from the Toyota Corolla and Datsun 1200/B210. As for the faults of the early-70s Toyotas/Datsuns, they were primarily 1. spartanly-equipped, 2. flimsier body panels, 3. every bit as rust-prone as their domestic counter-parts, and 4. short on parts/service support, being that they were new to the North American market at the time, and dealer-dependent for parts/service since most independent shops were not yet familiar with those makes. But they did have some models that out-shined their American competition in looks, or in performance, or in economy or in reliability/durability - or any combination of all four attributes: The in-line-six-equipped Toyota Corona. The Toyota Celica. The Datsun 510 - an excellent-handling, reasonably peppy, BMW 2002 wannabe that returned both reliability AND economy and of course, the Datsun 240/260/280Z sports car - basically an affordable Jaguar E-type but with neither the cache nor the maintenance-nightmare issues. On top of all of this, engine and drive train life expectancy in traditional large and mid-sized American and European cars in the early 70s was around 110,000 to 130,000 miles. But the early-70s smaller American economy cars did well to return around 80,000 before the proverbial cloud of blue smoke became evident. The Vega achieved this dubious trait at around 50,000 miles, owing to it's poorly-executed version of the Reynolds-formula silicon-impregnated aluminum engine block. The Mazda R100, RX2, early RX3 and RX4 also had shorter engine life issues, owing to then-un-resolved inter-housing sealing problems downstream of the combustion chambers. But at least Mazda was much quicker on the ball to replacing these engines under warranty and engineering solutions to that issue. As for early-70s Toyotas and Datsuns, they were good for 80,000 to 100,000 miles, similar to the Pinto. But they were much smoother running. The Pintos (especially the more smog-choked ones) exhibited poor throttle response at lower rpms and were simply not as refined as the Japanese makes were - even in 1971. By 1976 Toyota and Datsun were building clearly more reliable and every bit as durable cars as anything built in the US, and had excellent parts and maintenance support from dealers and independent sources alike. Honda was still lagging in the durability department, but by 1982 Honda had pulled up alongside Toyota for build quality, durability, dependability, performance and economy. By this time the US makes were lagging in all of those departments and even now have never recovered.
I had a friend who was given his aunt's Pinto wagon when she had to stop driving. It was a standard and the gas tank was in a safe spot. He drove it for years.
I love looking for mistakes in videos like this, since 99% of them make horrible mistakes or completely omit, don't know, or forget facts from the competition, but this video is a pure GEM. Everything is covered here. Super accurate and actually truly educational. Rock on!
The only note I'd have given is the body-style timeline. The trunked fastback coupe (always referred to by Ford as a 2-door sedan) was the only one offered at 1971 new-car intro time in fall '70. The hatchback (Runabout), part of the original design program, followed a few months later in early calendar '71. The wagon didn't appear until early spring '72 as a mid-'72 launch, presumably after a crash program to match the Chevy Vega in a segment (station wagons) that Ford historically dominated.
Thanks, I'm not sure how that could have happened. When I go through to edit my hour long ramble into something coherent I can post, I often wonder if I'm even aware of what I'm saying.
It is an excellent video in many ways. The only mistake I spotted has to do the the AMC Gremlin. When they first offered a 4 cylinder engine it was not a GM engine, but a crummy VW / Audi engine licensed to be built by AMC.
It's amazing how much influence the pinto had! It's front suspension and steering would fuel a cottage industry for hot rods for decades (and still does) and the 4 cylinder engine would influence the Ranger pick up years later.
Pinto was|is a fantastic car. If you look at the race pedigree of all the cars you mentioned the Pinto is by bar and away the KING of motorsports, my first car was a 74 Pinto, I have owned many Pinto's, and at 58 I still own a very nice 71 Pinto.
My parents' '74 Pinto wagon was my first favorite car. To this day, I'm a Ford man in part because of it. Looking back now, the Pinto was at least remarkable in the fact that it was for sale in the mid '70s, and it wasn't super ugly. You name just about any car from that time... fugly.
I remember 1975 well. I was 12 years old and my father purchased a brand new, white 2 door Pinto Mpg with tan vinyl interior from S & C Ford in San Francisco. MSRP was $3995! Drove that car through high school.
It's odd that everyone remembers the exploding Pintos where 27 people died in a fire, but seem to forget the exploding GM trucks that killed over 270 people for the same reason.
