I get several responses when i tell people i bought a pinto. People my age(18) and younger usually say "a what?"(I find it funny that a previously very notorious car is now unknown to many people). The others come from people older than me and both responses begin with a laugh followed by either "Why?" or "I loved my pinto!". No matter what its always a conversation starter.
Several months ago I began looking for an older car to restore as a project and drive to college(I just finished my freshman year at Iowa State University). After alot of window shopping mustangs and bidding on a few other older cars i found a 78 pinto hatchback for sale only a few hours away. My dad had driven a pinto in school and so had both my uncles so i thought it would be cool to continue the "tradition". I called the owner of the pinto and found out that it had spent its entire life in Texas( ;D no rust ;D ) until a year ago when him and his mechanic bought it to make an autocross car. The mechanic replaced the carb with a 350cfm Holley 7448, replaced the entire exhaust with a speedflow header, magnaflow muffler, and all new pipe. They also installed a brand new radiator, water pump, and hose. The car was being sold with 4 new never driven on tires. The car had only 62,000 miles on it. I thought it looked like they had a great start on their project and asked the owner why they where selling it, he replied that his mechanic had died (oops). Anyways after making an offer and and waiting several days for a response, I got the car for only $850. The car had to be trailered because they had removed the gas tank and had not yet tuned the new carb(they hadn't ran it at all since installing all the new parts!)
Me and my grandpa made the 4 hour each way trip together to go pick up my first car. when we arrived the car was in a little worse shape than i had noticed in the pictures, there were quite a few dents and each dent and scratch had been painted over with a different shade of green. The car was still really solid and even looked good underneath. we brought it back home and it sat for a month and a half while i finished the school year.
I've finally started the project this last month. So far I have fixed the timing belt(was two teeth off), tuned the carburetor, and done alot of messing with the ignition timing. I have also installed a temporary 1.5 gallon gas tank attacked to the spare tire with bungee cords so i can drive to test my tuning. The car is definitley burning alot of oil (I think the county would pay me to fog for mosquitoes lol) but I dont think it is bad rings because of the low mileage and i have 180psi of compression in all 4 cylinders. I think the oil is probly originating from worn valve seals. If the car is 34 years old and has 62k on it then im assuming it sat for a long time and with out oil those little rubber seals probly cracked to dust. I ordered new seals and a valvecover gasket, should be here on tuesday. Despite the smoke, the engine runs good and has pretty decent power(for a 4banger). My only problem now is that if i give it much throttle when under load, i'm hearing some very definite spark knock or pinging. The pinging occurs regardless of my ignition timing and even with the vacuum advance disconnected. I took it on a drive last night and kept retarding the timing by a gnat's butt at a time, after running my small tank nearly empty and accomplishing no change at all, i went home. I got out the timing light to see where i was at and my timing was set for 1 degree after TDC >:( I've been reading and reading and I cant find anything that tells me a good answer. I thought it might be too hot of plugs but i checked and they are new clean plugs of the appropriate heat range and had the right gap on all of them. The other cause for knock i read about was bad gas, I'm running 87 octane and that should be fine to run in a 78, but it got me wondering and i think i have a theory.
OK so this is just a theory and I want u guys to tell me if i'm crazy but i think i might know why i have spark knock. All that reading about octane got me wondering what the octane of engine oil is, i looked it up and its somewhere between 40 and 50. This makes me think that if i'm burning a significant amount of oil, it could be drastically decreasing the octane of the gas in my cylinders causing preignition. what do u guys think? I'm just a kid playing with his first car, i could use some experienced input.
As soon as i know i can make the engine run perfect,the engine will be pulled, the car is being stripped, body work done, painted and undercoated, new interior. I'll post pics in a bit.
thanks for your input in advance
i think you are on the right track with the oil burning for your spark knock
brad :)
Thanks for the reply. Here are some pics.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0129.jpg)
My first car
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0133.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0134.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0135.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0132.jpg)
Notice the homemade grill that they put on for racing, the original is in the back seat
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0136.jpg)
They also put on brand new hatch struts but idk what that has to do with racing
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0141.jpg)
the car had factory A/C but they cut out everything in front of the firewall
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0137.jpg)
interior needs work
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0142.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0143.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0140.jpg)
luckily i have a better sound system to put in
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0139.jpg)
need to find a gas tank or this gauge will never see the F
thats my car, i'll try to get engine pics cuz that holley carb, edelbrock intake, and edelbrock aircleaner( :o shiny) look kinda cool on the little 2.3
Quote from: Clydesdale80 on June 21, 2012, 07:02:47 PM
I get several responses when i tell people i bought a pinto. People my age(18) and younger usually say "a what?"(I find it funny that a previously very notorious car is now unknown to many people). The others come from people older than me and both responses begin with a laugh followed by either "Why?" or "I loved my pinto!". No matter what its always a conversation starter.
Reading what you said there brought back a memory that made me laugh. I'm 55 and have dabbled in cars for most of my adult life with a particular interest in Rolls-Royce and Lincoln automobiles. Over the years, I have owned quite a few examples.
