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parts needed
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Wanted 1971-73 pinto 2.0 4 speed manual transmission
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2.0 Mickey Thompson SUPER RARE cam cover and belt guard
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1974 Ford Pinto

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74 Pinto Rear Side Lights

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1971 Pinto 5.0L

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1979 Pinto Sedan Delivery

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Why the Ford Pinto didn’t suck

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suckThe Ford Pinto was born a low-rent, stumpy thing in Dearborn 40 years ago and grew to become one of the most infamous cars in history. The thing is that it didn't actually suck. Really.

Even after four decades, what's the first thing that comes to mind when most people think of the Ford Pinto? Ka-BLAM! The truth is the Pinto was more than that — and this is the story of how the exploding Pinto became a pre-apocalyptic narrative, how the myth was exposed, and why you should race one.

The Pinto was CEO Lee Iacocca's baby, a homegrown answer to the threat of compact-sized economy cars from Japan and Germany, the sales of which had grown significantly throughout the 1960s. Iacocca demanded the Pinto cost under $2,000, and weigh under 2,000 pounds. It was an all-hands-on-deck project, and Ford got it done in 25 months from concept to production.

Building its own small car meant Ford's buyers wouldn't have to hew to the Japanese government's size-tamping regulations; Ford would have the freedom to choose its own exterior dimensions and engine sizes based on market needs (as did Chevy with the Vega and AMC with the Gremlin). And people cold dug it.

When it was unveiled in late 1970 (ominously on September 11), US buyers noted the Pinto's pleasant shape — bringing to mind a certain tailless amphibian — and interior layout hinting at a hipster's sunken living room. Some call it one of the ugliest cars ever made, but like fans of Mischa Barton, Pinto lovers care not what others think. With its strong Kent OHV four (a distant cousin of the Lotus TwinCam), the Pinto could at least keep up with its peers, despite its drum brakes and as long as one looked past its Russian-roulette build quality.

But what of the elephant in the Pinto's room? Yes, the whole blowing-up-on-rear-end-impact thing. It all started a little more than a year after the Pinto's arrival.

 

Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Company

On May 28, 1972, Mrs. Lilly Gray and 13-year-old passenger Richard Grimshaw, set out from Anaheim, California toward Barstow in Gray's six-month-old Ford Pinto. Gray had been having trouble with the car since new, returning it to the dealer several times for stalling. After stopping in San Bernardino for gasoline, Gray got back on I-15 and accelerated to around 65 mph. Approaching traffic congestion, she moved from the left lane to the middle lane, where the car suddenly stalled and came to a stop. A 1962 Ford Galaxie, the driver unable to stop or swerve in time, rear-ended the Pinto. The Pinto's gas tank was driven forward, and punctured on the bolts of the differential housing.

As the rear wheel well sections separated from the floor pan, a full tank of fuel sprayed straight into the passenger compartment, which was engulfed in flames. Gray later died from congestive heart failure, a direct result of being nearly incinerated, while Grimshaw was burned severely and left permanently disfigured. Grimshaw and the Gray family sued Ford Motor Company (among others), and after a six-month jury trial, verdicts were returned against Ford Motor Company. Ford did not contest amount of compensatory damages awarded to Grimshaw and the Gray family, and a jury awarded the plaintiffs $125 million, which the judge in the case subsequently reduced to the low seven figures. Other crashes and other lawsuits followed.

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suck

Mother Jones and Pinto Madness

In 1977, Mark Dowie, business manager of Mother Jones magazine published an article on the Pinto's "exploding gas tanks." It's the same article in which we first heard the chilling phrase, "How much does Ford think your life is worth?" Dowie had spent days sorting through filing cabinets at the Department of Transportation, examining paperwork Ford had produced as part of a lobbying effort to defeat a federal rear-end collision standard. That's where Dowie uncovered an innocuous-looking memo entitled "Fatalities Associated with Crash-Induced Fuel Leakage and Fires."

The Car Talk blog describes why the memo proved so damning.

In it, Ford's director of auto safety estimated that equipping the Pinto with [an] $11 part would prevent 180 burn deaths, 180 serious burn injuries and 2,100 burned cars, for a total cost of $137 million. Paying out $200,000 per death, $67,000 per injury and $700 per vehicle would cost only $49.15 million.

