Brian Saunders is fresh out of Pintos!!
First, as a Viet Nam Veteran, Thanks for taking on the Wounded Warrior Project.
I'll be making a donation. I just wish someone had thought enough of us when we
came back to do something like that. We were only doing a job at the time, same
as these boys.
I'm proud to say that I am a Canadian Veteran of the Viet Nam War. US Army, January 6, 1968-January 6, 1969. I was taught in high school that the war (Yeah, we called it a war) was about stopping communist aggression so I had no problem with the ideology at the time. When I came to the US to work in 1967, I was told I would be eligible for the draft. I wasn't sure what the draft was but decided to volunteer and pay my dues so I could stay here and work. Needless to say, the recruiter neglected to tell me I could volunteer for the draft and do two years so I did 3. No harm, no foul, and college was paid for!
I am a Retired health Administrator and Psychologist. With my hobby being bodywork, I like to say I do Body and Mind Work.
I don't currently own a Pinto but back in the late 70's and early 80's, I was a re-builder and lost count after 37 Pinto's built. I've had a few more over the years, including 2 wagons in the last couple years, and would safely guesstimate I've had over 50 and have some interesting observations and stories from working on them:
Point 1. After buying and building Pintos wrecked in every conceivable way, and searching countless salvage yards, insurance pools, and just plain junk yards in search of my Holy Grail Pinto, a V6/4 speed Stallion, I've got to say I've never seen a burned Pinto in the real world.(Only on TV which was horrifying but not the fault of the Pinto.)
Let me be clear about the type of cars that I bought. I was in college, and therefore pretty much broke, so I bought the cheapest cars I could find. In the salvage pools and junkyards, those are the hardest hit cars. For around $200-250, I was able to buy a car obliterated in the front, or back, then for a like amount, I'd find a mate for it. Using a hacksaw at the windshield posts and rocker panels, I'd cut the floor, usually between the seat bolts on the front seats, with a skilsaw and metal blade, or torch, wheel the 2 halves together like a wheelbarrow (Literally as I worked by myself) trim them up, weld the rockers and windshield posts, and drive out of the shop. That usually took me less than a day to rough one in. I'd usually lap weld the floors out of expediency, and due to the fact that, in my opinion, it made a stronger floor than the spot welded original. This was especially cool when I had cars of the same color as the only painting I would have to do would be the windshield posts and rocker panels. Floors were primed with a rust inhibitor then undercoated. I did not try to hide the welds as some re-builders did/do! I quite often took pictures of my work from start to finish and showed them to prospective buyers as I was proud of the work and the little cars!
Point 2. None left! I used every Pinto fender I ever had! I would pull a dented one off of an exceptionally nice car, replace it with a straight one, then use the repaired dented one on a work car. I can still remember going to my scrap pile and digging out that last battered fender. It was a burnt orange one that had been hit directly in the headlight and was wrinkled over at least half it's length. Out with the skilsaw and off with the front from a green fender mashed flat over the wheel. Had some straightening to do after I sewed them together, but I saved the best parts of both fenders.
Point 3. Hey Ralph Nader, Check This Out! I strayed from the path one time and bought a 76 Chevette hit medium in the back. It looked like about a 30 MPH hit and only had 12K miles on it so I bought it. Got it home and tried to start it. No go so thought maybe it had a pinched fuel line? I was wrong! The left rear shock extension had punctured the left corner of the gas tank tearing a piece of the gas tank loose. Naturally, it was out of gas. Why didn't it explode? It missed a really good chance as the shock is only about 1/2 inch from the tank as built. Almost any hit from the direct rear, and certainly from a left rear angle, would have punctured the gas tank 100% of the time if the shock moved at all. (Don't let Ralph see this one but have you ever tried to stick your fingers between the rear gravel shield and gas tank of a 70 Mustang?) Now look at the distance on a Pinto!)