My very first car however, was a new 1974 Pinto Runabout I purchased when I was sixteen years old. Several years ago, in a nostalgic mood, I departed from my normal luxury car mode and bought a 1972 Pinto. I have a brother-in-law who is a used car dealer in a city approximately 150 miles away from us and whenever we see him (usually about once a year) he always asks, "Got anything new in the fleet?" We saw him about a month after I acquired my Pinto so when he asked his routine question I proudly said, "I have a Ford Pinto!" Without missing a beat, he replied, "I'm sorry." I just thought that was a funny response... and one I'll never forget!
Dwayne :)
ya, its funny the way some people react to telling them you have a pinto. I've never had any experience with pintos(or any carburated car for that matter) but from what I've heard from other people who owned them and from my time spent on this car, I think i'm gonna like it. I know for sure that i'm gonna like its gas mileage alot better than the mustangs i was looking at and the riviera i bid on(that thing couldnt have gotten much over 12, huge boattail two door with a 465 wildcat). whether or not I like the car enough to keep it in the long run i'm gonna have fun fixing it up and i'm already learning more than i ever have about cars. heres some more pics i took.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0150-1.jpg)
here's the original engine in my pinto with 62k miles. The previous owners added a header, edelbrock intake manifold, holley 350cfm carb, and a shiny new edelbrock aircleaner.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0151.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0152.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0153-1.jpg)
does anybody know why they would have cut up these vents? holes were cut and pieces were reattached with screws.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0154.jpg)
here's my current gas tank, doesnt last very long
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0155-1.jpg)
i'm hoping this literature and fordpinto.com will help me through my project.
Looks like you will have a lot of fun restoring it and driving it.
Awesome car! My first car was my 78 Sedan (I still have it) in similar shape when I started driving it (has been family owned since new). I used the same Haynes manual to work on mine, and still do with some things, I have a lot of that manual memorized, lol.
Thanks guys, I really think I'm gonna like this car. The previous owner gave me the haynes manual when I bought the car, I've been flipping through it ever since just to see how everything works. I wish I knew where to get books fixed cuz pages are starting to try to fall out. Right now I'm just eager for my valve seals to show up. This is the second time I've ordered them, the first time the package got crushed and my gaskets got torn so I had to send it all back.(that was way too much time spent on the phone with jcwhitney and ups to decide who was gonna pay for my refund)
My haynes manual did the same thing, I just cut the binding and three hole punched the pages to put them in a binder.
That's probly a good idea, I don't want to lose any information that might be useful later in my project.
Hey That's a factory am/fm 8 track in there! 8) Cool.
If you want to sell that radio, Ill take it!
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2
UPS has destroyed more than a few things I've bought & sold over the years. You would think gaskets would survive since they are flexible but leave it to them to destroy em.....
I've had a few people comment on the radio already, what are the factory am/fm 's worth? I might keep it just cuz it is original but idk. The gasket that got messed up the most was the exhaust manifold gasket, they can't really handle much kinking. It was folded in half so it had a thin spot and some torn edges so i didn't want to trust it. while im on the topic of exhaust, my header actually touches the body/frame of my car. its right before the four pipes meet the collector, they make a bend and just barely touch the metal of the car. when the car is running and the engine vibrates it rattles against the metal and causes vibration in the whole car. I'm planning on just denting the metal there a little since its not visible but it seems weird to me that a header made for the car doesn't really fit.
Best I can offer at this time is 40 plus shipping. Mine came with a AM radio, but it died, and I want to put a 8 track in as a replacement, as I have about 50 tapes for it.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2
Quote from: Back in Blue on June 25, 2012, 12:56:41 PM
Hey That's a factory am/fm 8 track in there! 8) Cool.
Looks like an aftermarket to me. From my understanding the Pinto never came with am-fm-8-track unless you got it as a dealer option :) Of course I had to replace a 200.oo CD player to put one in my wagon.
Didnt mean to hijack the thread. The car looks great and I know that you will enjoy it as well as being part of the Pinto family
i got a lot done today but definitely not what i had planned. I went out to the garage to take my valve cover off and replace the valve seals but when i got the cover off, i found something unexpected. The cam lobes for the #3 cylinder were scored and worn and the #4 cylinder lobes were worn so far that their lift had been significantly decreased. I don't know if this happened while i was running it to set the timing and tune the carb or if it was this way when i bought if. My best guess would be clogged oil holes causing insufficient lubrication of the back half of the cam but idk. nomatter what caused it, i now have a completely shot cam, rocker arms and lifters, not to mention metal shavings floating around in my oil causeing all kinds of havoc. I'm considering this engine in need of a complete teardown.
Luckily my great uncle has the drivetrain for an early 80's ranger. The engine was rebuilt 30,000 miles before if was taken out of the truck and has been in a well kept, weather proof machine shed quite a few years. The transmission is a TK5 with nearly identical gearing to my four speed but with the addition of overdrive. I know other people have made the swap to TK5 so I'm gonna buy both it and the engine.
