Hi all,
After more than 15 years being a member of this forum I actually own a Pinto now. I originally joined years ago when I was looking for Pinto specific parts I needed for another project (I was putting a 2.3 in a Maverick and needed a Pinto oil pan). I've mostly owned and been into the Pinto's fellow underappreciat ed brother, the 70-77 Mavericks. I've also dabbled in 57-66 Fairlanes, Comets and Foxbodies over the past 18 years. I've always hoped to come across a decent deal on a Pinto to play with and that's finally happened.
I picked up a 73 wagon yesterday. The car is in decent shape but was someone's abandoned project and is missing a few things needed to get it back on the road. I'm in a bit of a time crunch as I'd like to drive this car to the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona this year.
Question #1 - Brakes. I'm finding that rotors and reman calipers are not available for a 73. Some searching on this forum shows that this has been the case for quite some time. My rotors have some pretty deep ridges in them and I'm assuming my calipers are shot since the car has been sitting for 10-15+ years. I have a set of spindles from a 74 Mustang II. Can I use these on the 73 and simply upgrade to the 74+ front brake parts that are readily available?
Question #2 - Gas tank. The car did not come with one. I see that this is another obsolete part. Just my luck. What are my interchange options here? My car is a '73 wagon. Is there a difference between body styles? Do I need to be targeting a specific range of years? At this point, finding a usable tank seems like it's going to be my biggest hurdle to jump in a short time frame. I basically need to find one within a month. I have advanced welding and fabrication skills. Are there any other tanks that are "close enough" that I can modify and adapt?
One last question - the car is a 2.0/4 speed. The shifter in the 4 speed feels extremely vague with no detents to help find gears. Other cars I've driven with this shift pattern you generally have to push down on the shifter to get into reverse. This thing just flops around. It's basically a 50/50 shot whether you land in 1st or reverse. I can't imagine this is normal, are there any common problems with the shifter that could cause this? I haven't pulled it apart to investigate yet.
Greatly appreciate any input and help with the above questions. Pic of my car attached.