The government would, in 1978, demand Ford recall the million or so Pintos on the road to deal with the potential for gas-tank punctures. That "smoking gun" memo would become a symbol for corporate callousness and indifference to human life, haunting Ford (and other automakers) for decades. But despite the memo's cold calculations, was Ford characterized fairly as the Kevorkian of automakers?

Perhaps not. In 1991, A Rutgers Law Journal report [PDF] showed the total number of Pinto fires, out of 2 million cars and 10 years of production, stalled at 27. It was no more than any other vehicle, averaged out, and certainly not the thousand or more suggested by Mother Jones.

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suck

The big rebuttal, and vindication?

But what of the so-called "smoking gun" memo Dowie had unearthed? Surely Ford, and Lee Iacocca himself, were part of a ruthless establishment who didn't care if its customers lived or died, right? Well, not really. Remember that the memo was a lobbying document whose audience was intended to be the NHTSA. The memo didn't refer to Pintos, or even Ford products, specifically, but American cars in general. It also considered rollovers not rear-end collisions. And that chilling assignment of value to a human life? Indeed, it was federal regulators who often considered that startling concept in their own deliberations. The value figure used in Ford's memo was the same one regulators had themselves set forth.

In fact, measured by occupant fatalities per million cars in use during 1975 and 1976, the Pinto's safety record compared favorably to other subcompacts like the AMC Gremlin, Chevy Vega, Toyota Corolla and VW Beetle.

And what of Mother Jones' Dowie? As the Car Talk blog points out, Dowie now calls the Pinto, "a fabulous vehicle that got great gas mileage," if not for that one flaw: The legendary "$11 part."

Why the Ford Pinto didn't suck

Pinto Racing Doesn't Suck

Back in 1974, Car and Driver magazine created a Pinto for racing, an exercise to prove brains and common sense were more important than an unlimited budget and superstar power. As Patrick Bedard wrote in the March, 1975 issue of Car and Driver, "It's a great car to drive, this Pinto," referring to the racer the magazine prepared for the Goodrich Radial Challenge, an IMSA-sanctioned road racing series for small sedans.

Why'd they pick a Pinto over, say, a BMW 2002 or AMC Gremlin? Current owner of the prepped Pinto, Fox Motorsports says it was a matter of comparing the car's frontal area, weight, piston displacement, handling, wheel width, and horsepower to other cars of the day that would meet the entry criteria. (Racers like Jerry Walsh had by then already been fielding Pintos in IMSA's "Baby Grand" class.)

Bedard, along with Ron Nash and company procured a 30,000-mile 1972 Pinto two-door to transform. In addition to safety, chassis and differential mods, the team traded a 200-pound IMSA weight penalty for the power gain of Ford's 2.3-liter engine, which Bedard said "tipped the scales" in the Pinto's favor. But according to Bedard, it sounds like the real advantage was in the turns, thanks to some add-ons from Mssrs. Koni and Bilstein.

"The Pinto's advantage was cornering ability," Bedard wrote. "I don't think there was another car in the B. F. Goodrich series that was quicker through the turns on a dry track. The steering is light and quick, and the suspension is direct and predictable in a way that street cars never can be. It never darts over bumps, the axle is perfectly controlled and the suspension doesn't bottom."

Need more proof of the Pinto's lack of suck? Check out the SCCA Washington, DC region's spec-Pinto series.

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My Somewhat Begrudging Apology To Ford Pinto

ford-pinto.jpg

I never thought I’d offer an apology to the Ford Pinto, but I guess I owe it one.

I had a Pinto in the 1970s. Actually, my wife bought it a few months before we got married. The car became sort of a wedding dowry. So did the remaining 80% of the outstanding auto loan.

During a relatively brief ownership, the Pinto’s repair costs exceeded the original price of the car. It wasn’t a question of if it would fail, but when. And where. Sometimes, it simply wouldn’t start in the driveway. Other times, it would conk out at a busy intersection.

It ranks as the worst car I ever had. That was back when some auto makers made quality something like Job 100, certainly not Job 1.

Despite my bad Pinto experience, I suppose an apology is in order because of a recent blog I wrote. It centered on Toyota’s sudden-acceleration problems. But in discussing those, I invoked the memory of exploding Pintos, perpetuating an inaccuracy.