The 1977 & 1978 Ford Pintos had a front-end which looked rather sporty, and I really like the 3-door models from those years! Although the Ford Pinto was described as unsafe, it has been said that the models built from 1977 through 1980 are "safe".
The front styling from those years were better looking then the early ones for sure and I always thought the hatchback looked kinda like a AMX from certain angles. I knew a guy that rear ended a pinto in a Chevy pickup with saddle tanks and neither vehicle exploded and I've seen a Volvo catch fire in a collision so luck seems to play a big part in "safe".
Of the "thousands" that supposedly died in Pinto fires the NHTSA investigation revealed that 27 people actually died. Given the cars production numbers which was over 2 million, the Pinto was no more fire prone than any other car of the time and had a better rate than cars like the Datsun 1200 and the Toyota Corolla. The placement of the gas tank was commonplace at the time in many cars.
I had 74 Pinto, this baby had the 1600cc with a 4 speed manual, a single barrel carburetor which put out an earth shattering 74 horsepower, a true gutless wonder! Great gas mileage though. With today's speed limits on the interstates, I think it would be a bad idea for highway traffic.
@@captainkirk4514 Are you sure yours was a '74? If memory serves, the standard engine for that year was the 2.0L four (which my '74 had, along with the 4-speed). I'll agree with you that these cars weren't suited for modern interstate speeds. On my trips between home (southern CA) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, mine couldn't even crack 50 mph up the Grapevine - and that required dropping into third.
I do believe '73 was the last model year with the 1.6 but in those days many states registered vehicles by sale date instead of model year which has created many arguments over the years over what is what.
@@thehopelesscarguy Yes, that is true, but the car was produced at the beginning of the 1974 model year, sometimes manufacturers will use leftover engines and transmissions from the previous model year that are no longer in production to get rid of them, so essentially, my Pinto was a 74, but the engine and transmission were from the 73 model year.
How I remember from my childhood the days of Pintos (my older brother’s was baby blue), the Vega (one of my friend’s mom had an orange one), VW Bugs (Dad’s was red, brother’s was tan) & Gremlins (didn’t personally know any owners). Nice video.
Had a 71 . Worked at a auto shop. Put a beefy cam, dual webers, and 4 into 1 header pipe. Then beefed up the clutch. At just under 2000 lbs this car screamed. I would love to have her now.
I still have my book on How to Hotrod Your 2.0L OHC Ford, which I did. Those cars and engines were easy to work on with lots of aftermarket parts. Put on some wider tires and slotted wheels under those wide fenders and it looked pretty cool. But I still gotta give props to the Datsun 510 (which wasn't even mentioned).
@@thehopelesscarguy MSRP in 1971 was $1990, so pretty close. Granted, 10 years later when I was buying one of each the Datsun was about twice the cost of a Pinto.
I had a 79 Pinto back in 1980 (second owner). They had redesigned the body, and it was actually a sporty-looking little thing, and had decent acceleration. However, it was poorly built and VERY unreliable, and the professional garages I took it to inexplicably across the board were unable to tune it to run well, ever. I eventually totaled it against the side of a house, and good riddance.
Pinto was a good car for its day. If it would not have been for the gas tank issue it would have been a great car. Simple, great looking, inexpensive, reliable. As was the Maverick. Too bad they can't make an electric version today, of course with updated and upgraded safety. Pinto, like the Model A was real back to basics car. The type of car FORD is famous for.
The Pinto? I remember seeing more Mavericks on the road where I grew up! I didn't get why the Maverick was so popular. The thing was shaped like a "duck" on wheels!
@@thehopelesscarguy People told themselves the Maverick was a coupé and that's was make you look sporty and young. Well, it looked ways better than a 2-door three box sedan.
Your knowledge of American automotive history is truly apparent, and refreshingly informative. Keep it up, the youtube algorithm will catch up to your content quality!
I've owned two wagons and a Bobcat coupe. As small cars go, it was sporty compared to it's competition.(4 speed) Vegas were crap in comparison. A family friend bought a new one in 73, it was showing rust bubbles around the windshield when she brought it home. She was so proud my Dad didn't have the heart to point it out to her...
I had a coworker once with a 76 Vega and she put a "Friends don't let friends drive Chevy's" sticker on it. I drove it once, after owning a Vega of my own that I liked, but if mine had been like hers I think I would have felt the same way.