Since i would like to have this car rustproof and drivable by the time I go back to college(late august), I decided that i cant keep messing with engines and waiting for parts right now. I need to start working on the bodywork and repainting. I know it sounds weird that i need to stop working on the engine to make it drivable but my original plan was to make sure that everything mechanical worked then gut the car to do bodywork and repaint. But i have spent two months playing with the engine and waiting for parts and other than learning alot about my engine, i havent really accomplished much. Since I also refuse to drive this car regularly until it has been painted and undercoated I decided i will start working in that direction and figure out the engine details later. Hopefully the ranger engine is go to go and i can keep my engine to build up as a spare or replacement.
Since I decided to work towards bodywork and painting, i started emptying the engine compartment. I got quite a bit done for that not being the plan for today. I've labeled and disconnected every wire under the hood. the entire wiring harness is hanging over my fender right now. I removed the battery, radiator and shroud, horn, choke cable, all vacum lines, and all coolant hoses. I found a surprisingly large number of wires going nowhere, I'm assuming they were part of the a/c and emissions stuff that was eliminated for racing. I'm gonna finish pulling everything i can from under the hood on saturday and hopefully find a cherry picker to pull the engine before the weekend is over. then i'll drop the transmission and start on gutting the interior.
a couple quick questions to finish of with:
What do you guys think caused the cam to grind the back four lobes(the front four were shiny and smooth, good as new)?
Are there any major differences between the 78 pinto engine and the early 80's(I think 83) ranger engine and how will these affect installing it?
Thanks for any help guys and i dont think i said this before but my name is Dan
Honestly I'm not suprised you need a cam. Almost all 2.3s ate up the cam. If they didn't it was prolly luck. I wouldn't read too much into it because the slider cam that was in this engine was known to wear out quickly.
My spare engine wiped out #4 lobes as well.
I was just surprised that the cam took that much wear in 62k miles. this must be the reason they switched to rollers. Since I think i can get the ranger engine for less than the cost of a new cam, i think im just gonna count on it to be the engine i put in the car and i'll keep my engine to build up as a replacement later.
Quotemy header actually touches the body/frame of my car. its right before the four pipes meet the collector, they make a bend and just barely touch the metal of the car. when the car is running and the engine vibrates it rattles against the metal and causes vibration in the whole car. I'm planning on just denting the metal there a little since its not visible but it seems weird to me that a header made for the car doesn't really fit.
Look your motor & trans mounts over well. Might be the problem.
i have nothing left in the engine compartment but the block and all the mounts look fine. i'll post picks in a bit
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0165.jpg)
Engine is ready to pull
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0162.jpg)
the front cam lobes look pretty good
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0161.jpg)
farther back they are showing some wear
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0166.jpg)
the very far back lobes are worn down to about half their original height
(if you look at right edge of the lobe on the right you can see how tall the lobe used to be)
all i can say to that last photo is WOW!!
that is crazy, well time for a rebuild bigger, better and FASTER!!
good luck!!
Hi, No idea how deep your pockets are or not deep, however, with your cam you might be able to give it new life with a fresh grind. Saving you some money (maybe).
check it out, http://www.coltcams.com/html/camshaft/index.cfm send them a email. had my 2.8 shaft ground along with the lifters saving me some coin as to buying a HP cam.
cheers
My '78 CW came stock with an 8-track, FM/AM. Of course I took it out for a cassette. My Dad kept in his shop, where I did the change, for years. He gave back to me probably ten years later. Of course, I threw it out maybe a year before I reentered the Pinto Nation.
alot has happened since the last time i was on here. I went to pick up the ranger engine and 5-speed and my uncle said it ran great 15 years ago when he took it out of a rusted out truck but it probly needs new gaskets and seals. got it home, put it on the engine stand and went to start taking things apart when i noticed that the valve cover sticker was still intact. i was curious how similiar it was to mine so i started reading. first i notice it says that it was for an automatic transmission... but the 5-speed came from the same truck hmmm... I keep reading and i notice that the bottom of the sticker says something about meeting the regulations for a new 1978 model, apperently this was not originally a ranger engine. sure enough i take off the valve cover and find a flat tappet cam but that wasn't even the biggest disappointment. the entire cam and all its bearings were coated in thick red corrosion (I may or may not have swore and/or kicked something). Being hopeful that the rest of the engine might be good, i drained the oil. the first thing to come out the plug was about 2 tablespoons of bright green antifreeze ??? followed by several globs of sludge. dropped the oilpan and from underneath everything looked good. took off the head next to check the cylinders and found the #2 cylinder completely coated in rust except for a 1/2 in gap above the piston(my uncle said he had gotten the crank to turn a little). I'm considering this engine basically junk.