The widespread allegation was that, due to a design flaw, Pinto fuel tanks could readily blow up in rear-end collisions, setting the car and its occupants afire.

People started calling the Pinto “the barbecue that seats four.” And the lawsuits spread like wild fire.

Responding to my blog, a Ford (“I would very much prefer to keep my name out of print”) manager contacted me to set the record straight.

He says exploding Pintos were a myth that an investigation debunked nearly 20 years ago. He cites Gary Schwartz’ 1991 Rutgers Law Review paper that cut through the wild claims and examined what really happened.

Schwartz methodically determined the actual number of Pinto rear-end explosion deaths was not in the thousands, as commonly thought, but 27.

In 1975-76, the Pinto averaged 310 fatalities a year. But the similar-size Toyota Corolla averaged 313, the VW Beetle 374 and the Datsun 1200/210 came in at 405.

Yes, there were cases such as a Pinto exploding while parked on the shoulder of the road and hit from behind by a speeding pickup truck. But fiery rear-end collisions comprised only 0.6% of all fatalities back then, and the Pinto had a lower death rate in that category than the average compact or subcompact, Schwartz said after crunching the numbers. Nor was there anything about the Pinto’s rear-end design that made it particularly unsafe.

Not content to portray the Pinto as an incendiary device, ABC’s 20/20 decided to really heat things up in a 1978 broadcast containing “startling new developments.” ABC breathlessly reported that, not just Pintos, but fullsize Fords could blow up if hit from behind.

20/20 thereupon aired a video, shot by UCLA researchers, showing a Ford sedan getting rear-ended and bursting into flames. A couple of problems with that video:

One, it was shot 10 years earlier.

Two, the UCLA researchers had openly said in a published report that they intentionally rigged the vehicle with an explosive.

That’s because the test was to determine how a crash fire affected the car’s interior, not to show how easily Fords became fire balls. They said they had to use an accelerant because crash blazes on their own are so rare. They had tried to induce a vehicle fire in a crash without using an igniter, but failed.

ABC failed to mention any of that when correspondent Sylvia Chase reported on “Ford’s secret rear-end crash tests.”

We could forgive ABC for that botched reporting job. After all, it was 32 years ago. But a few weeks ago, ABC, in another one of its rigged auto exposes, showed video of a Toyota apparently accelerating on its own.

Turns out, the “runaway” vehicle had help from an associate professor. He built a gizmo with an on-off switch to provide acceleration on demand. Well, at least ABC didn’t show the Toyota slamming into a wall and bursting into flames.

In my blog, I also mentioned that Ford’s woes got worse in the 1970s with the supposed uncovering of an internal memo by a Ford attorney who allegedly calculated it would cost less to pay off wrongful-death suits than to redesign the Pinto.

It became known as the “Ford Pinto memo,” a smoking gun. But Schwartz looked into that, too. He reported the memo did not pertain to Pintos or any Ford products. Instead, it had to do with American vehicles in general.

It dealt with rollovers, not rear-end crashes. It did not address tort liability at all, let alone advocate it as a cheaper alternative to a redesign. It put a value to human life because federal regulators themselves did so.

The memo was meant for regulators’ eyes only. But it was off to the races after Mother Jones magazine got a hold of a copy and reported what wasn’t the case.

The exploding-Pinto myth lives on, largely because more Americans watch 20/20 than read the Rutgers Law Review. One wonders what people will recollect in 2040 about Toyota’s sudden accelerations, which more and more look like driver error and, in some cases, driver shams.

So I guess I owe the Pinto an apology. But it’s half-hearted, because my Pinto gave me much grief, even though, as the Ford manager notes, “it was a cheap car, built long ago and lots of things have changed, almost all for the better.”

Here goes: If I said anything that offended you, Pinto, I’m sorry. And thanks for not blowing up on me.

Is it me or...

Started by blupinto, May 20, 2010, 07:57:36 PM

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blupinto

SUCCESS!

I crawled under Ruby and saw that the adjusting nut was right against the flywheel housing bracket, so with the help of my spacer I spaced the nut 1/4  in. from bracket, then tightened both lock nuts. On the test drive Ruby acted like a different car! She now has plenty of power in all four gears and lots of get-up-and-go. Only thing is, now I have to be sensitive with the clutch pedal, like on Meanie! lol.  I may still need to replace the clutch, but I have a little more time to save those pennies now! lol.  Thank you everybody for all your suggestions and help. Fred, I am glad you were right on the money! ;D
One can never have too many Pintos!

OhSix9

what you are describing is the clutch slipping when the leverage against it increases.

Judging from the position of the cable there may be some adjustment left. however continued cooking of the clutch through driving until you do fix it will rapidly remove the material from the friction decreasing the likelihood that you can do it all with adjustment.  get under there with a wrench. loosen both nuts and turn them so they go towards the rad support and allow the outer cable to go towards the back of the tranny. continue to do so until you have the above described free play on the pedal. tighten the nuts.    take it for  drive and see if things improve. if it still slows down in top gear going up hills start saving for a clutch job.

OhSix'
Modest beginnings start with the single blow of a horn man..    Now when you get through with this thing every dickhead in the world is gonna wanna own it.   Do you know anything at all about the internal combustion engine?

Virgil to Sid

blupinto

Here's something I'm noticing too...

1st and 2nd have ok power but 3rd is when she really seems to lag and have little power though the engine RPMs are increased (like revving her in neutral). 4th- especially on an incline- has very little to no power and the car actually slows down into the 3rd gear category. :(  When I bought her she had all kinds of power. Now it seems Green Meanie, with her 2 good cylinders, has more power than Ruby.

Jimmy, the reason I posted the pic is because I thought someone would be able to tell me whether the cable is already adjusted to death or not. I'm really hoping that's all it requires- a cable adjustment.
One can never have too many Pintos!

71pintoracer

Not something you can tell by looking Becky, it's more of a "feel" thing. As stated before, you need about 1/2" of free play in the clutch pedal. In other words, when you first push on the pedal, there should be 1/2" of "dead space" before you feel any kind of resistance at all.  :)
If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?

blupinto

This is not the greatest picture of the clutch cable, but if anyone can see it and tell me if it needs adjustment or...? please let me know. If I need to, I'll take a better pic tomorrow. I couldn't find my camera til this evening.  :-\
One can never have too many Pintos!

pintoguy76

Can I get new ones? Perhaps that is the problem the OP is having as well?
1974 Ford Pinto Wagon with 1991 Mustang DIS EFI 2.3 and stock Pinto 4 Speed

1996 Chevy C2500 Suburban with 6.5L Turbo Diesel/4L80E 4x2

1980 Volvo 265 with 1997 S-10 4.3 and a modified 700R4

2010 GMC Sierra SLE 1500 4x2 5.3 6L80E

apintonut

Quote from: Srt on May 22, 2010, 04:06:36 AM
bushings at the pedal hanger bracket may be gone
+1
74 hatch soon to be turbo 2.3
73 sedan soon to be painted
stiletto parts(4 sale)
79 pinto wagon & beentoad
wtb 75 yellow w/ black int. (rally?) like profile pic.

Srt

bushings at the pedal hanger bracket may be gone
the only substitute for cubic inches is BOOST!!!

pintoguy76

Not only did I break two clutch cables but I broke one of the clips that holds the clutch fork onto the ball inside the bell housing. Since I had to take everything apart and my clutch had been slipping, i replaced it with one i took from a parts car a few years back that was in good shape. Also replaced the pressure plate  and got a new t/o bearing. Haven't had any problems since. It is a strange issue tho, and my brake pedal is kinda stiff on that car too. Makes me wonder if theres a problem in the pedals somewhere. Who knows.
1974 Ford Pinto Wagon with 1991 Mustang DIS EFI 2.3 and stock Pinto 4 Speed

1996 Chevy C2500 Suburban with 6.5L Turbo Diesel/4L80E 4x2

1980 Volvo 265 with 1997 S-10 4.3 and a modified 700R4

2010 GMC Sierra SLE 1500 4x2 5.3 6L80E

OhSix9

OP.
should just be an adjustment issue as long as there is a little meat left on the friction.

when you check it make sure to unhook the cable and check for smooth operation. also if you do find a stiff cable check your grounds for the battery - body and the strap from body to engine before you put in the new cable.  a poor ground on the engine can actually cause the cable to become a ground wire. when cranking the starter it can heat up and melt the inner plastic shield to the cable making it stiff.