Point 4. The Little Engines that Could... and Did... and Do! Approx 50 cars and only 2 bad engines. One was a high mile 2000cc (140K) and the other a high mile 2300cc for the age. (A 70K mile 76 car in 78) Had obviously been abused but I bought it and drove it over 75 miles knocking like crazy. Engines ran about $200 for a low-mile one so I just pulled it and replaced it with a 30K mile engine. I had one 75 with a 2300cc that went over 230K the last time I saw it.
Nader may have killed the car but he couldn't stop it's heart!! Pop the hood on a Ranger or Mazda pickup, rip off about 500 lbs of pollution crap, and you'll find a Pinto heart beating in there. They must have done something right to keep on doing it for 40 years?
Any traffic death is a tragic thing but it's also a sad thing that Ralph Nader had to deprive the country of a well-built, economical, dependable, and safe vehicle just to make a name for himself! (Surely you didn't think he cared about the people involved? I know his type and it's about himself and the almighty dollar... in that order.) I've said all along that if you took any vehicle, and applied the same statistics as were applied to the Pinto, they would be deemed unsafe as well. Who would have thought the Crown Vic would be unsafe? 90% are driven by law enforcement, at high speeds and the results are high speed crashes. What kind of vehicle would be safe under those conditions?
Hey Ralph, just wait til they build 3 million Smart for Two vehicles and apply statistics to them! That car is just wrong!
Point 5. Fuel mileage! My first new car was a brand-new car by Ford for $1775+Tax. A 70? 71? Pinto with 1600cc and 4 speed, not even a radio! I was commuting on a summer job from college hauling 3 other guys 150 miles per day. I complained to the Ford dealer that I didn't think the car was doing very well on gas. He had a mechanic fill a gallon jug with gas, sat it on the front passenger floorboard hooked to the fuel pump, and said; Let's go for a drive. We got back to the dealership after 35 miles with enough gas left for the line to still suction it! Case closed! (Bet Ralph would like to have seen that!) 40 years later and we're bragging about getting 32 MPG! Now that's progress!!
And unlike my GMC, you could see if something broke on a Pinto, including the timing belt, and unlike the new Interference engines, a broken timing belt on a Pinto meant just that. Put a new one on and take off! New and improved engines totally self destruct when the belt goes. Not the Model P, as I used to call them. At one time, I knew about every nut and bolt on a Pinto and could swap a like engine by myself in 3-4 hours. (Took a little longer to plant a 1600 in a 2300 hole, or vice versa.)
I currently have a 65 Dodge step-side rat rod with late model front frame clip and drive train. Driving it reminds me of my Pinto days. It's a real comfort to know that if you break down in a Pinto, all you need is a good pair of vise grips and a couple screwdrivers to fix it, barring a major catastrophe.
Somebody should do the real math and petition Ford to bring back the Pinto in the same manner VW brought back the Beetle. I know it's not gonna happen, as Nader left the wounds too deep and the public memories are too sad, but we can dream, can't we?
What would a 2020 Pinto look like?
I'd hope it would look like a 71-76, get 35 MPG, and come with a pair of vise grips, and 2 screwdrivers.
Thanks for letting me reminisce.
Brian Saunders
"Click Here" and return to stories from a road well traveled
I'm proud to say that I am a Canadian Veteran of the Viet Nam War. US Army, January 6, 1968-January 6, 1969. I was taught in high school that the war (Yeah, we called it a war) was about stopping communist aggression so I had no problem with the ideology at the time. When I came to the US to work in 1967, I was told I would be eligible for the draft. I wasn't sure what the draft was but decided to volunteer and pay my dues so I could stay here and work. Needless to say, the recruiter neglected to tell me I could volunteer for the draft and do two years so I did 3. No harm, no foul, and college was paid for!
I am a Retired health Administrator and Psychologist. With my hobby being bodywork, I like to say I do Body and Mind Work.
I don't currently own a Pinto but back in the late 70's and early 80's, I was a re-builder and lost count after 37 Pinto's built. I've had a few more over the years, including 2 wagons in the last couple years, and would safely guesstimate I've had over 50 and have some interesting observations and stories from working on them:
Point 1. After buying and building Pintos wrecked in every conceivable way, and searching countless salvage yards, insurance pools, and just plain junk yards in search of my Holy Grail Pinto, a V6/4 speed Stallion, I've got to say I've never seen a burned Pinto in the real world.(Only on TV which was horrifying but not the fault of the Pinto.)