Atleast the 5-speed looks promising, its almost exactly the same length as my 4-speed that i took out of my car. the brackets are close enough to be able to adapt and the shift is only a few inches forward. I will have to figure out how to make it's hydraulic clutch work with my cable pedal but i think i can engineer something.
i took the engine from my car apart today to see how much damage was done my the cam grinding itself off. The oil was black(probly from the seafoam) but didnt have any noticable metal flakes in it. I dropped the pan and found the same thing, no metal shavings. the engine looked good from underneath. i took the head off and all four cylinders looked great,no scoring at all and 90% of the cross-hatching is still visible.(no wonder it showed 180psi of compression in each cylinder cold).
I'd say this engine might have some more life left in it if i can work out my cam issues.
I went over to the workbench to look at the head, i turned the cam and all the valves were moving so that wasnt what took out the lobes. then i watched the hydraulic lifters as i turned the cam and found a stuck lifter for every worn lobe. I think I'll see if i can find a roller cam and a set of lifters, clean my engine out, put it back together and see how it runs. I'm hoping it'll run even stronger once all four cylinders are getting air.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0266.jpg)
the engine from my pinto on the right and the "ranger" engine from my uncle
(you can kinda see the rust covering the cam shaft in this picture)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0265.jpg)
the original 4-speed from my pinto on top and the new ranger 5-speed below
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0267.jpg)
its pretty much empty
started gutting the interior today, got everything but the dash, carpet, and headliner out. then i'll move on to the outside. can anybody tell me how to remove the chrome side strip?
i could be wrong but I think that those side body strips are just glued on with a small clip or 2 in a place. one word of caution, be careful how much you are pulling apart on the car. time has a funny way of sneaking up on you and your project might turn out to not be ready for a school driver. one other word of advice, zip bag and write everything down what is in the bags. time plays with memory. my project is over 2 years ago now and it is in the final body stages with many parts misplaced from a major move.
cheers
I have already accepted that the car is going to take longer than I had originally expected but to make this car into what I want it needs taken all the way apart and rebuilt. I would rather take the time to do it right than rush and be unhappy with the results. I have been using ziplock bags and masking tape to keep everything together and labeled. My dad is only allowing me to use one stall of the garage to hold my car and all my parts so I doubt I'll lose anything. The project is moving along faster than ever and I hope to have it painted by the end of summer.
seeing what you are doing has put me back to a time about 2&half years back. full steam ahead... same style car minus the 2.8. Have fun, learn lots and keep us informed. (pics)
cheers
full steam ahead is right, i feel like ive gotten alot done in the last few days. i've got the car almost emptied out. I still need to remove all the brake stuff, the headliner, the hatch and the headlights and bezels. It's gonna take me a while to finish this project but I'm still moving forward.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0279.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0280.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0281-1.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0282.jpg)
does anybody know how to remove the chrome trim around the quarter windows?
is it possible to remove the headliner and replace it without removing the quarter windows? if not, how do i remove the windows without damaging the gasket and glass?
By pushing the inside of the quarter windows with 1 hand as you flip up the rubber seal lip with your fingers of your other hand the windows should come right out. I can get them out in 2 minutes with no damage.
sounds easy enough, how do i get the chrome trim off so i can do that?
No idea how you remove trim, except that I am guessing you have to unclip it from the clips that are on the body. but it has to to be asked... why? what is your final plan and what is your road map to get there? ripping everything out is easy, putting it all back is challenging and can become very expensive if you have to farm out the work. You might want to start budgeting what you can do yourself and what you need to pay to get fixed. just giving words of caution. (from the pics you started with all the chrome on the body looks great) why would you want to chance taking it off and getting all bent out of shape).
cheers
I'm taking all the trim off because the car needs body work and reprinted. It doesn't really show in the pictures but the car has alot of scratches and dings, the paint has also been touched up with atleast 3 different shades of green. I'm removing the interior because all the seats were shredded and there have been mice living in the all the cars insulation. Once I took the carpet out I found that the floor has rusted through in several places. The trim I'm taking off already had dents that I plan to straighten while it's off. I'm asking specifically about the quarter window trim because I need to remove it to remove the window and I need to remove the window to replace the headliner(which has rotted seams that are falling apart). I'm planning on doing as much of this project as I can myself. The project is going to take a long time because it is a tear down and rebuild. I'm just trying to make a car I'll like to drive and learn as much as I can in the process.
Good deal :) i wasn't trying to beat you up, i was just asking to caution you and your project is all. you will learn lots ;) i guess i didn't fully understand the complete tear down and then rebuild part. I was just thinking back to all the expense and time we have put into our build, then seeing your pics and your car looks in real nice shape (except the seats), this i guess is why i tossed out the caution.
cheers
Structurally the car is great besides the holes in the floor. The car does still have alot of problems that I would like to fix before driving it daily. I am aware that there will be more expenses to come but I believe I can make something that I really enjoy driving. My friend just bought a 2009 chrysler Concorde for $4,000. The way I see it I can make a much sportier and fuel efficient car for that or less. I understand ur concern and am a little nervous myself being this deep into a project as a beginner but I have many friends and family members that are experienced with mechanics and restorations that are helping me. I hope with help from them and some pinto specific help from people on this site I can make a great car for myself.
