hello board my name is ray and i just picked up my first pinto today. i have been into cars for quite sometime and have fixed up quite a few including a 1967 fairlane. ive always been a ford fan but never thought id own a pinto.lol. but i do and its growing on me.
anyways i stumbled across my pinto threw a craigslist ad. the guy had a bunch of stuff he had to get rid of or the city was going to fine him. so i went over to see what all he had,
and there behind a fence sat my 1973 pinto runabout. all four tires flat and they were bias ply tires. the motor and trans are still in the car and are complete except for a radiator.it was an original a/c car but the compressor is gone.
the body is fairly straight but does need a lil work. the mileage shows 75000 and the car has not been licensed since 1986, the interior needs work but is complete even the 8 track stereo is still there. we even found a valvoline oil can inside yes the old style cans.lol.
looking in this car is like going back in time.lol. bias tires, 8 tracks and old oil cans.lol. the motor turned over by hand and still has oil in it so im going to get a can with gas and by pass the gas tank clean out the carb some and get a battery and hopefully fire this thing up.. i will get pics up soon for you guys.
i also scored a 1976 ford f-100 supercab with a 429 motor with edelbrock intake and carb and headers it runs good. all for 350.00
i was planning on throwing the 429 into the pinto but that was before i realized there was a motor in the pinto. depending on how it runs i may keep it stock or do a 302 swap. anyways just thought id share my story. thx ray.
ok guys here are a few pics it needs work but should be fun even came with an extra transmission. and still has the original bias ply spare tire.
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/rayray369/pinto003.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/rayray369/pinto004.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/rayray369/pinto005.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/rayray369/pinto006.jpg)
(http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/rayray369/pinto007.jpg)
the rear bumper was perfect but the guy i got it from pulled it out with a cable wrapped around the bumper before i got there. i was a lil upset, since it was perfect but too late now.
Welcome aboard Ray, glad you found us. Congratulations on your find. Got any pictures to share? There are a lot of people on this site with a lot of experience and knowledge to share. I would suggest you take a little time and look around, maybe use the search feature and look for items of interest for your project.
And most of all, have fun!
Dave
Welcome to the site. Sounds awesome. You might want to squirt some oil in the cylinders to help the rings. Odds are after sitting for 22 years they might be stuck. Since you got it to turn by hand that's good, but a little oil in there can only help.
thx for the welcome guys and yeah i am going to drop a squirt of oil in there and let it sit for awhile before i crank her over. i will get some pics tommorrow for you guys its pretty dirty right now. but i think it will be a fun project for me and my 9 year old son to work on and fix up who knows it may be his first car when we are done.
Hello Ray Ray,
:welcome:
Sound like you have got the "BUG"!!! You will have to get your 9 yr old a 2nd Pinto!!! ;D
Nice find! Welcome to the board. I sure I speak for all of us when I say that we're ready and willing to help get another Pinto Pony back on the road again. :)
pics are up guys and thx for the welcome and help. im sure i'll have some questions later and of course i'll be looking for parts.lol. most of the work we will be doing ourselves even the paint. im painting my motorcycle right now and have done some cars in the past im not perfect but i keep getting better.lol.
That su-cker looks nice for a car that sat for so long. Good luck on gettin her running.
Nice find! Too bad about the bumper..... I would have been upset as well. I am sure you will find a replacement from someone here. Make sure you post some pictures of your progress. Good luck
Nice find Ray Ray!!!!!!!!! Are my eyes decieving me???? I don't see any cracks in the dash pad.
Welcome!!! High_Horse
yeah can you believe it not one single crack in the dash im going to armor all that sucker quick.lol. the interior is just very dirty but seems to be in ok condition other than the carpet and headliner. and the drivers side window was broke out. but i think the rest of the glass is all original. even the windshield doesnt have a crack.
Hello Ray,
[color=red]
DO NOT USE ARMORALL!!!!!
[/color][/glow]
It contains alcohol and will crack your dash as soon as the sun hit it!!!
NO NO NO!!!!!!
Just clean it with water that is all!!!!!!!!
ok will do. thx for the tip pintony.
Here here Pintony...I agree. No armoral. I would wash it down with a mild soap solution and gentle brushing and then let it dry. Instead of Armorall I have been using TurtleWax 2001 Protectant with sun stop ( it is in a day glow green spray bottle). Wipe it on and let it sit for an hour. Then do the same again till it holds a shine.
That uncracked dash alone is a good score.
High_Horse
well it looks like i will have to wait a lil while to find out if it runs good. i put a battery in it the other day and the starter is shot it drags really bad it may be why it was parked in 1986 so i will change out the starter and hope for the best.
Ray Ray,
I don't know if you have one in your area, but I have been very successful in using 'auto electric' shops, where you just take your starter or alternator to them and they fix anything it needs. I started doing this back in the '70s with the Pinto's i drove then and have continued the practice to this day.
Back in the day, remanufactured starters and alternators were mostly Motorcraft and Autolite cores, at least through the '70's and early '80's. They were usually OK for exchange, but now that we are 35 years down the road, copied castings have showed up and sometimes proper fitment can be an issue.
I am not saying to not go to your local auto parts store and get an exchange, just suggesting that my experience had been very good with getting my parts repaired locally, and hopefully you have that option.
Either way you go, good luck with your project.
Dave
PS. The statements above are purely the opinion of the contributor. That said, hopefully nobody will beat me up, LOL.
Pinto starters are so easy...put on bench...remove strap screw...pop off contact cover...pull 4 housing bolts...remove brush cover...detatch brushes...pull amature...check for dirt and debris...clean it out....there might not be anything wrong with it. If you are going to take it out anyway then try to save your self the expence and get some experience in the meantime. I've had brand new starters act like old geezers just cause the contact was not set right and the darn thing wasn't lubed amply and then they last for years. I will help you if you want.
P.S. The statements above are purely the opinion of a guy that disects every little thing because he " I " is/are a fixahaulic. Nobody has ever touched my Pinto except for that twin and the guy that did my tranny.
High_Horse
lol. yeah i hear you guys on the exchange parts todays quality just isnt the same. i will try and pull it apart and see if i can get it working first. if not there is an auto electric shop here in town and i will just have them rebuild it. thx for the info again guys. and it looks like im finding most of the parts i need now i just need the extra cash to pick them up.lol.
Welcome to the site. I got my first Pinto from My dad a few months ago and really enjoy it and I never expected to have a passion for Pintos like I do.
Ray ray,
nice work on buying a total fixer upper. Most people i know would call that a parts car. NOT ME! I love taking a car that was a total disaster and making it look like a daimond! Very few people have the desire to do what you are about to do, but I wish you the best of luck and dont give up!!! Check out my latest resto. Sitting in a dirt lot for 15 years.
http://www.ringo.com/photos/album/photos.html?albumId=42454296
That should provide your with some fire, excuse the pun. I cant wait to see yours all done!
Alberto
Pintopower, what did you use to clean your engine bay with?
thx guys. i hope to be able to get the pinto into the garage this week and pull the starter. i just pulled the 429 out of the truck and it was in a lot better codition than i had thought. anyways hopefully i can get the old pinto fired up as soon as i hear it run then we will start the tear down and cleaning and fixing.lol. lots of work ahead. but weve got plenty of time.