Hello everyone,
I have been a registered user of FordPinto.com for almost 9 years now, and this is my first post. I can remember the days of the animated braking and accelerating Pinto in the upper right corner of the homepage, complete with sound effects! While I have had a small presence over at TurboFord.org, for reasons unknown to me, I haven't been active here. Well, that is going to change right now. I recently read all 13 pages of r4pinto's 1977 project thread, and it motivated me to start writing down my thoughts, progress (and eventual failures) of my own project, a blue 1980 Runabout that I've dreamt of turbocharging for the last decade. It was only recently that I've had designs on making my baby a faux-ESS model, as I just happened to find some emblems on eBay. I am still looking for the ever-elusive all glass hatch, so if anyone out there has one for sale (plus the hardware), PM me or send me a note at
snatkins5@gmail.com.
I came to love Pintos at an early age. My dad would drive me around in our 1980 Sedan on weekends to get haircuts, go to church (and then get donuts at a local bakery afterwards), etc. My older brother was given the keys when he got his license, and then he passed it down to my sister when he left for college. When she graduated high school, I was next in line but I would have to wait 2 years until I got my driver's permit. I spent some time doing minor improvements to our Pinto. I replaced burnt out light bulbs and fuses, had a CD player and speakers installed, and kept the car clean and waxed. Two months before my 16th birthday, my father sent the car to be tuned up (in anticipation of me taking the keys). When we got it back, my dad said "it was running better than it ever had." It ran so well, that he decided to take it to work one day, and while driving home, he was T-boned by someone running a stop sign. Thankfully, my dad was ok, but the car was totaled.
Needless to say, I was crushed. We had our mechanic salvage any parts he could from the car, in the hopes that if I ever did find another Pinto I could have some spares. Then one day, I was browsing the Ford Pinto Showcase's "Pintos for Sale" section (now defunct) and came across a beautiful, 1980 Runabout with
under 30,000 original miles! The interior and exterior (same color - Bright Blue) were PERFECT! I couldn't believe it. The seller, a Mustang guy, said his wife was forcing him to sell one of his cars, and we nabbed it for $1000. It had a problem with stalling at low RPMs (especially when in reverse) but it got me to and from school during my senior year. And then, in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I decided that I would give this little Pony some much-needed upgrades...
After doing a lot of research on Turboford, I found an '88 Turbocoupe for sale in North Philly (about 35-40 minutes away) for $800. A friend and I pulled the 2.3 motor and T5 tranny out of that Tbird, as well as the 8.8" rear end (not sure why, though
). We dismantled the engine, and had the block hot-tanked and bored .030", the crankshaft balanced and the head rebuilt with a Ranger roller cam by a local machine shop. We took care of the the rest. However, the engine still sits in my garage waiting to be installed in the car. Problem was, I didn't keep the old front sump oil pan! We were stuck. I couldn't find anyone selling one at the time, and summer was drawing to a close. I went back up to school, was broke from buying the Thunderbird, and the car (and engine) have sat in my parents' garage for almost a decade.
I've been intermittently searching for parts, but since graduating from college time and money have been scarce. I've had (and summarily been laid off from) 3 different jobs. A few years back, I was able to order a Pinto oil pan from a junkyard on car-part.com, but other than that, my situation hasn't allowed for any progress to be made. All the pan needs is a good blasting, a coat of paint, and it'll be ready to go.
Well, I am happy to say that I have found gainful employment once again, albeit it on a contract basis. The Pinto (and I) still reside at home with my parents, but they are starting to think about moving. I need to get some wheels back on this car, and soon. I am now making the time to work on my baby, and saving every penny I can towards the project.
Initially I was going to do a T5 swap, but recently decided I would keep the auto tranny for ease of mounting / no tunnel cutting. I thought the C3 that came with the car would be weak, so I picked up an increasingly rare C4 from a junkyard about 2 hours away. It was recently rebuilt by a local transmission shop with a Stage II shift kit and 2500 stall converter, and is ready to be bolted up.
I was told a while back that I'd want to swap out the 6-3/4" Pinto rear with an 8" unit from a Mustang II. Finding one with a posi was impossible, so since time is a factor on this project, I'm thinking of spending the money and having one built by a guy 30 minutes from me. Just need to scrape the cash together, once I figure out the tire issue (see below).
I am replacing most of the suspension system as well. All of the rusted parts have been removed, save for the strut rods. I purchased new control arms with urethane bushings, rear leafs, bushings and shackles, and 2 sets of KYB gas shocks (front and rear). The front coils are corroded, but they might clean up with some blasting and powder coating. Otherwise, I'll be looking to buy a pair of Eaton springs.
I still need to figure out the best tires to put on this car. I'll try to explain my thought process as best I can, concisely...
* With turbo'd engine, I will want wider tires for traction and bigger brakes for stopping power
* Wider tires and larger disc brakes up front require larger wheels
* I know that the Wilwood 11" big brake kit will fit inside American Racing 15" Ansen Sprint rims (I love the vintage/stock look)
* What size tires can I get for these wheels that won't rub the inner fender wells or suspension components?? 
Still to come:- Replace the IHI turbo that came from the Tbird with a Garrett T3/T4 hybrid
- FMIC
- Larger fuel injectors and Walbro 255lph fuel pump
- 65mm throttle body
- 3" exhaust
- Mega Squirt N Spark
- MSD Ignition
- Install Sports Instrumentatio
n Package. I purchased the gauges, dashpad and sport steering wheel on eBay years ago, in the early 2000's
- Repair seat upholstery and install new carpeting (headliner is beautiful, even after 32 years)
- Install flip-open rear quarter windows, another eBay purchase
- Eventually I'd like to have the rust spots that have shown up taken care of (there are few, but the biggest is a quarter-sized hole in the passenger door) and have the car painted white (something about white with black trim accents and red center caps screams "sexy" to me)
- Full "ESS" paint job for car: black paint / powder coating for the sport mirrors, grille, headlamp doors, rear taillight panel, and windshield, door and window trim (finishing touch will be those emblems I mentioned earlier)
If you have made it this far, I congratulate you! I apologize for the lengthy post, but remember, I haven't posted once in 9 years, so I figured this might average it out.
If you can help me with my tire issue or have an all glass hatch for sale, please let me know.
I will try to post some pictures later tonight.
Thanks for reading!
-Steve
