Scott asked me to post this poll to gauge interest in publishing a magazine dedicated to the history, preservation and restoration of the Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat. Minimum run on a real magazine is going to be 200 units, and at this point in time shelf space in a book store is not a guarantee by any means. Subscriptions will be what drives the boat. I will look at advertisers, though at this point I have not contacted any. If you have suggestions or thoughts on the idea, please PM me or post them in this thread. Another factor in this decision will be material contributed for publication, such as how-to's, car and owner profiles and things of that sort. If you ever wanted a shot at showing your stuff to the Pinto world, this is it. Thanks for your time.

FlyerPinto

Hello:

My vote is yes, I would support it.   

Thanks,

77pintocw

FlyerPinto:

  Interestingly, and no joke - this idea went through my mind this week. There is a certain need for a publication of this type. My personal opinion is that the Pinto "field is ripe" for harvesting, and this would be a substantial benchmark towards establishing recognition of these vehicles. As a former subscriber to Gameroom magazine (also, a low circulation pub), as a pinball hobbyist I was always interested in hearing stories of fellow enthusiasts and their efforts towards restoration.

  Being heavily involved in both pinball for the last 10 years, and model railroading many years before that, I drove a personal effort towards suppoting both hobbies in printed matter and personal "appearances".  I am a published author of 10 articles concerning model trains between the years 1995 and 1998, in Model Railroader, and Mainline Modeler magazines. These articles contained substantial information including history, photographs, AutoCAD drawings, and detailed text of my efforts.

 In addition, I began putting together a book on the subject of pinball (which has been my hobby for the past ten years), though I never got it off the ground. That was a real labor of love which, well, I found little time for, though I have lots of text written. I have also given a number of public seminars at pinball shows, talking about cabinet and playfield restoration, replete with examples of my work.

  Since I now have a car and am in the process of learning a great deal about these automobiles (including, taking one apart and restoring it  ), I guess what I am trying to say is:

1) I am ALL for this effort
2) I would happily be a contributing author
3) I will support the effort any way I can

I hope this works out, and if there is anything I can do, please let me know. Feel free to contact me direct at any time, thanks!

Chris

pbean09

Regarding the run and the cost, I don't have firm numbers to work with other than to say I need a run of 200 copies, which, in terms of printing cost alone, will be just over $5 per copy. That does not include any layout work, fees or postage, or any other surprise costs I am unaware of at this point in time. My hope was to do semi-monthly for a total of 6 issues per year as a starting point. If there are outside contributors, such as Chris from the prior post, who can add content, as in text, photos etc, then it may be possible to do more issues. If I'm flying solo for all content, then it will be six issues to start for the first year. I currently subscribe to Auto Restorer, a semi-monthly magazine that charges $7.50 per copy for 32 pages. I would like to be below that cost. It will depend on what, if any advertising is sold, and the number of issues printed. Big price breaks come in at 1000 copies and up. Right now I'm not even thinking of a number that large.

Chris,

I would welcome any help, suggestions and contributions from long before day one. Lets try to get in touch in the next week or so and see what we can come up with.

There is a place for all Pintos and modifications. When the time comes, if you will put some stuff together on different topics such as you mentioned, I will gladly include them. My wit and wisdom only go so far, after that, I need help!

FlyerPinto:

  I am sending you an email through the system, it will have my phone contact and email info as well. Let's get together on this, thanks for considering it.

Chris

Chris,

I'll be in touch, hopefully yet this week. Lets see what we can do.

Pintonut,

Great idea about the catalog and Yahoo pinto, hadn't thought of that. Keep plugging and we can get it done.

hellfirejim,

See, all these great minds are thinking alike...and we all own the same cars...it is spooky! I agree with you, all Pintos are fair game for this, and any expertise anyone can bring to the table is more than welcome. Projects would be wonderful, especially if you can explain so someone else, who may have little if any experience, can understand the process. Photos are a bonus, of course, but aren't entirely necessary, depending on what you're talking about. Anyone with writing experience is a welcome addition to the fold as well. As more info comes about I will be posting it, so keep an eye out. I'll probably be e-mailing a lot of folks in the next week or two to see what we can put together, and I'll add your name to the list. Thanks!

The information that can be shared is almost endless. What's great about a Pinto Magazine is you don't have to wait for the "big boys" (major car mags) to even consider your car. If you have something, you'll probably get in!! Here's but a few possibilities:

Features of cars (and this could be rotated):
 > Original
 > Restored original
 > Restored modified
 > Race cars
 > Derby cars
 > Custom
 
@Random photos of cars anywhere (fields, junkyards, city streets)

@Technical articles (how-to's) on just about anything - like - how many options were there for A/C setups, what equipment was used, how was it adapted into the car interior (I say this because I have found THREE in my short involvement)

@A "Historical Corner" where facts about the cars can be shared (VINS, colors, options, production numbers, etc.)

@Vintage photos (where people can share photos of when they or their families had these cars back in the day)

@Unique tidbits (example - movies with Pintos, oddities found in cars, etc.)

@Special articles (like, for example, someone actually makes an effort to contact Caroll (sp) Shelby/his agent and gets an interview to talk about his Pinto)...or....findi ng other people in the industry who had a unique role and would like to share their experience and memories (engineers, auto dealers, etc.)

@Classified ads (for a fee, helps pay for publication)

@Advertisements (for a fee, helps pay for publication)

@Calendar with Pinto shows

@Listings of past publications with Pinto related articles

...that's just a few. I am sure I have missed many.

Chris

Man, no criticism here - I love the convenience of a digital camera but I REALLY miss my 35MM (it has a lot of light leakage on the shutter). Back in the day, I used it a LOT...good luck!!

Chris

I had a thought for a section maybe called Pinto's on the Run.  this would be picturs of Pinto's taken by subscribers.  Doesn't need to be a lot of detail just a good clean picture and where it was taken.

jim 

FlyerPinto:

  Been a week now - how was your trip? Hope it all went well. I'd like to get the ball rolling again, please contact me sometime, thanks!

Chris

yah im working on a parts list from the supplier i know.   but may need to devote a hole day to it shortly

And don't forget the lowly 1980-1982 Thunderbirds.  A friend of mine owns two and they are IMPOSSIBLE to find parts for!!!
Dwayne :smile:

I'm getting my goodies together as fast as I can; I've just been a little busy lately. Let's all talk one way or another this week and see what we can do to get started.