What I remember most about the 71 Pinto that I bought new was that it's lack of arm rest/door pulls caused me to replace a couple of latch handles that broke off because the driver's door had to be slammed to get it to latch properly (I could had adjusted the striker-duh). Also, it was extremely hard to start in the winter (should have installed an engine heater). What I liked about it was that it would cruise at 75 mph down the interstate on my daily 50 mile drive to work with no problem. Overall, I thought that it was OK and I liked its looks (a yellow hatchback, 2 liter automatic)
i had a 1971 ford pinto, the first year of production. with a low production number. i purchased it used in 1989 for $400.00, and it was in excellent condition. i must say it was a very reliable car as long as you know how to work on cars, just general maintenance. i sold it in 2012 for $1,250. there are a lot of vehicles that also explode if you hit them in the correct area. but you dont hear about them. like with any other vehicle, if you do not maintain them they will fail.
I turned a profit on both my Pintos as well. Maintenance is key, something manufacturers seem to be forgetting, increasingly creating a need for specialized tools for even simple repairs.
I think Pintos were often driven to death, but that was kind of the point of them. It wasn't the car you kept in the garage with low miles, you used it.
I had a ‘72 Pinto, & loved it. I worked with a girl who traded her VW in for a Gremlin cause her boyfriend said it was a much better car than the Pinto. After about 6 mos. she got rid of her Gremlin as she had a lot of problems with it. She ended up with some used car. I felt bad for her...
My sister bought three brand new pintos I had a used Omni it was the worst car I ever had my aunt bought a new Dodge Colt that car got almost 300,000 miles the Toyotas oh my word they're still on the road and no one wanted the GM joke that was a Vega
myself and my co-workers (ironically worked at a gas station) witnessed a rear ended Pinto fire. We ran with fire extinguishers, nothing could be done, the Pinto and it's occupants were fully engulfed. The scene haunted us, even to this day, I sometimes think of the horror.
I have seen more than my share of horrific crashes. Some have been more gruesome than can ever be described in words, but the hardest to see is people trapped and panicking.
We had several including a Bobcat. None of the ever caught fire. One of them burned oil so fast that we would "fill the oil and check the gas". It never failed to start, unlike other makes that we had.
I had a 79 Pinto back in 1980. After their final redesign, it was an attractively sporty looking little car, but a POS mechanically. I had various garages unsuccessfully try to simply TUNEUP the little monster, and the steering eventually failed ON THE ROAD, leading to a collision with a HOUSE. I'm very lucky the damned thing didn't literally KILL me.
Ah, the Ford Escort. That reminds me of when I was in college. Before an evening class I took, another student came in to explain a free escort service, where students can call to be walked to their cars during the night, in case they had security concerns about walking at night. A female student next to me spoke English as a second language. Something got mixed up in the translation. She then remarked that she drives a Ford Escort, and was glad the university offered "Escort service" (to actually service her car). I still laugh about that.
i had a 1972 pinto runabout hatchback (no trunk), 2 liter with c4 automatic and it was a great little car. i did the modifications needed to prevent the fuel tank from being punctured in a rear collision and always felt safe driving it, although it was not very good in the snow or on ice.. the rear end was a little light. but it was extremely reliable and always got 20-25mpg. eventually the engine wore out with over 300k miles on it, i couldn't find another 2 liter engine for it and didn't want to overhaul the old one so i sold it to a guy who wanted the front suspension for a street rod project. sometimes i wish i had held onto it, it was a simple basic car that was very easy to work on.
After learning to drive in a Maverick, my first owned three cars were Pintos (1979 - 1986).. The best was a wagon that took my family everywhere and a hatchback V6 that had quite the power for such a light car. I loved them but in the late 80's had to move on to newer models. It is sad that all that can be remembered now is the stupid gas tank.
In 1976, my mum bought a brand new Mercury Bobcat from her local dealership in Toronto. But this wasn't any ordinary Bobcat - it was a rare "sport" edition called the "Super Bobcat!!" Oh yeah! My mum's 1976 Mercury had earth shattering features like a V6 engine, race car steering wheel and a sun roof!! Actually, she drove that car until 1985. The only big issue she had with the Bobcat was shortly after she bought it - she was driving on the highway and the engine stalled while she was doing like 90km/hr! She had it towed back to the dealership and they said there was some defect with the carburetor, and it was still under warranty so they fixed it free of charge. After that, she never had any more problems with it. Finally, in late 1985 (when she found out she was pregnant with ME), she got rid of the Bobcat for a larger family sedan - and that larger sedan was.........the 1983 MERCURY ZEPHYR!!! ...with the inline straight 6!
