mine has been down since nov of last year. its close to being done but seems so far away.... this winter i pulled it into the shop to repair a leaking left rear wheel cylinder and by 9 that night had no interior fuel lines tank or trunk floor. also removed the temp floorpans i had screwed down. now it has new floors, subframe connectors, fuel cell, removable trunk pan and new yet to be installed rims, carpet, headliner, short shifter, rollcage(8 pt) and seats. i still need to get my new fuel lines and install the new fuel rail also. i have a spare 8.8 327 geared rear and a 8" 3.00 geared rear plus the 7.5 posi thats in it now. think im gonna spool the 8" after i break the 7.5 (its gonna happen)... oh yeah, i also picked up another t5 for it too as mine has a few issues. man, after reading what i just typed i still got a lot to do... damn! :hypno:
I feel your pain :mad:. I bought my '76 wagon last June. Brought it home, drove it around the neighborhood a few times within one week of receipt, and it has been nothing but work since:
New brake system
New rear shocks
Floor pans repaired
Dash stripped
Windshield trim stripped
Interior stripped out
Gas tank repaired, lined
Rear bumper and all related hardware removed and sandblasted/repainted
Rear plastic panels in mid-restoration
Dash pad completely restored
New steering wheel procured
Still plenty to do in the short term....
Remove windshield to repair cowl leak
Replace windshield gasket
Remove dash, strip, repaint
Address heater box and all other under-dash components
Rebuild the front end
Replace the drivers side fender
Repair small rust holes in both doors
Etc.....etc. My wife looked at me the other night and asked when it wouyld be on the road. I told her "next year". She seemed puzzled..... :lol:
Chris
Mine needs a lot of work but for 150.oo, I have been driving the wheels off of it. But I know what you all mean. When I put the wagon in storage for the winter, I go through severe withdrawls until I get it out for World of Wheels and then again until mid April when I bring it back out for the season.
Winters seem to get longer each year. As soon as the weather gets even a little nice you get the urge. What is even worse is when you see a nice car go down the road and your Pinto is home still tucked in for the winter. Soon. As each day gets nicer we all get the Fever.
I feel ya man!! I only had my car running for a minute it seemed like, but when it was it was the coolest thing ever. I'm remembering the this one time when I was leaving a red light that just happened to be by a custom car place. The BOV went off and this guy standing outside gave me this wow look as i whizzed by him in a primered pinto! LOL...you had to be there i guess. Anyway, I got so fed up with it I ended up selling it and starting over. I'm gonna take my time with this one though and do everything right. I just miss driving a pinto around town though! I loved having the only one anywhere close to me.
I'm just gathering parts right now, I figure if I just wait I'll find the parts cheaper than if I just try to jump at the first thing I see. Lemme know if you know where any T5's, 8-inch rears, or 2.3t's are hiding. I'm back in the game baby!!
In the first couple of months of having my "baby" I had serious withdrawal issues- especially reading how some Pinto folks are getting around in theirs while mine sat forlornly in the driveway looking pretty! lol.
I had mine down for about three days trying to figure out a smog pump issue, and finding a replacement unit. Today I found a good replacement from the wrecker (the last one was horrendously noisy!), and replaced the accessory and smog pump belts. Nice and quiet again.
I was getting a little depressed driving the Saturn and not getting to drive the Pinto anywhere in the nice warm weather we've had the past couple days.
I thought spring was here, my pinto is just setting in the garage all cover in dust. Here in Kansas City there calling for 6"to10" of snow last week it was in the 70s. I'm ready to get it licensed so I can go cruzzin.
I put 30 miles on the old steed today. First time out since yesterday. Most of it two-lane 55mph, we're happy there, say what you want :) but I'm rollin' :fastcar:
Chuck :afro:
I can appreciate having withdrawal because your ride is down because it is being repaired or modified, but what is all this I can't wait to bring it out from winter storage crap? I realize that some of you live in areas where there is a lot of ice and snow, but you had the same thing when these cars were new. What good are they if you can't get a little mud under the wheel wells or some snow on the roof. Even if you need to wash the salt or whatever you have for deicing the roads out from under the car, they are built to be driven. I drive mine year round and if I wreck it because of the weather, then I will rebuild it. Fair weather enthusiasts, indeed. :showback:
But the salt likes to eat the cars in WI and Pintos are not that easy to find. ;D Plus that's when I build models of Pintos (or ??) ;D
No snow yet today,just sleet and rain. the reason I haven't got my car out yet is I took the heater box out, the fan is froze up. I'm hoping to find a a/c unit to replace it with.
i am making do with a maverick for the time being.
Now wouldn't the question be, WHY do we have Pinto withdrawals? For me, it's because I feel more comfortable driving a car I OWN and hold the title to, and I feel on top of the world when I drive my Pinto! ;D
yeah pinto withdrawal is tough. it is always something but it really makes me look forward to when i can get it on the raod. Once it is on the road and reliable I do not have plans to do anything to it to keep it off the road while i work on it. I have come to realize that no matter what just driving it is the main reason we have them. and of course we ain't right in the head..... :showback:
Luckily for me, WV is turning very mild in the late winter months and in the two months I've had my Pinto I've registered over 700 miles already, and without any problems whatsoever. :D
-beegle55
I don't drive mine in the winter months because I don't have to. For snow and ice I have an F150 4X4 or the beaters (99 escort, 84 nissan p/u). I would much rather wreck one of them than the Pinto! The winter months are when I do my upgrades and projects to make it more fun to drive in the spring. Last year I drove it until november, I'm wishing I was finished putting it back together though because we've had some beautiful days here in the Shenandoah Valley! So yea, I'm having Pinto withdraw! :P
I don't know if I would call what I have had as Pinto withdraw, as much as Pinto irritation. I have been so irritated with mine that I "withdrew" myself from the car & anything to do with it for a while. It frustrated the crap out of me that I didn't want to do anything with it. So I went out & replaced my dying 2000 Toyota Corolla with a nearly fully loaded 2004 Chevy Malibu Maxx. Now I am looking at my Pinto & wanting to get back to work on her. I didn't care for so much that I left the keys in the ignition for the past few months. Not that anyone could go anywhere.. The engine currently does not run & it has no transmission in her.
My Pinto withdrawal is a few years long. :look: My '79 hatchback is parked in the back yard waiting for the 1988 T-bird TC engine and T5 sittin on the stand in the garage. It does drive as is, but really has no floor on the drivers side. ;D Plus it's kinda loud with the 2 1/4 cherrybomb exhaust exiting in front of the passenger rear wheel that I cobbed on it. :)
I just don't have the time to work on it these days, since I travel weekly for my job now. I often wondered how long the stock 4 speed and rear axle could hold up to the 190hp 2.3T. :-\ That could make a good short weekend project. 8)
Quote from: firepinto on March 30, 2009, 05:28:28 PM
I often wondered how long the stock 4 speed and rear axle could hold up to the 190hp 2.3T. :-\
Till you hit about 5500rpm :lol:
Chuck :afro: