Is it possible to fit a metal framed hatch to an '80 in place of the all glass one? Or is the surrounding sheet metal different?
Has anyone tried to move their e-brake lever? I was thinking of putting a smaller lever to the right of the shifter so that I can put some sort of armrest/storage compartment between the seats.
Has anyone ever put a roof rack on a hatch Pinto? I'm assuming I need some sort of reinforcement under it. I want put a bike tray on the roof like my friend's car:
(http://i53.tinypic.com/2i7r6ew.jpg)
Will any 2.3 Ranger exhaust manifold from the 90s fit my 2.3?
And can anyone point me towards photos of chassis reinforcements that have been done?
i will try to answer a few questions
Quote from: JohnW on June 06, 2011, 09:07:27 PM
Is it possible to fit a metal framed hatch to an '80 in place of the all glass one? Or is the surrounding sheet metal different? yes , but you need all the peices from a donner car there are a few differances in the body
Has anyone tried to move their e-brake lever? I was thinking of putting a smaller lever to the right of the shifter so that I can put some sort of armrest/storage compartment between the seats. the easyest thing to do would be find a center councel from a mustang II with sligh mods it will fit and alot easyer than moving the e brake
Has anyone ever put a roof rack on a hatch Pinto? I'm assuming I need some sort of reinforcement under it. I want put a bike tray on the roof like my friend's car: pintos did come with a roof rack my understanding is a wagon one it the same as a sedan i nam not aware of any extra supports in the roof
Will any 2.3 Ranger exhaust manifold from the 90s fit my 2.3? the ports are shaped differently but i understand they willl bolt up
And can anyone point me towards photos of chassis reinforcements that have been done? sorry no help here but there are a few topics on the site about subfram connectors.
So does the center console in a Mustang II fold down over the e-brake lever? I didn't think of something like that before, but it actually sounds ideal. Armrest and extra space, but it still folds out of the way like the one in my Ranger that doubles as a seat back. Edit: Actually found that it sits behind the lever. Might be a decent option, although I'm liking the idea of a fold down armest/console...I could probably find something to use as a starting point to make one at a junkyard.
I know the wagons came with a roof rack, but did sedans or hatchbacks? I've never even seen a picture of one, although I have seen a Pinto wagon with one in person. Parts of the car seem flimsy which is why I was wondering if it should be reinforced a little.
The roof rack is actually pretty sturdy if the screws are not stripped out. I have one on my 73 station wagon and it's great! I have a spare roof rack which I removed from a station wagon and considered putting it on my 78 sedan since they are the same, but I scrapped that idea. I have it in storage but the support strips which the chrome roof strips mount to are rusted out on two of them and wouldn't attach to the roof very well.
For the center console, I have used both a Merkur console and a Mustang II console which I have in the car now. I now have two merkur consoles in storage. I know one is all black which is the one I had in my 78, the other is tan. I also have an extra Mustang II console complete with mounting hardware but it is tan colored. I like the Mustang II console more due to it's ear correct look and feel, the Merkur console was great as well and would use it again in another car if I didn't have the extra Mustang II console. Both require shortening from the front to fit with an existing storage tray.
Here are some photos of the consoles. The first is comparing the Merkur console to the Mustang II console (left to right), the second of the Merkur console in my 78, and the third is what the car looks like now.
Thanks for the help. The photos are really useful. That Mustang II console looks great - all I could see in pictures I found was the section that sat behind the lever. I'm also planning to grab that same wheel from a Mustang II at a local junkyard. It might be difficult to find a matching red one though. It would look really nice if I could find/make a shift gate that would work.
And the wagon roofrack actually does fit the sedan and hatchback?
My mustang II console used to be red, actually! I drove over 500 miles to get it (which was a great road trip), for $25.00, and then I went and purchased $60 in special paints, cleaners, and primers to make it Landau Black so it would match my car. I am not dissatisfied about the results at all as it came out amazingly well!
Yes the roof racks are interchangable.
So the paint is hard-wearing enough? I think I know where I can get a black one, maybe I could paint it red to match.
And was the front hollow when you cut the storage spot off to make it clear?
The SEM paint is made for plastic type surfaces and is flexible. Here is the stuff I use:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=off&q=SEM+paint+landau+black&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1600&bih=1036&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1215851290039670596&sa=X&ei=gN_vTdLKCcm4tweV782gCQ&ved=0CFcQ8wIwAg
I had to purchase a cleaner, which is also available in an aerosol can, which you spray on and let sit for a few seconds before wiping off. After using the cleaner and ensuring the console was dry, I used a plastic adhesion promoter to help the landau black paint stick better, which has worked extremely well.
The only areas I have seen the paint wear through to the original red console is where my seat belts rub against the back of the console. You probably wouldn't notice it unless you were really looking at the thing though. For regular contact and resting against the painted surface it holds up great, but when you apply pressure and a hard surface against it, like the seat belts, and move it around a lot, you will see some wear, but it is easily fixable by a quick shot of the same paint on the worn spot.
Here is the link to where my project log starts with the console modification and install.
http://www.fordpinto.com/your-project/restoring-my-78-sedan/msg73210/#msg73210