I'm sure it seemed like an upgrade at the time, but in retrospect it probably wasn't. Still, I've seen worse trade ins. I had a neighbor that traded his '69 Daytona for a new Thunderbird Super Coupe in '89.
Wow, the Mercury version of the Fairmont. Too bad you were just a babe, or you could have hooked her up with Esslinger Engineering's straight six performance goodies. At least it was reliable. Lowest cranking amps needed to turn over that engine and you couldn't kill the straight sixes!
@@Jackalski57 Yes sir! And my grandfather (my dad's father), had the Ford Fairmont at the same time mum had the Zephyr. I remember the Fairmont was white with lime green pint stripes, the Zephyr was red with white pint stripes - both 4 door, and both with the straight 6. And I can tell you first hand, the Zephyr took a BEATING! That car went from Toronto to Newfoundland and back TWICE, back and forth a few times from Toronto to Quebec, all up north on rugged roads in northern Ontario in the cottage country, plus the regular daily commutes. She had the Mercury Zephyr from '86 - '97, but in it's last couple of years, she didn't run so well! By that time, it was all rusted and rotted out and it couldn't even make it to the end of the street without stalling... if my poor mother was even able to get it started!! I tell ya, my mum ran that Zephyr right into it's grave! But it was a good little car in it's time.
I owned a Pinto and even though I have driven 10-15 thousand miles a year for around 50 years, I never saw a flaming Pinto...not even on a half dozen trips to junkyards.
My parents had a blue Mercury Bobcat,my mom picked up my friend and I from school one day and reverse did not work.She drove forward across the lawn.I believe early on it leaked oil.The driveway could verify that.It was an automatic and hatchback.
good vid . lots of info. i was there for all of it. appreciate the sales numbers and years introduced. over it's time, the pinto also made ford more than 1 BILLION dollars in profit. the escort program was a loser (net) for it's entire duration... subscribed.
I bought an '80 Pinto Pony 2.3 4 speed in '87 after I joined the Navy.. After a rod froze and caused the cam to be eaten up, I traded the head for a lightly used Mustang SVO head, an Isky cam and dual Weber side drafts with a modified intake, a Borg Warner 5 speed and 3.73 rear (from the same SVO) and 4/2 headers with 2.5 inch pipes and Cherry Bomb "mufflers".. I ended up with 240 HP and still got 27MPG.. I loved that car. Had it until it got hit by a pizza driver in '98 and totalled.
That was an issue with the hydraulic lifters that started with the 2.3L. If the car sat too long, or you waited too long between oil changes, etc. one or more lifters would "freeze up" and take out the lifter(s), followers and the cam. Fortunately, the cam came out the front, though to do it all "right" you'd need to take off the head. I still have a Hedman Header for the 2.3L in storage that was never installed in a car.
@@Jackalski57 I was lucky. The mechanic had an SVO that the owner didn't want to pay for the repairs, and was curious to see what he could do to a Pinto.. started with just the head, then found out that the transmission and rear wouldn't take the strain, the rest was history... fun fun history.
Thanks for telling the truth about the Pinto AND the early imported Toyotas and Datsuns of the day. I never understood how Japanese cars got such a good reputation in the early 70's because these were junk. The only had fuel mileage going dor them. The Pinto may have had a few hiccups, but was a pretty stout car right out of the box.
The premise of the concept that the Pinto dominated the 70's is flawed and incorrect. Yes, it had a strong first 5 years. But when faced with better competition, fell by the way side. You don't mention the Chevy Chevette until almost 12 minutes into the video. The Chevette was introduced in 1975 and like the Pinto go on to sell close to 3 million cars in ten years. It clearly dominated the Pinto in the second half of the 70's decade. The Pinto's domination was a short 5 model year period. Don't get me wrong, I like the Pinto and think it's treated unfairly by historians and media, but it didn't dominate the second half of the 70's.
In 1980 the basic Pinto Pony sedan was the cheapest car in America; the Dodge Omni cost more than a bigger Dodge Aspen, and a VW Rabbit was more expensive still.
