Author Topic: Do you like stock Pintos? (Read 6008 times)

gordie · « **on:** May 05, 2008, 11:24:23 PM »

I remember when the new Pintos were first announced and I thought that they were really a cute car and they caught on with the public right away. Most of the car manufacturers were trying to cash in on the popularity of the VW bug and this was Ford's answer after having failed miserably with the imported English Fords that were just not suited to U.S. drivers and driving conditions. They just kept improving the Pinto each year and it really got better and better. I had several of them including an early '71 with the small motor and no carpeting, just a huge rubber mat. One of my favorites was a '71 Runabout and I kept it for a long time. When the ''74's arrived that seemed the best combination with the better bumpers, it still used the unleaded gas and you could get lots of options like air conditioning. I drove them for many years and so did my kids. They were really the right car at the right time! When I found about the Pinto Club I was very happy to see the Pintos recognized, collected and saved. What seems interesting to me is that most people in the club like the looks of the Pinto but do not like the mechanics of the car. From reading the messages it seems that most of the cars end up highly modified and are really not a true Pinto any more. That is ok as we are all hot rodders at heart and I have a couple of Model T Fords that are highly modified and I would not want a stock Model T after having one long ago. I have a bone stock '75 Pinto and I will keep it just as Henry made it and I am curious what percentage of you like the cars stock? 10%? Any comments?

lencost · « **Reply #1 on:** May 05, 2008, 11:41:11 PM »

I plan on keeping my Pinto stock for the most part, and not dewing anything to it that was not available in the 70's. My 75 has the motor, and rearend that I wanted.

dave1987 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2008, 03:59:03 AM »

I love having a stock Pinto, just gives me a feeling like I'm driving the car it was meant to be driven.

I have done SOME modifications to the car, but very minor. I've added a modery day stereo system and I've removed the EGR valve. I am currently working on converting the car to an electric fuel pump due to the three I have gone through in the past year and my Pinto is my only vehicle, so it needs to be reliable too.

turbo toy · « **Reply #3 on:** May 06, 2008, 06:00:57 AM »

Stock is just a temporary condition. I have been seriously hot rodding them since 1980.

popbumper · « **Reply #4 on:** May 06, 2008, 08:49:18 AM »

I prefer modified, custom paint and driveline (modest changes at least - wheels alone make a huge difference in appearance). Nothing against stock, I just think these cars beg for customization.

Chris

Fred Morgan · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2008, 09:20:51 AM »

I prefer show room new car look, original hub cap's etc., except eng. + trans., and fuel tank changed for safety. Fred.

Pintony · « **Reply #6 on:** May 06, 2008, 10:06:13 AM »

I have both Stock and modified Pintos.
I like stock so I can see the small changes in the Ford Production run.
Someday I will have every year and every model for Pinto nuts
to view and enjoy...
From Pintony

chrisf1219 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2008, 11:06:31 AM »

hey pintony remeber you might be getting close on your limit of ca. pintos that you can take out!

save some for the rest of us. i like custom pintos wheels and extra goodies whatever make it work on my wagon. chris in ca.

popbumper · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2008, 12:00:06 PM »

Quote from: Pintony on May 06, 2008, 10:06:13 AM

I have both Stock and modified Pintos.
I like stock so I can see the small changes in the Ford Production run.
Someday I will have every year and every model for Pinto nuts
to view and enjoy...
From Pintony

Hey Pintony:

You gonna be at the show in Tulsa? Hope to meet you there, Dallas is a short drive away and the family and I plan to attend and meet up with these great cars and their owners.

Chris

Smeed · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2008, 02:06:12 PM »

I dont really mind much for what Im using it for. If my car was a little worse for wear I would probably modify it, but since its in pretty good shape Im keeping it stock.

Pintaro · « **Reply #10 on:** May 06, 2008, 05:41:06 PM »

A Pinto is a Pinto is a Pinto.They are all cool.Customiza tion is just an attitude adjustment.Bes ides you can tell alot about a person by what they do to their car.Like Pintony for instance,I think his cars are like his moods.And he has a car for every mood.What do you think Tony.Close?

apintonut · « **Reply #11 on:** May 06, 2008, 06:40:33 PM »

man what a hard question. i prefer "my" cars modified to suite my needs and wants. in a muscle car (well mini muscle) but i like to see other pinto perfectly restored and with every year that goes buy that is harder to do (as i seen one today that had been smashed and put on a semi trailer complete!(small bumper too!)) but the pinto in my opinion has alway been a car to modify. my dads 73 pinto had a v8 in it on the road buy 75!.(he bout it from a friend one owner) he bout his first 72 pinto in 75 or 76 drove it home and riped it apart to do cam and header... the week he got it. the pinto is in the same class as the mustang and that is u r going to see more people want them and more at the car shows both stock and modified.both will be admired,