As far as the trim goes I need to remove mine to anodize it black but I haven't pulled it yet. I think it will come off with a bottle opener. Try wrapping a couple layers of duct tape over the rounded end(to prevent scratching the aluminum), not the pointy one & hook the part that pops up the cap under the edge of the trim & gently pull up & see if it starts to move.
If it does move along the edge slowly until it's loose. This is an old trick for pulling gutter trim on Mopars. It looked like the way to go when I was contemplating getting mine off. Don't force it whatever you do.
The windows came out today just like Pinto5.0 had said except that I had to soak the rubber in wd40 for a night to make it flexible enough to pull out. the front and top trim pieces come out after the window is out, they are in a channel in the rubber. the bottom piece of trim is held on by four nuts inside the quarter panel.
I got lucky & always had pliable rubber the few times I've pulled them out. Glad to hear you got them out & how the chrome attaches. I never had to remove it until this build so I never looked.
i was glad i found those nuts on the inside of the quarter panel before i pried on the trim too hard. only six of the eight total studs had nuts on them. it seems to be a trend with this car that everything is missing a couple screws or nuts. this probly explains all the rattles that the car made when I did drive it.
I forgot about that bolt on trim, I was just thinking of the window surrounds. I still need to figure out how to remove the ones on the door window frame as well when the time comes.
the door trim is just popped into place, start at the front of the door and slide a small flatbar under the top edge of the trim. once you get the end popped off, hold it with one end and pull gently away from the car with one hand and slowly work the flatbar along the trim until the trim comes off. I used a small 4'' flatbar but i'm sure something else would work too.
I tore the car down a little further this week and decided that I needed to reorganize my pile of pinto parts in the corner of the garage. Dad didn't want me to use up any floor space outside my stall of the garage but i needed to spread things out so i could find everything. i think i found a pretty good solution.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0291.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0292.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0293.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0294.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0305.jpg)
shouldn't have problems finding anything now. I took the fenders off the car along with the brake lines and fuel lines. I then power washed the body to get rid of loose dirt,grease, rust,and insulation.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0283.jpg)
now that its clean i can show more clearly the rust damage that i found. luckily i'm a kirkwood certified welder ::) (the program was kind of a joke, some of my classmates couldn't even make a consistent bead on flat steel) I think i can manage to make functional patches in the fairly hidden places.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0284.jpg)
front passenger floor
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0285.jpg)
rear passenger floor
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0286.jpg)
rear driver floor
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0287.jpg)
front floor
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0290.jpg)
spare tire holder
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0288.jpg) (http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0289.jpg)
both corners of the hatch underneath the plastic piece.
this is the reason that i'm taking the car all the way down to the body, i'd like this car to last a long time and i knew a thirtyfour year old car couldn't be perfect after how long it sat.
i like the way you used the space saving technique!!! Good thing you can weld. cheers
Wowsers!!!! Nice way to store the parts. I'm with 78Starsky. Good thing you can weld. There any rust in the rear quarters or anything or are they solid?
everything is solid except the spots i posted pictures of. Thats why I decided this car was worth the 4 hour drive to pick it up, all the hard to fix steel is in good shape. there is some surface rust under where the trim was but i cleaned a couple spots up and there is solid steel underneath. All the patching should be easy to hide.
i was looking through all my newly organized parts and found a few things that I probly won't be needing.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0295.jpg)
Since I'll be using my holley carb and esslinger manifold(top), I dont have a use for this carb and intake(bottom) that was attached to the "ranger" engine my uncle gave me.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0296.jpg)
I'll also be using my pacesetter header(top) and wont need the ranger manifold(bottom)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0301.jpg)
i'm upgrading to a 5speed(left) and wont the the 4speed(right)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0299.jpg)
does anybody have any use for a ranger oil pan(top)? its rear sump
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0298.jpg)
i've got an extra valve cover
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0300.jpg)
here is the block that all the ranger parts came from, I also have the head but both are heavily rusted.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0304.jpg)
since the car is changing colors i wont be using the green side stripe trim, its in good shape and would be a shame to go to waste.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0305.jpg)
the cruisin wagon panels have been listed in the classifieds for awhile now, they were saved from my uncle's highschool car. I have no use for them but they would also be a shame to waste. the pieces below the panels are the filler pieces for both bumpers, I plan to use joebob's "simple fat bumper fix" so i wont need these pieces.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0302.jpg)
the windshield has 2 or 3 rock chips and it looks like someone ran the wipers without blades. scratches from the wipers cover most the windshield and wake it hard to see through. none of the scratches are deep just alot of small ones making it cloudy. there might be a way to polish it out but idk, i'm just gonna order a new one.
if anyone is interested in any of these parts let me know, shipping will probly be expensive since im in Iowa and almost no one else is anywhere near me. I'd like to make a little money for my project but it'd be nice just to know these parts were being used.