I had two Pintos...a '73, non-hatchback, shocking purple, the small 1600 motor, slot mags, hooker header and twin weber carbs, Indy tires...a real nice running and looking car, the second a stock '77...both really good cars
I think that saying the Pinto dominated is giving a Pinto way to much credit ! they were a cheap fast way for Ford to make a gas saving car , which it was . The Gov. ruined cars in the early 70's and this is what we got ! which was crap ! The early 70's car were awesome and the Gov got tired of us enjoying ourselves and had to ruin it !
@@thehopelesscarguy you've got that right ! they were just a way to get around ! I can think of a lot of cars to restore before a pinto ! I'm doing a 68' Chevelle right now with my son , now that's good family entertainment !
The early ones are the easiest car I've ever worked on. The 2300 engine had an overhead cam, which at the time was used mostly in high end sports cars, and could be modified to make as much power as a small V8. The rack and pinion front suspension was and still is used to convert straight axel front ends on old hotrods and racecars. The Mustang II copied the Pinto front suspension and beefed it up so most people now use a Mustang II style front suspension for the conversion. Checkout this pinto ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7DXgusW1m58.html
My Dad bought the '71 Pinto hatchback. As a blooming mechanic, I drove the shit out of that car. It had a German built motor (2000 cc), and when I opened up the Ford 2 barrel carburetor... It said Holley on the inside. Weird thing...It had four studs holding the air cleaner on! Well, one day the motor got hot. I stopped at a friends house that was closest to home.... Which was 1/4 mile further.... But I stopped....After letting it cool, it was frozen Two friends got into the hatchback and stuck their legs out so another friend pushed us to my High School auto shop. Yes, they pushed against the push car, so bumpers never met! In auto shop, we pulled the motor and put it on an engine stand. First thing out were the spark plugs... And we looked into the hole.. One of the studs that held the air cleaner was lodged into the top of one of the pistons.... Now makes all sorts of sense! Shop teacher looks. "Well you can bet that the intake valve is bent, so you have to a least redo the head"... Makes sense! We tore down the head and ID marked all the valves... SOB... Not one of the valves were bent... We inspected the valve seats. We put it back together with new gaskets and drove it for many more years So later on, those were put into dune buggies... And still the Pinto still has a bad name!? OK the later ones were crap, but '71/'72 were great!... Well, just don't put an automatic trans on a 4 cylinder,
I had the C4 auto on my first one with the 2.0L. Made enough power. Only hot it to 100mph once going downhill (possibly with a tailwind), but she'd reliably sail down the road for long stretches at 80-90mph! Oh yeah, that 2bbl carb was a Holley/Weber 5200. Great carb, unless the outer screws that held the idle air jets in came loose and you lost the jets themselves. It just wouldn't idle right and you'd need to have a foot on the gas and one on the brake to keep from stalling.
@@thehopelesscarguy The 2.0 and 2.3L engines were cannibalized for dirt track racers, dune buggies and kit cars. The rack and pinion steering that it ended up sharing with the later Mustang II was used in many a kit car or to upgrade a classic car's steering.
Wow, your coverage of this subject was very complete & well informed. This is the 1st episode I have seen on your channel, and I am a new sub. And including the Plymouth Cricket, and knowing it was the Hillman Avenger, really shows in-depth knowledge. If you should cover imports from before the 70's, there were even more, like the Ford Cortina, Simcas, Renaults, Opels at Buick dealerships, Fiat, etc.....
Thank you. I have mentioned the Buick Opels in a couple of videos. My experience with the Ford Cortina is limited to nearly giving myself whiplash seeing one driving around town. I find old Simcas interesting, but have never seen one in person.
I Worked @ Aamco transmissions in the 70s as a rebuilder.The Pinto had 2 types transmissions a C-3&C-4 the C-4 one of the best transmissions Ford ever built other than C-6 Used in Trucks&Big engines. If the rubber band was replaced Pintos were great cars,If you could stand the bomb stories😁
@@thehopelesscarguy Yes, my first Pinto, a '73 station wagon with the 2.0L German-designed overhead cam engine had a C4 tranny in it. I remember it well, since I did virtually all the tuning and maintenance on it and had a complete set of factory manuals for it. Decoded the vin and stamped tags, etc.
I liked your pinto program I had a few of them the fastest was my 1971 2.0 4 speed that little car ran the quarter mile in 16.89 at New York national speedway back in 1975 I put many a V8 to shame with that little car I broke two transmissions three rear axle but it was one fast little car.
@@thehopelesscarguy mine got 22 mpg on a good day- changed oil regularly- still, poor thing didn’t last as long as my son’s Corolla with 220K miles & still going!