69GT · « **Reply #12 on:** May 06, 2008, 08:55:21 PM »

I have a mostly stock 72 4-Speed trunk car. I think there's nothing wrong with modified or stock. My Pinto is a blast to drive but I am constantly wishing for a little more. 86 HP is definitely not enough. About 140-150 would be just right. Also like O.D. trannys to more than offset steeper rear gears. I do want to preserve the "spirit" of the car and keep it a 4 banger. Though it might be a 2.3 instead of the 2.0. The sound of that growling 4 cylinder as it gets into its power band is music to my ears.

turbo74pinto · « **Reply #13 on:** May 06, 2008, 09:37:38 PM »

i like the stock pintos. in fact when my 74 is done, id like to get a small bumper wagon to restore to original....fo r the most part. gotta have modern tunes!! with my 74, the exterior is almost bone stock with the only changes being early bumpers and a glass hood. id much rather have fuel injection under the hood for something im driving a lot. to be honest, i wish the turbo 2.3 was still out in 96 and later. id much rather have OBD II. and the lack of od stinks. i couldnt stand driving mine with the old 4 speed on the freeway.

bob

69GT · « **Reply #14 on:** May 06, 2008, 09:51:17 PM »

Yeah a little modern edge couldn't hurt. Fuel injection, 140 HP (like most modern decent 4-bangers get any way) more gear (Like 4.11s) Plus O.D. (Like .68 ) to turn your 4.11s into 2.79s on the freeway. A lot of zip and still preserves the feel of the car. My 3.55s are buzzing the motor way too high at 65-70 MPH.

Pintony · « **Reply #15 on:** May 06, 2008, 10:43:54 PM »

Quote from: popbumper on May 06, 2008, 12:00:06 PM

Hey Pintony:

You gonna be at the show in Tulsa? Hope to meet you there, Dallas is a short drive away and the family and I plan to attend and meet up with these great cars and their owners.

Chris

Hey Chris,
Yes I will be at the Tulsa meet for sure.
According to the poll vote I will be bringing my Purple 2.0 Ak Miller Turbo Pinto.
From Pintony

Pintony · « **Reply #16 on:** May 06, 2008, 10:45:10 PM »

Quote from: Pintaro on May 06, 2008, 05:41:06 PM

A Pinto is a Pinto is a Pinto.They are all cool.Customiza tion is just an attitude adjustment.Bes ides you can tell alot about a person by what they do to their car.Like Pintony for instance,I think his cars are like his moods.And he has a car for every mood.What do you think Tony.Close?

Maybe......

Pintony · « **Reply #17 on:** May 06, 2008, 11:08:41 PM »

Stock Pintos will gain value as more of them are modified.

dga57 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 07, 2008, 02:14:25 AM »

While I certainly appreciate all the modifications Pinto owners make, and the reasons behind them, I prefer a mostly stock vehicle. My original intention with my '72 sedan was to keep it completely stock but I have settled on a few very minor modifications.
The most obvious would be the addition of a console from a Mustang II, simply for convenience sake. I'm also adding a walnut shift knob and have decided to stray from the stock vinyl upholstery, opting instead for a cloth and vinyl combination which should be cooler since my car does not have A/C. My Pinto is about as basic as they come: it doesn't even have a radio... it has a delete plate instead. Fairly rare, I would think, and I've decided to leave it as is. It also has no bodyside mouldings but I have purchased NOS ones and plan to install those once it is painted. I'm changing the color from brown to the '74 orange (5W) because that was the color of my original Pinto, but I'm leaving the 13" WSW tires which are mounted on standard steel wheels, with dog dish hubcaps and beauty rings. So... to the uninformed masses, the car will appear relatively stock. Under the hood, it's pure Pinto: 1600 cc/4 speed. Not fast, but it runs great... like the little underpowered workhorse it is, and my intention is to leave it. The car will seldom see more use than as a daily driver back and forth to work which, in my case, is only four miles. I bought it to satisfy some nostalgic longings and to have something a bit "different". I believe it will fill that bill grandly.
Dwayne :smile:

dholvrsn · « **Reply #19 on:** May 07, 2008, 08:42:04 AM »

Pintos are stylish little machines, but the '70s school of smog control didn't do those little four poppers much good. Hence the feeling to upgrade to something better.