OhSix'

Modest beginnings start with the single blow of a horn man..    Now when you get through with this thing every dickhead in the world is gonna wanna own it.   Do you know anything at all about the internal combustion engine?

Virgil to Sid

dave1987

Should have stated, I run my clutch with 1/4" free play. I've had the current clutch in it for a little over a year now, maybe a year and a half, without any issues. We shall see how worn down it is when I pull it again.

Back when I replaced the old one for the current one, I was only a year and a half into it, but I learned to drive a stick on it. It had about 20,000 miles on it and still half the material still on the clutch disc. No abnormal wear, but since I had the transmission down I figured I'd swap it out.
1978 Ford Pinto Sedan - Family owned since new

Remembering Jeff Fitcher with every drive in my 78 Sedan.

I am a Pinto Surgeon. Fixing problems and giving Pintos a chance to live again is more than a hobby, it's a passion!

Pinto5.0

I get 800,000 to a million out of my truck clutches. Ive blown cheap clutches behind V8's in a day. I run 2300# clutches in my dunebuggies & have never broke a stock VW cable. Get a quality clutch & not a reman. As for freeplay you should have 1/4 to 1" as you push the pedal before it starts pushing on the pressure plate.
'73 Sedan (I'll get to it)
'76 Wagon driver
'80 hatch(Restoring to be my son's 1st car)~Callisto
'71 half hatch (bucket list Pinto)~Ghost
'72 sedan 5.0/T5~Lemon Squeeze

dave1987

Clutch rebuild kits are about $100 here in Idaho at shcucks/oreilly's, autozone or NAPA. I bought a clutch from Fred this year for when I have to redo mine again, but I will have to get a new throwout bearing and pilot bearing, nothing as expensive as the entire kit though. All together it's about the same price as a kit though, I'm just spacing out the price across a year. :P

When you have your clutch rebuilt, be sure to have them check the flywheel and have it resurfaced to. I didn't resurface mine last time I rebuilt it and it has a whine after 2100 RPM. I have to replace mine as it is just above the minimum milling line, and can't be shaved any lower. Thus why I TRIED to buy one from Karina.

I'm using a Mustang II clutch cable on my 78, with the adjustment tube from a mustang II on the firewall. When I have to adjust my clutch I just disconnect it from the pedal and reach under the hood to adjust the cable, much easier than crawling under the car!
1978 Ford Pinto Sedan - Family owned since new

Remembering Jeff Fitcher with every drive in my 78 Sedan.

I am a Pinto Surgeon. Fixing problems and giving Pintos a chance to live again is more than a hobby, it's a passion!

apintonut

Quote from: pintoguy76 on May 20, 2010, 09:54:59 PM
I think it might be time for a pressure plate and clutch cable. I had a stiff clutch on my 74 for some reason and broke two clutch cables. Now that I replaced the clutch and pressure plate its not near as hard to push the pedal.

2 cables!!!! i have a 1700 lb presser plate and the original cable never broke one stock is like 1200 lb
74 hatch soon to be turbo 2.3
73 sedan soon to be painted
stiletto parts(4 sale)
79 pinto wagon & beentoad
wtb 75 yellow w/ black int. (rally?) like profile pic.

blupinto

Fred is it ME that has the severe problem? Pintoguy76, please forgive me for saying this- I hope you're wrong. This is my primary daily driver and thanks to that crook of a guvnur (called GAS or Gashole by his detractors like me!) I can ill afford to replace the clutch, pressure plate, etc. I am glad yours was resolved but sorry for the inconvenience it surely caused you.
One can never have too many Pintos!

