Finally! Rejoice! She saw the light!
As of today, my Pinto Runabout takes her place in Pinto history.
After 25 years in a dry California garage with only 40K documened miles, she was a bit hard to wake up. But after a few parts here and there, a new groovy vinyl top, and lots of wax...I hit the road for the first time today...
We hit stop and go traffic for 45 minutes in the hot California sun. I was on pins and needles, wondering if she'd make it. Did she overheat? No! Did her transmission hesitate? No! Were there any weird noises? No! Did she behave like any 40K mile car? Yes!
Yes, today she woke up and completed a very difficult trip to Costco, where, as usual, I spent more than I should have. I know Pinto Runabouts were invented before Costco, but they sure are perfect for Costco trips!
Today my Pinto is reborn, and she takes her rightful place next to my 72 Ghia 'Vert. Hallelujah! (Took pictures to mark the date...see below.)
Bob that is a nice 1 . Fred :)
Very awesome!!! I know how it is to take the Pinto out for a first drive!!! :D
I actually volunteer to go get take out now!! Just go back from getting chicken in the 72 Squire!!! :D I love it!!
Congrats on her first drive!! :D
Congratulations on a successful first drive!
Dwayne :smile:
Congratulations on her "maiden voyage"! Glad everything went well, she sure is a beauty! :D
Bob,
Sounds like fun.
You may want to buy a spare fuel pump.
Mine went 21 miles after a 21 year snooze.
Your Pinto needs a Vega to laugh at.
19k miles, clean, http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-1973-Chevy-Vega-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cac82a697QQitemZ260592281239QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-1973-Chevy-Vega-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3cac82a697QQitemZ260592281239QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks)
Jerry
Hey Jerry,
Thanks for the advice....but the pump already failed. I put in a new one before the maiden voyage yesterday.
Love the Vega! I had one like that when I was 16. As everyone now knows, even when they were new, they were terrible cars. Here's a post I did on MSNBC in 2005. It's still on the Internet, and folks are still reading it!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10139923/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10139923/)
"The 1972 Chevrolet Vega was by far the worst car ever made. Unfortunately, it was my first car, and I was so proud of it ... for about 6 months.
After 20,000 miles of gentle driving, it needed a valve job, and possibly a new engine, a new clutch, a new transmission sync gear and new tires. The Vega was incredibly slow, loud, and stuffy (the air circulation was awful). The gear spacing was all wrong. And the handling was horrendous — even dangerous, especially on wet roads. What was good about the car? My hatchback looked great. That's it. I still think Chevrolet should refund the $2,499.95 I paid for that car. What an injustice to a good kid who just wanted to show off his car!
—Bob Eicholz, Hollywood, Calif."