I'm surprised that Pintos weren't more popular with hot-rodders. Then again it's probably a lost cause since the almost been hunted to death for their spindles and because now that scrap iron is so valuable.

gordie · « **Reply #20 on:** May 08, 2008, 07:18:48 PM »

Well, we got 19 responses and tho a couple of the answers did not pertain to the question five of you voted for stock, eight for modifications and one for both. That is a whole lot more of you that like stock than I would have guessed and I am glad to see it. Thanks for taking the time to respond and please continue if there are new readers or you have new thoughts.
Gordie

popbumper · « **Reply #21 on:** June 23, 2008, 11:37:23 PM »

OK, my turn. Pintos have always been, in my opinion, platforms on which to "expand horizons" (i.e., "modify tastefully") with paint, drivetrain, interiors, etc.

Now actually HAVING an original wagon (today), I am THRILLED that it is all original, and I can't hardly imagine modifying it. Sure - it's at best a "7" out of 10 - but it's also 32 years old, and I love it - even with white wall tires and original hubcaps.

Will I change it? At most, I'll probably return the interior to stock, do the bodywork (dents) and repaint it in the original color. I might even change the wheels. I >had< considered dropping a turbo engine into it and making it a sleeper, BUT....

Owning a piece of history is a blast. I think I will keep it stock. After all, that's perfect rationale for owning a second one - this one can be the neat, stock example, the second one can be the modified, flashy, NOS fitted racer car....

It's all good. YUP, I like them stock.

Chris

Norman Bagi · « **Reply #22 on:** June 24, 2008, 09:29:33 PM »

Stock is nice, modified is nicer. Stock is cute and cuddley, modified is lean and mean. :lol:

popbumper · « **Reply #23 on:** June 24, 2008, 10:11:57 PM »

Gotta agree with ya. Each has its merits. Personally, I'm just enjoying the heck out of it right now. Put the plates on it today, and drove it around the neighborhood tonite. What a blast.

Chris

blupinto · « **Reply #24 on:** November 01, 2008, 10:34:45 PM »

Count me as a stock fan.

pintogirl · « **Reply #25 on:** November 01, 2008, 10:44:59 PM »

I am a newbie to Pinto's, I have always wanted one way back in the back of my wants, but just now have been able to get 3!!

I have always, with all my older cars wanted to keep them stock!! I have just in the last few day's purchased 2 Pintos. I plan on restoring 1 to stock conditions. The other I will play around with. Although it will be basically stock, just has more bondo then I would pefer!!! :smile: The other of the 3 will probably become a donor car, because it looked to far gone to restore or even play with!! I will know more once I get it next weekend!!

So in short, I like to stay stock!!!

Kim

r4pinto · « **Reply #26 on:** November 02, 2008, 09:10:49 AM »

Currently I have my 77 sedan that I am making some changes, although quite mild. I figured if I am going to have a Pinto I will make it into what I like it to be. The changes are the interior and exterior color changes, as well as adding options to her that she didn't have including am/fm 8-track radio 4 speaker setup, maplight, rear window defroster, mustang II console, a/c front console, eventually Escort seats. Most of the people I know say I should leave her completly stock but I wnated to personalize her for me to be comfortable. I don't regret it at all but some day I might get another Pinto that I would leave completely stock. The only way I would do that though is if I could find a 1977 Ford Pinto Squire, red with red plaid interior. That is the first Pinto I knew so that's the one I always wanted.

discolives78 · « **Reply #27 on:** November 02, 2008, 09:34:22 AM »

"Pinto provides the basics" one of Ford's slogans from the 70's. I like to look at stock cars, and as rare as they're getting, I'm going to put my car back to pretty much stock plus factory options that my base model didn't come with. Mine was a base model. No radio, a "glove box" in its place. That was the first thing to go. Modern tunes are nice to have. I added dual mirrors (aftermarket ones) but am going to change to factory sport mirrors. I also added blue pinstripes to the white paint because it looked too plain without them. I've had the car for five years and it is my daily driver, so I like to be comfortable. Some modifications I regretted and changed my mind back, but with everything I changed, I thought about how easy it would be to go back to stock. Pintos are like Volkswagens, Customs are cool, and stocks are cool. It's about our cars matching our personality and our tastes. So I guess I'm in the undecided column.

Fred Morgan · « **Reply #28 on:** November 02, 2008, 10:48:17 AM »

I prefer all stock. But when the engines no good and I have a free Ranger eng. you know what are you going to do, I will take free 1st. The only thing I would modifie would be fuel tank due to safetey. Fred

r4pinto · « **Reply #29 on:** November 02, 2008, 11:03:11 AM »

Yeah, I hear ya there. Regarding the gas tank, I figure if it's my time to go then I'm gonna die regardless on the safety of my gas tank. Therefor I leave it as is, but that's just me.. Doesn't make it right or wrong.

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Author Topic: Do you like stock Pintos? (Read 6008 times)

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