Looking back, the first model with the 1.6 liter Kent engine and a 4 speed would have been the ideal Pinto. That engine was very reliable and not having an automatic was essential!
That 1.6L Kent engine was the base for one of the Cosworths. The BDA, IF I remember correctly. I still have some of my Pinto manuals, though I think I got rid of my factory manuals back in the early 2000's.
I bought a brand new '72 Pinto Runabout. LOVED that car, the only one I ever had that I wish I still had. It was a great car! Looked good, totally dependable, fun to drive, extremely economical. Comfortable ride, considering it's size. I drove it cross-country several times. I liked it so much, I later bought a used 1980 Pinto wagon - it was also a fantastic car, though I much preferred the looks of the original.
Took my driving test at 16 in a '74 Pinto, 2300cc, 4 in the floor, AM radio, piss yellow with this light green interior, about a year later I broke both motor mounts doing donuts on a dirt road. Goodbye Pinto, hello 1980 Plymouth Arrow. Anybody remember those?
@@lvsqcsl Seems Mitsubishi in the 70s could have saved money by not having so many designations for one car. I don't just mean for different countries, I mean a half a dozen different badges on one car.
@@thehopelesscarguy You are right. However, at the time Chrysler owned a portion of Mitsubishi and that connection may have had something to do with that.
My 72 Pinto (1600cc 4-speed) had the metal shielded gas tank that kept it from being ruptured by the rear diff & axle. We enjoyed our Pinto. I also had a 72 Gremlin badged as the P-38 not the "X" model with the 304ci V8 with 3 speed stick shift, it even had air-conditioning! It was fun to drive around the Arizona mountains.
Well by the time Pinto debuted Ford already had a good compact car, reliable and with decent performance - the Escort. Why not bring that car to the US instead of creating something they (Ford of US) had abdsolutely no experience?
There are many models both Ford and GM could have brought to the U.S. that arguable could have saved the companies money and sold well. Usually the argument against them was differences in the market, safety, emissions and preferences. Considering how much better the Pinto sold the GMs Opel Kadette and Chryslers Hillman Avenger, you have to wonder if the Escort would have done anywhere near as well from a sales perspective as the Pinto.
@@thehopelesscarguy people bought Pinto and Vega not because the were good IMO but because the had no competent choice. As for Kadett - well it couldn't match the Beetle in sales but Kadett B was the 2nd best selling foreign car in the US bashed by stupid journalists. Of course european cars weren't as big and as good equipped as their american competitors but everything has its price. This situation reminds me of early 90's in Russia where car magazins wanted our domestic cars to be as good as european but for a low price despite industrial disasters.
@@runoflife87 Automotive Journalists are considered experts in the field because they have above average experience with the cars they drive, but in the end it is just an opinion, and you know what they say about those; everybody has one. Including, you and I.
@@runoflife87 We owned an Opel Kadett wagon and a boxy Volvo wagon (145?). The Volvo seemed solid compared to my Pinto, but the Opel almost seemed like a rattletrap, perhaps partly because it had a long stick shift and virtually no tranny hump. The Volvo had a shorter shifter mounted on a high tranny hump, as did my Pinto wagon's automatic shifter. The Opel was the odd man out and got traded in towards a pickup truck
Quantity over quality. Back then the recall cost was $11.00.=$60.00 today I own a 76 VW Beetle and had it fully restored after buying it off eBay motors. It’s as basic as you can get in terms of no bells & whistles. None of them came from the factory with AC. AC was a dealer option back then. By 1973 Beetle sales had fallen to competition from Honda & Toyota, and VW came out with some ‘limited edition’ Beetles to help jumpstart sales: ‘Sun Bug,’ ‘Jeans Bug,’ ‘Sports Bug,’ ‘Love Bug.’
' ohh i had one ford mercury BOBCAT car in 1975... i miss my favor bobcat car so much... i did put anythings in bobcat car better than lousy plain ford company... ' 1- cruise control speed 1- two amber yellow taillights from capri car 1- power both lock / unlock on 2 doors 1-power both side mirrors 1- power both windows 1- rear motor blade wiper with water on the rear window from honda car 1- move axle to top on the both lift springs 1- metal cool fan front near on the radiator 1- two plastic shields covers on the both glass headlights 1- radio AM / FM with cassette tape from radio shack 1- two speakers on the both doors clutch manual shift 4 speeds easily fix repair at home
11:20...Years ago, I called a car guy re: his opinion of a 1972 Pinto sedan I was thinking about buying. I was concerned about exploding gas tanks. He left a reply message on my answering machine (no voicemail back then), saying, "1972 Ford Pinto sedan?...Be afraid. Be very afraid!" 12:17...I had one of those! I bought it (almost) brand new in 1981, and drove it 200k miles in 7 years, half of them stop and go paper route miles, the other half servicing accounts on my other job all over western WA.
