Hi, I just become aware of this forum.  I have always liked Pinto's but never previously owned one, but always thoughts they were cute, so cute in fact that when I saw a clean looking one at a recent auction.  It's a 78 base station wagon in the medium jade green color, with the vinyl and cloth interior.  I will try and attach a couple of photos.

I do have several initial questions as I try to learn more about the car, so if anyone reading this can help, that would be appreciated.
 1) the car has a 4 speed, but the clutch seems very stiff (ie hard to depress).. Is that normal, or do I need to get it checked out?
2) the VIN is 8T12Y105---; can anyone help with what that tells me about the car.
3) I would like to better protect the body sides from any potential dings.  Is anyone aware of new or repo side molding, or what else have someone used as a good looking side molding.

I am in Northern Colorado, if there are any other Pinto owners/enthusiasts in the area.

Thanks for reading this post and any assistance you can offer. 

I searched the archives and found some information to decode your Vin number. The 8 stands for 1978. The T means that your car was made at the Ford plant in Metuchen. The 12 means it is a wagon. The Y is the engine code. The last digits indicate the sequence of assembly at the plant so your car was number 105??? assembled. I hope this helps.

You can also try and purchase a Marti report.   

http://www.martiauto.com/martireports.cfm 

That will tell you a lot about your car.