This last week has been fairly productive, my dad helped me build a cart to support whats left of the car. Once it was off the ground I was able to unbolt just about everything left on the car. I left the bumper mounts on because my dad and I plan on building a "cradle" or "tip-over jig" similar to the one built by spyville in this his thread- http://www.fordpinto.com/general-help/body-cart/
The car is pretty much ready for me to start bodywork but i'm heading back to college on thursday. I will be back home for a weekend or two every month so I should be able to slowly work at it.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0319.jpg)
The cart my dad and i built
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0320.jpg)
car on the cart
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0321.jpg)
basically just the body
I think I made a pretty good find this last weekend. I bought a pile of pinto stuff that a guy had sitting in his shed for the last 20 years. I bought it for the slot rims but he wanted to get rid of the whole pile. it turns out There was some pretty good stuff.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0173.jpg)
These are the rims i bought it for, I took some time and cleaned one of them(bottom left). Once they are all cleaned and polished I think they'll look alot better than my steel rims and hubcaps.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0174.jpg)
These are the center caps that were with the rims, i guess i'll be looking for a couple more pinto caps. does anybody need one mustang cap?
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0175.jpg)
I'm gonna clean these up and post them in the classifieds in the next few weeks(they arent really the look im goin for). I'll know better once they are clean but it appears that two of the rims have the webbing painted black.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0169.jpg)
six brake rotors and two drums. If anybody wants to buy some of these let me know, otherwise I guess they might save me some money someday.
Underneath all the rusty rotors i found something a little more interesting
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0176.jpg)
An offenhauser 4barrel dual port intake for the 2.3l :o .
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0177.jpg)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0178.jpg)
I've done some reading about this manifold and I think I'm probly gonna keep it. I'll plan on using my esslinger manifold and holley two barrel when i get the car together but keep this just incase I get bored ::) .
what a great find!!
brought home some metal and planning on patching the floor over thanksgiving break.
it looks awesome, and is a awesome project congrats. it reminds me of me 10 years ago but i when in a completely opposite direction.
btw that intake is awesome. i have one of thous that i use to run on my ministock pinto and they work grate.
good luck.
thanks I am really enjoying the project and hate having to leave it at home when i go to ISU. Are you talking about the four barrel Offenhauser or the Edelbrock intake? I have been looking at carbs for the offenhauser on ebay but I've decided that since i already have a carb for the other intake I should wait and spend my money on more necessary things.
the four barrel Offenhauser. is a grate intake i had it polish. i dont know it out of the top of my head what carb i use in it but i still have the complete set up i will look it up tomorrow when i get to the shop and i will send it to you.
I'm going to be running that set up on my 2.0 powered 23 T- Bucket. I also have the pony ram set up, and decided to go with the offy with the 390 cfm holley.
I was looking at 390cfm Holleys to put on that intake, either the 8007 or the older one with manual choke. From what I read people that take the time to retune everything love the offy intake but people that expect it to be a bolt on actually lose horsepower. I read on another site that some guy was planning to use a dremel tool to make the end of the divider tapered instead of a flat square end. I would think that would eliminate some turbulence but the guy never posted results.
my have some work done in the end, i didnt fine it today i have a big mess since im moving the shop but as soon as i fine it i will take some pictures and the carb specs, i also have the flow chart for it after all the work i did to it. when i put it on the car and tuned it, it was a day and night difference, but nothing like the deuces side draft webers that i have now. a pain on the butt to tune but once you get them tune. it is sweet.
I think it would be awesome to put a holley 6895 on it but mechanical secondaries would make it near impossible to avoid bog. From what I've read, the vacuum secondaries is what makes a four barrel carb streetable on these small engines. I am looking at sending my roller cam out to get a custom grind but it's still gonna be more torque oriented than high rpm. I'm not sure that with my setup the engine will draw enough air to fully utilize the secondaries. I have a big list of stuff to do before i worry about buying a new carb but It's something that i will probably end up playing with once the project is on the road.
Have you guys ever new of anyone running the Pony Ram set up on the 2.0 by chance?
i think i know what your talking about. the two single barrel set up right?
Thats the one! It would look good on my T. Just cant find no one to rebuild the carbs. Heck I even have the kickdown linkage for the auto trans. I looked hi and low for it and now all it is used for is decoration.
There's a write about about it in the magazine section, here on the home page.
i seen them on the track there is a old guy that have them on. but i dont really know him. now if you give me a few days i can probably fine you something, or some where you can get the carbs. i order 3 holly 94 for a costumer not long ago and they look pretty close to what you are looking for im sure we can fine something that will cover what you need. unless you are looking for thous specific ones.
Might have to look at that approch for sure. I never could find out what the CFM's were on the two carbs that came with it. Again, I think they would look good on the T.
i think they will look grate. and i was just reading on them i think. they are 185 cfm.
i will call one of the guys that i get the carbs from and i will fine out. i have a speed shop im sure we will fine something.
Sounds good, for sure.