If you mean that it exploded when you hit the gas tank. If it did spank the competition it wasn’t deserved it was a piece of crap car. Back in the 70s people didn’t know better and never expected to get a quality car. Toyota and Datsun were far superior
Lets see a car that had an exploding gas tank from when hit from behind I would say it was a fantastic car. NOT !! It was just crap from Detroit back in the 70s When America was getting their asses handed to them from the Japanese.
Oddly if it weren't for the Pinto, the Mustang would likely not be with us today. A lot of hate on the Mustang II and often referred to the Pintostang. However, it was either base it the 70s Mustang on the Pinto platform or continue on the 1960s Falcon platform. The Ford Escort was a wonderful replacement for the Pinto. FWD and lots of room.
There are those that would have preferred the Mustang stay on the Falcon platform but the Mustang II was the right car for the time. A lot of people liked the Escort, another well timed product. Mine however did not win many brownie points.
Hmmm... you skipped the Toyota Corolla SR-5 liftback. The reliable and economical liftback with Mustang style. A near perfect small car for the late 1970's. Everything the Pinto, Vega, and Gremlin wanted to be but better.
I didn't get into details but I didn't point out at the end fo the video that the imports like the Corolla were more competitive with the Pinto towards the end of its run but had also moved into a higher segment.
I ordered a 1980 Ford Pinto Wagon for my Mom. Dark Brown with the 2.3 and the 4 Speed, Air Conditioning, Power Steering and Front Disc Brakes. I have 4 Brothers and ALL of us drove this car on and off for 10 Years. Reliable and roomy. Best of the Sub Compacts at the time...
We owned numerous Pintos - coupes and wagons, from about 1976-1992, all used. We loved them - RELIABLE, great gas mileage, cheap to buy & own, and easy to fix. My very 1st one had the little 1600 - best motor ever. I had a couple 2300's - much more power, but much not as great gas mileage. Most had the 2000 cc engine - NOT my favorite. Americans must have loved these cars to death -- you hardly ever see any on the road any more !
Cheap cars have a tendency to not be very well maintained. There are exceptions but economy cars are typically driven into the ground and then disposed of.
You commented several times about how slow and gutless many of these cars were- TRUE! But the industry was scrambling to clean up emissions which put a strangle hold on power. I had a cousin who bought a brand new Toyota Corolla about 1979- you had to turn off the AC to climb almost all hills... Like many other people I owned a Pinto- 1974 two door- I drove it for 285,000 miles before the engine seized in 1989. Bought a new Ranger- it had a version of the same motor that was in my Pinto. It ran for over 280,000 miles...
Oh too bad about the Ford Pinto I think if they would’ve built them better they would’ve still been around just like the Ford Maverick another good car. People bottom because I got good gas mileage🧁🧁🧁🧁🍕🍕🍕💰💰💰💰🎩🎩🎩🎩
I had a ‘74 Pinto wagon. Converted into a Camper [ complete with 110 electric outlets, mini, gravity fed sink, wit water “tank “ made out of PVC pipe, mini refrigerator, 12 inch TV, and an electric fan. I cut a hole on the inside of the back hatch, so I could open it from the inside. I used contact paper on the back windows and cut out smaller Diamond shapes for “ windows “ . I made wood framed screens for the pop-out windows, and passenger side door window. ( the roof rack was partially used for the water tank, and storage. - additional storage, under rear seat flap, with seating removed.) TOMMY, my cat, and I traveled the US for about 3 years in it, working in Ocean City MD, and Eureka Springs Arkansas in summer, and Florida in winters. 📻😁‼️
I had a 1971 Toyota Corolla with a 1.2 liter. It was noisy and weak. And it had terrible brakes. But it was tough . And I did drive it regularly on the highway. But I owned it in the mid 1980s. And the speed limit was 55 at the time. It had a top speed of around 85 or so. But I wouldn’t drive it that fast for long. 65 was about as fast as I felt comfortable driving it for long periods of time. But I drove it on several trips of about 250 miles loaded with 4 college age guys. I actually drove it on a 400 mile (each way) trip, some of which was mountain driving. I had no problems. I got rid of it in exchange for a 1975 Celica. Daddy didn’t like the fact that the brakes were so lacking. I loved that car. My 3 sisters had pintos at various times. Decent cars.
