I had an interesting encounter that I wanted to share.....
Today when I went home for lunch, I looked out my front window and saw a guy in a 1970 VW bug pull into the neighborhood. It was painted in "performance red" with black stripes. I did not recognize it, but I knew it was not from our neighborhood. A young man got out of the car and started walking with a gas can. Knowing the nearest gas station was about 2 miles up the road, I met him outside and asked him to walk around back, and I'd give him some gas (I have a can for the mower).
I started asking him about his car, and he was happy to tell me about it, where it came from, how long he had it, etc. As we walked around the corner of the fence, I pointed out my own car, and said "there's my own little time machine". He knew it was a Pinto, but of course brought up the "explosion" thing. I explained that it did not affect wagons, and was only a problem on early models, and why. He was intrigued, commenting how there were so few left. The guy was 33 - born in 1975 - and when I said it was a '76, he exclaimed "I was one year old"! Of course, I was 16 then!!
I showed him how I had fixed the floor pans, and what I used. He was very excited, and said "Man! You just saved me about $700". I told him what to do and where to get the materials. We looked over the car, he thought it was pretty neat. He called me a "Good Samaritan" and "his hero" (which were unnecessary - I would hope someone would offer to help me the same way). We walked back to his car, filled it up, he told me more about it, I wished him good luck (he was getting married this coming Saturday), and he was on his way. I was happy to help a fellow car enthusiast, and tell him a little bit about my car.
Education is key! Telling people what really happened with the cars is important. Showing them that they are neat cars is crucial. They may know someone who knows someone who has one - you get the picture. It's all about the history!! Help them to save these cars!! Some people may chuckle and may laugh, but like us, there ARE enthusiasts out there, that only need a nudge. It was a nice experience.
Chris
Good story, Chris!
Mike
Mike gets a positive feed back for that........... ;D
Very nice story! I love having the chance to tell people about my Pinto and the Pinto's history. Whenever the "exploding tank" issue comes up, I just point out the fact that my own Pinto has already lasted 30 years, even after my own mother backed it into a 50gal barrel BBQ'r going 15 MPH, yet it still cruises the roads of Idaho without any flames. :)
Chris's story is a great example of why I believe so many of us enjoy the Ford Pinto. Not only because *we* love them, or that it attracts so much attention everywhere we go, but because it gives us that chance to bring the Pinto back to it's former days of glory by letting others see what the Pinto really was, not what the media portrayed it to be.
Quote from: turbopinto72 on October 27, 2008, 05:30:54 PM
Mike gets a positive feed back for that........... ;D
:amazed:
popbumper...you must live in a "safe" place!!
If this was Kaliphornya, the guy would have likely been a gangbanger thug, and then he would have shot you dead in your own backyard!!
You know, my wife was home at the time and she actually mentioned that; she stayed in the house while I was outside. It did cross my mind as well. Yes, the area we are in is a reasonably nice one, and I did not sense any issues. It would have been a "perfect setup", but I can't imagine someone scamming would have picked that time of day - odds of finding someone home were not great - he did not "look" suspicious, he was by himself, etc. Still your point is well taken, and was not lost on me.
Chris
hey its still a good story.i was putting in a new radiator in my wagon this last weekend and a kid on his bike came up and asked if he could get some air for a flat tire. ocourse he was young and never saw a pinto before but i showed him some things on the car and he liked it alot.chrome on the engine and flames caught his attention.but where ever you go you can always find someone who use to have one and has a story to tell.so keep your pintos running and let people see them on the road. chris in ca.
Pinto pro not to nice area, I leave cars in front with key always in ignition that way I never have to hunt for key. Fred :police: these guys around here are a waste of money
Very nice story Chris. I always make a moment to chat about my car when someone shows interest, and when someone points out the media flaw, I explain it to them, and that the problem was fixed and have even showed people my plastic flap on the front of the gas tank, and yes, even pointed out that 30 years later, it is still here! Last Friday when I stopped for gas, I went inside to pay and the lady behind the counter commented on my car. She was about my age, and used to have one and had nothing bad to say! She was happy to see one that ran and looked so good! These cars are a part of history, just like Corvairs (which had their own bad publicity, thanks Ralph!) but I know a guy that has 10 Corvairs, early and late models, and even a Greenbriar, and he loves his cars the same as we love ours!
I stopped for gas this past weekend on the way back from Syracuse (the truck died so I jumped in the Pinto) and as usual someone krept up behind me and was checking out the car, he told me he used to own one. And as usualy the explosion issue came up, the reason he got rid of his, yet he told me how the car was rear ended so bad it drove crooked. I told him that was one hell of a shot and then asked him if he blew up, and he said "NO". So I let him know about how 60 minutes used an external ignition source to light the fuel and start the domino effect that follows us to this day. I also let him know the vega and gremlin didn't fair much better when rear ended by a country squire going 60 miles an hour. Cars were bigger then, but then again an Excursion hitting an Accord might make for good television these days. Kind of brings to mind George Blanda kicking a football.
Been there done that. Many times I have people why I would want to own a bomb for a car. I then asked them how many charred Pintos they actually saw in junkyards. Nobody ever knew of any. My mom was also rear ended in her first car.. a 71 Pinto. Anyways it was outside her school & they guy that hit her left the scene. The football team rean after the guy & got him & his mangled car to stop. The car wasn't what killed her. Cancer took her life decades later when she had long since gotten rid of the Pinto & was driving a Taurus wagon.
And throw in the ,most people that know pinto`s,,, know they blow up so when you drive one now,,,,,, people think twice before they tailgate you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ha ha ha ha