I'm getting ready to do quite a bit of welding and patching the floor of my car and I'm wondering if there is anything else I should be doing while I have the welder out. Is there any reinforcing or anything else that would be beneficial? I know that they add sub-frame connectors in V8 conversions, would there be any benefit from doing this to a car with a mildly modified n/a 2.3? what do you guys think?
P.S. the car is torn down to the bare body and will eventually be repainted so this is a great time to do any beneficial modifications.
If you ever plan on going with big HP go for it while you have it tore down. There is a good right up on how to install them on here. Look in the search section.
i realize my 2.3 isnt mild but i do have frame connectors and it does make a difference in the way the car handles....
thanks guys, I'll look at it more tomorrow but I'm thinking I might use some angle iron to connect the leaf spring mounts to the front frame. About 50% of the floor is rusted through so I'm planning on cutting most of the floor out and just making entirely new floor pans out of the sheet steel that I have. This should make it fairly easy to work in any extra framework that I decide to do. One of my dad's friends said I should tub it while I have it this far apart but I'm not going to since I would prefer to be able to use the interior panels and the biggest tires I can see putting on it would be 205/60r13(biggest that will fit on my mags) Anything else that you guys would recommend doing at this point?
I didn't get near as far as I had planned over break but I definitely made some progress. I picked up an old gravity box that was falling apart in a friend's barnyard. I took it completely apart and I'm gonna use the steel to make my new floor.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0409.jpg)
My dad also helped me make a cradle or "tip-over jig" to make my floor work a little easier.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0410.jpg)
sorry about the lighting
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0411.jpg)
I think I have a plan for the subframe connectors, I actually found some channel to use. I should be all ready to go when i get home next. Only 3 weeks until christmas break and then I'm home for a month.
I forgot to mention this earlier in my thread but thanks to 79Prostreet I now have an actual gas tank so I can stop using the one gallon go-kart tank.
while I'm welding a new floor in, what do you guys recommend as far as moving the seats back a little? I'm only 6'2'' but it's mostly legs so getting between the seat and the steering wheel is a bit awkward.
wow, its been awhile since i've updated my project thread. The work is going alot slower than i was hoping but there is definitely progress. It's hard to find time to work on my car when i'm going to college over 2 hours away. Anyways, this is what i accomplished this last summer. when i left off last winter i was working on the floor and subframe connectors.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0010_zps2d14636d.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0010_zps2d14636d.jpg.html)
the floor pans are made of galvanized steel that is a little thicker than the original floor. The subframe connector design was created and stress tested on a 3d modeling and simulation program and compared to several other designs. this structure tested to be the strongest of my designs while staying under 40 pounds of extra steel. the steel tubes are welded into the floor for the entire length of the connectors to help evenly distribute stress. there is also smaller tube welded along the rocker panels. the simulations i ran showed that by forming a box with the rocker panels and the main subframe connector rails, it greatly increased the structures ability to resist twisting.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0012_zps19d17ccc.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0012_zps19d17ccc.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0011_zps20e1e92e.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0011_zps20e1e92e.jpg.html)
the rear if the main subframe rails T into 3x1 inch tubing placed where the supports for the rear seats used to be. there tubes are notched and welded into the from leaf spring mount and the rear subframe. the other end of the tube is welded to a reinforced arch in the trans. tunnel. this completley "boxes in" the center portion of the car that previously lacked a frame.
I also did some body work and primed it before coming back to school, i'll post more pics later.
I "like"!
It looks like you're going in the right direction. Any vehicle can be improved by a stiffer body structure. Every part of the driving experience will be iimproved by what you have done.
How about some photos of the top side of the shell?
Srt, click on the photos above and it takes you to Clydesdale80's photobucket. Photos of the top side in primer are at the front.
Clydesdale80, Thanks for the idea and research into adding rocker panel stiffing tubes during the frame connector installation. I am sure you are aware, but in case somebody else is trying to weld galvanized steel, it puts off a bad gas so use extra ventilation if you have to weld it. Looking forward to future progress during your next school break.
i agree about the welding the galvanized, i used a grinder to remove the coating on the edges i was welding but still did most the welding outside. I will post the rest of the pics on this thread next time i get some time.
thanks for the compliments on frame connectors, it was a slow progress as i was hesitant to just start cutting and found myself second guessing every idea i had but i think it turned out well, there was also a significant amount of cleaning up ugly edges and welds after those pics were taken. the bottom of the car looks much more natural now and the added rails don't stand out like they do in that picture. thanks again guys, i'm glad the consensus isn't that i ruined my car :o lol
here are all the pics of the top side, i've been sanding most of it down to bare metal and dinging out the dents and glazing everything smooth. there was some metal that was cut out by the previous owner and i had to replace with some non-factory sheetmetal. I'll see if any of you can spot the slightly custom replacement metal :-X
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0015_zps5a8274da.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0015_zps5a8274da.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0019_zpsed3f9813.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0019_zpsed3f9813.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0017_zps85421f26.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0017_zps85421f26.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0021_zpscd474e97.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0021_zpscd474e97.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0023_zps170043e5.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0023_zps170043e5.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0026_zps0bc41205.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0026_zps0bc41205.jpg.html)
the floor patches blended in fairly well and you can see the main subframe connectors underneath where the front seats would be.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0025_zps5c091aee.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0025_zps5c091aee.jpg.html)
Let me know if anyone spots the custom bodywork and what you think of it.