I've owned two 1972 Pintos. First was a loaded brand new Runabout that I got as a hand me down from my parents. Loved that Pinto. After I sold my first 72 in 1981, I returned to the scene of the crime and bought another 72 Pinto in 1983. Drove it til 1990 when I sold it to the same person I sold my first Pinto to. I really miss my Pinto. My second Pinto also a Runabout was a strippo model. I put seats from a 1982 Mustang in it, which raised the seat level to a much better position, also giving me reclining seats as well. New carpeting with sound deadner made it a very quiet car. Painted it Dove Gray, a late seventies Ford color, This color has made come back on Fords, Kias, Hondas, Dodge and other cars using slightly different shades and names. So it would look fairly modern on the road today. Added a console from a Mustang II, newer door panels and a steering wheel from a1976 Mercury Cougar. My only regret was selling it. I have discovered that finding a four leaf clover is easier to find then a Pinto. Nit because it's a bad car, but back then they were considered a disposable car.
I ran a new '71 2L for SEVENTEEN years. My model had the fold down rear seat so I could even carry foot lockers in the back. It was a AWSOME car! We looked at the VEGA but didn't like the engine design or the ugly shifter set up. Did my own tune ups and even replaced the head gasket at 100000 miles in my garage.
My first car was a 1976 Ford Pinto, cost me $400 in 1985. I did my own oil changes and tune ups.. It was a great car. Rear Wheel Drive. Manual Transmission. A wonderful combination for an engaging drive versus front wheel drive with an automatic. Had a hatchback, which for some reason Americans do not like, which offered awesome storage space. I drove it from SF to LA every two weeks for a year. Never broke down. Got over 30 mpg. I rolled it in the desert wearing just a lap belt (no shoulder belt in the car). The car did not explode nor catch fire. I was taken to a hospital and examined and walked out with just a pulled muscle. Car had rolled end over end twice and over sideways once. I went out and bought another Pinto for $425. For the time period, it was a great car, you just needed to look underneath it to make sure the fix was done by the recall. Now a 9 year old car cost $4000 not $400.
During the OPEC oil crisis, Pintos were selling like hotcakes. My Dad bought the last one on the lot. The only problem was, it was pink, with a black vinyl top. My father was firmly heterosexual, he couldn't have cared less what people thought. My brother and I, however, were teenagers and we were mortified and refused to ride in it, whenever possible. After about nine months, my Dad took it to Earl Schieb for a 99 dollar repaint--red.
I must admit I have never seen a pink Pinto. If it was a vinyl top I would guess an early fastback model? A friend of mines mom had a pink '63 Skylark and she said the best thing about it was her boys never ask to borrow it. I also have a friend that collect Imperials and he as a pink '59, but he will tell you it isn't pink, it's "Desert Rose". I guess it is no wonder that mid-80s trend of hot pink wiper arms and matching BBS wheels didn't last long.
@@thehopelesscarguy I'm pretty sure that it was a '73 Pinto that he bought in late 1973, when the '74's were coming out. It had a "third door" hatchback with the large glass window. It was also a manual transmission, with air conditioning. Bubble gum pink was on the Ford color list, I remember seeing pink Mavericks and pink Mustangs. He retired in 1977 and moved up to an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham--soft yellow with beige velour interior and beige vinyl roof.
@@MensAsses33 I don't know that I've seen a hatchback with the vinyl top. At least not that I've noticed. That is quite the combination. In the early 70s a lot of small cars didn't come with AC and those that opted for it usually chose the auto. That is a serious move up market to Cutlass Supreme Brougham but they were some of the most popular cars of the period.
The problem was the fuel tank would slam into the differential and metal to metal would result in a fire. And they had four engines offered. 1.6 English punch rod. 2.0 over head cam, 2.3 OHC and a 2.8 v6. There was a few pintos sold in 1970. Most people think they started in1971 , but they had early pintos in 1970. These 1970 models could be noted by there front drum brakes. 1971 and after was disk brake up front.