78txpony

Quote from: Bigtimmay on May 20, 2010, 08:53:37 PM
Depends on what you call average driving and the quality of the clutch seen them die in 5000 miles and last as long as 100,000.
My original clutch is still engaging fine after 154000 and has survived 2 leadfooted teens and 4 stick shift learners.  :hypno: 
I would like to know what the HECK mine is made of! 
-Rob Young
1978 Pinto Pony sedan (Old Faithful) a.k.a. "the Tramp"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelonerider2005/sets
1972 Cutlass Supreme Convertible (442 clone) -"Lady" (My mistress...)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robsalbum/sets
1986 Cutlass Supreme Coupe - "Pristine"
1997 H-D Sportster

Fred Morgan

You had a severe problem, never heard of any 1 braking clutch cable yor the 1 s't .   Fred   :)
Fred Morgan- Missing from us...
January 20th 1951-January 6th 2014

Beloved PCCA Parts Supplier and Friend to many.
Post your well wishes,
http://www.fordpinto.com/in-memory-of-our-fallen-pinto-heros/fred-morgan-23434/

pintoguy76

I think it might be time for a pressure plate and clutch cable. I had a stiff clutch on my 74 for some reason and broke two clutch cables. Now that I replaced the clutch and pressure plate its not near as hard to push the pedal.
1974 Ford Pinto Wagon with 1991 Mustang DIS EFI 2.3 and stock Pinto 4 Speed

1996 Chevy C2500 Suburban with 6.5L Turbo Diesel/4L80E 4x2

1980 Volvo 265 with 1997 S-10 4.3 and a modified 700R4

2010 GMC Sierra SLE 1500 4x2 5.3 6L80E

blupinto

It took several fingers with knuckles locked for the pedal to move at all. It's very firm. :-\
One can never have too many Pintos!

blupinto

It's a pretty firm pedal... I'll try the pinkie method right now. :o
One can never have too many Pintos!

Fred Morgan

On free play if it takes your foot to push pedal 1/4" it's to tight, you should to be able to use little pinky to push 1/4" on pedal.  Fred   :)
Fred Morgan- Missing from us...
January 20th 1951-January 6th 2014

Beloved PCCA Parts Supplier and Friend to many.
Post your well wishes,
http://www.fordpinto.com/in-memory-of-our-fallen-pinto-heros/fred-morgan-23434/

Fred Morgan

That's because your driving to fast, slow down on the moutain dew to much sugar.  :hypno:  Fred
Fred Morgan- Missing from us...
January 20th 1951-January 6th 2014

Beloved PCCA Parts Supplier and Friend to many.
Post your well wishes,
http://www.fordpinto.com/in-memory-of-our-fallen-pinto-heros/fred-morgan-23434/

blupinto

The brakes are fine... for drum brakes! lol. These stupid traffic lights always seem to change right when I'm coming up to them!  >:(
One can never have too many Pintos!

rctinker

Time fer a brake job! Swing it by this weekend Becky and we will knock it out.  :o
1977 Crusin Wagon when I was 16

blupinto

I'm not sure what you mean by free play on pedal but it's definitely different than the green wagon's clutch pedal! lol.  I've been doing a lot of downshifting lately because the brakes lock easily...TOO easily! :hypno:
One can never have too many Pintos!

Fred Morgan

Until you get 1/4" on free plaY ON PEDAL YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ACTIVATE WITH YOUR FINGER.  Fred   :)
Fred Morgan- Missing from us...
January 20th 1951-January 6th 2014

Beloved PCCA Parts Supplier and Friend to many.
Post your well wishes,
http://www.fordpinto.com/in-memory-of-our-fallen-pinto-heros/fred-morgan-23434/

blupinto

Fred, I'm hoping you're right on the money! ;D
One can never have too many Pintos!

Fred Morgan

ADJUST TIME.  Fred   :)

back the 2 nut's forward
Fred Morgan- Missing from us...
January 20th 1951-January 6th 2014

Beloved PCCA Parts Supplier and Friend to many.
Post your well wishes,
http://www.fordpinto.com/in-memory-of-our-fallen-pinto-heros/fred-morgan-23434/

Bigtimmay

Depends on what you call average driving and the quality of the clutch seen them die in 5000 miles and last as long as 100,000.
1978 Mercury Bobcat 2.3t swapped.Always needs more parts!

blupinto

Groan....

Thank you guys. Maybe this weekend I'll check the cable. I know her clutch was replaced in '89 or thereabouts (according to the paperwork Mary kept regarding repairs). Her repairs were all done at Drew Ford in La Mesa. How many miles does an average clutch last (with average driving)?
One can never have too many Pintos!