It's coming along great.
Hi Clydesdale80.
It it the custom louvered cowl?
Dennis
bingo! the previous owner cut out the cowl vents so they got replaced with louvers meant for a rat rod hood. it still needs a little more blending but I have the basic shape smoothed out.
here's a better pic of the new cowl louvers. i wasn't able to find any stock parts to replace the vents so i bought a pair of these hot rod louvers - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-of-Streetbeast-34-Ford-Louvered-Angled-hood-inserts-panels-/181201671890?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a307616
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/GEDC0027_zps9eb197a7.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/GEDC0027_zps9eb197a7.jpg.html)
I think they will look pretty good behind one of these - http://www.ebay.com/itm/69-70-FORD-MUSTANG-MACH-1-CJ-TORINO-BOSS-HOOD-SCOOP-WITH-GRILL-/271311965692?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f2b740dfc&vxp=mtr
Looks like the car is coming along really nicely! Wish I knew you were looking for a cowl. The one on my 77 has a couple small dents from where the hood flew up but other than that it's not too bad.
thanks, that's ok about the cowl, now that it's all welded in I kind of like the little custom touch
To be completely honest I like the look. It looks like it was supposed to be that way. Looks like you do good weld work.
I do ok at the welding but it looks the way it does because I was patient using the grinder followed by many thin layers of filler. There is still smoothing that needs to be done that isn't apparent in the pictures.
Heck, no chance of big leaves getting in there with that set up
lol, I hadn't thought about it that way :o
I spent this summer fixing up and smoothing out the rest of the body panels. After block sanding the shell I assembled it all to test fit and primed it all again. I'm hoping that once more block sanding and repriming will smooth out the last of the imperfections. also added a torino gt scoop to the hood after deciding how to cut a hole and mount it.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0632_zps9bc315de.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0632_zps9bc315de.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0633_zpsf5394a47.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0633_zpsf5394a47.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0634_zpsa2928ba4.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0634_zpsa2928ba4.jpg.html)
I'm currently waiting for a driveshaft so I can test fit my drive train, T-5 and explorer 8.8 rear. In the mean time, I took tonight to tuck my bumpers in and see how they fit. I also changed out my headlight rings for the earlier style. For a 78 I think it looks pretty good.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0635_zpse88f4334.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0635_zpse88f4334.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0636_zpsa7527c00.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0636_zpsa7527c00.jpg.html)
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0637_zpsab49d1ac.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0637_zpsab49d1ac.jpg.html)
I'm considering painting the flat bottom half of the bumpers body color in order to simulate skinny bumpers. What do you guys think?
Looking good !
Now you need this: http://www.fordpinto.com/parts-resources-here-is-where-you-can-find-this-or-that/need-74-78-front-brakes/
;D
Quote from: Reeves1 on August 02, 2014, 05:26:07 AM
Looking good !
Now you need this: http://www.fordpinto.com/parts-resources-here-is-where-you-can-find-this-or-that/need-74-78-front-brakes/
;D
Those would be awesome but.... based on the price that they are listed for on wilwood, they are most likely outside the budget of a poor college student like myself :(. they are shiny though...
Quote from: Clydesdale80 on August 01, 2014, 10:36:40 PM
I'm considering painting the flat bottom half of the bumpers body color in order to simulate skinny bumpers. What do you guys think?
I think that would be cool, it would be different that's for sure..
I got some time this weekend and was able to test fit the new rear end and get the spring perches from the pinto rear welded on to it.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0656_zpsce9919bb.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0656_zpsce9919bb.jpg.html)
It's a unnarrowed 8.8 from a ford explorer with 3.73 gears and limited slip.
(http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q514/clydesdale80/IMG_0657_zps51f36185.jpg) (http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/clydesdale80/media/IMG_0657_zps51f36185.jpg.html)
using weights in the back of the car and a jack under the differential I checked for interference throughout the range of suspension travel. It doesn't appear that the larger housing or the offset pinion will cause any clearance problems. If anything I might move the parking brake cable mounts in the tunnel a little but I don't think I'll need to.
looking good and it is coming along nicely !!
My car should be a little more rust proof now to stand up to Iowa winters and road salt. I just finished coating the entire underside and wheel wells with Monstaliner bed liner. It's a DIY truck bed liner that has been shown to be as good or better than professionally applied bed liners (depending mostly on prep work). It has become popular in offroading communities to paint entire jeeps/trucks with it. This stuff really is tough, I plan to coat the engine bay with it as well due to how easy it cleans. I'll post pics when I can.