PINTO CAR CLUB of AMERICA
Welcome to FordPinto.com, The home of the PCCA => General Help- Ask the Experts... => Topic started by: jeremysdad on September 23, 2013, 10:56:54 AM
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Perusing CL, I found a complete rear setup from a 96 Mazda Miata for $150. Miata track width is .9" wider than stock Pinto. And has disc brakes. And it's independent rear suspension.
There's a whole lot more thought involved in that conversion, but on the surface, seems like a solid concept if you can fab/weld. :)
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Interesting idea. The Miata rear pretty much looks like it bolts in (to a Miata). https://www.google.com/search?q=miata+rear+suspension&num=100&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=X7ZAUrvbMYrwiwKu1oHoAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=783&dpr=1
The biggest issues would be the placement of the strut supports and if the Miata suspension required passing through the Pinto frame rails (such as they are). "If" everything lined up favorably it would be interesting to see if it was "time well spent" or if the front suspension was a limiting factor.
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Too easy to make a solid rear axle handle as well as the IRS does, and way too much work there, the frame rails will have to disappear. Not only that, you will then have to fight the IRS rear camber problems, which are non-existent on solid rear axles and plague almost every IRS out there. Been there on Tempo, Topaz, Contour and Focus. With age the bushings sag and then the tire/CA leverage and body weight kick the top of the tire in and bottom out.
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It's kinda a waste of time, The Miata guys swap out the rear ends for ford 7.5 irs center sections from the tbirds using a custom cage and axles . even the 7.5 is tougher than the stock mazda unit and good to about 350 horses assuming you don't have an abundance of traction.
You are right that the front suspension has limitations. The control arms are too short and the spring/shock attachments to close to the inner pivots to really give good control over the motion.
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I love tossing out random ideas here. :) Always get well informed, interesting feedback, positive or negative.
It seemed like it could have been (with front suspension mods, as well) a fairly straightforwar d solution to the 'how can I make my Pinto handle like a canyon carver' question I've seen come up occasionally.
Any ideas for a better IRS source car, that wouldn't require narrowing of the (I'm sure) complicated axles themselves? Or are they really just straight axles with cv joints inner and outer that mate to a r&p instead of a transmission?
Yes, I'm probably overthinking this, per usual. lol
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A properly set up Pinto will carve canyons beyond MOST drivers abilities, as is, with live axle and rear drums. This is half the allure of the Pinto for me. The other half is the 71-73 pinto when sitting on a 15" wheels with 50's on those rims, lowered, is a thing of beauty! Yes I said beauty.
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A properly set up Pinto will carve canyons beyond MOST drivers abilities, as is, with live axle and rear drums. This is half the allure of the Pinto for me. The other half is the 71-73 pinto when sitting on a 15" wheels with 50's on those rims, lowered, is a thing of beauty! Yes I said beauty.
I agree totally but in spite of the limited supply, I will stay with 13 inch wheel/tire combos 8)
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Even better are the 16 inch four bolt Mustang wheels, throw some Hankook Ventus at them in 205 45 size and the Pinto becomes a go kart, plus the diameter is the same as the original 13 inch wheels and tires.
Grumpy 8)
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Even better are the 16 inch four bolt Mustang wheels, throw some Hankook Ventus at them in 205 45 size and the Pinto becomes a go kart, plus the diameter is the same as the original 13 inch wheels and tires.
Grumpy 8)
I'll +1 those tires. We have some Ventus Concept 2's on the wife's Camaro, and they stick like glue. :)