Let me be clear about the type of cars that I bought. I was in college, and therefore pretty much broke, so I bought the cheapest cars I could find. In the salvage pools and junkyards, those are the hardest hit cars. For around $200-250, I was able to buy a car obliterated in the front, or back, then for a like amount, I'd find a mate for it. Using a hacksaw at the windshield posts and rocker panels, I'd cut the floor, usually between the seat bolts on the front seats, with a skilsaw and metal blade, or torch, wheel the 2 halves together like a wheelbarrow (Literally as I worked by myself) trim them up, weld the rockers and windshield posts, and drive out of the shop. That usually took me less than a day to rough one in. I'd usually lap weld the floors out of expediency, and due to the fact that, in my opinion, it made a stronger floor than the spot welded original. This was especially cool when I had cars of the same color as the only painting I would have to do would be the windshield posts and rocker panels. Floors were primed with a rust inhibitor then undercoated. I did not try to hide the welds as some re-builders did/do! I quite often took pictures of my work from start to finish and showed them to prospective buyers as I was proud of the work and the little cars!
Point 2. None left! I used every Pinto fender I ever had! I would pull a dented one off of an exceptionally nice car, replace it with a straight one, then use the repaired dented one on a work car. I can still remember going to my scrap pile and digging out that last battered fender. It was a burnt orange one that had been hit directly in the headlight and was wrinkled over at least half it's length. Out with the skilsaw and off with the front from a green fender mashed flat over the wheel. Had some straightening to do after I sewed them together, but I saved the best parts of both fenders.
Point 3. Hey Ralph Nader, Check This Out! I strayed from the path one time and bought a 76 Chevette hit medium in the back. It looked like about a 30 MPH hit and only had 12K miles on it so I bought it. Got it home and tried to start it. No go so thought maybe it had a pinched fuel line? I was wrong! The left rear shock extension had punctured the left corner of the gas tank tearing a piece of the gas tank loose. Naturally, it was out of gas. Why didn't it explode? It missed a really good chance as the shock is only about 1/2 inch from the tank as built. Almost any hit from the direct rear, and certainly from a left rear angle, would have punctured the gas tank 100% of the time if the shock moved at all. (Don't let Ralph see this one but have you ever tried to stick your fingers between the rear gravel shield and gas tank of a 70 Mustang?) Now look at the distance on a Pinto!)
Point 4. The Little Engines that Could... and Did... and Do! Approx 50 cars and only 2 bad engines. One was a high mile 2000cc (140K) and the other a high mile 2300cc for the age. (A 70K mile 76 car in 78) Had obviously been abused but I bought it and drove it over 75 miles knocking like crazy. Engines ran about $200 for a low-mile one so I just pulled it and replaced it with a 30K mile engine. I had one 75 with a 2300cc that went over 230K the last time I saw it.
Nader may have killed the car but he couldn't stop it's heart!! Pop the hood on a Ranger or Mazda pickup, rip off about 500 lbs of pollution crap, and you'll find a Pinto heart beating in there. They must have done something right to keep on doing it for 40 years?
Any traffic death is a tragic thing but it's also a sad thing that Ralph Nader had to deprive the country of a well-built, economical, dependable, and safe vehicle just to make a name for himself! (Surely you didn't think he cared about the people involved? I know his type and it's about himself and the almighty dollar... in that order.) I've said all along that if you took any vehicle, and applied the same statistics as were applied to the Pinto, they would be deemed unsafe as well. Who would have thought the Crown Vic would be unsafe? 90% are driven by law enforcement, at high speeds and the results are high speed crashes. What kind of vehicle would be safe under those conditions?
Hey Ralph, just wait til they build 3 million Smart for Two vehicles and apply statistics to them! That car is just wrong!
Point 5. Fuel mileage! My first new car was a brand-new car by Ford for $1775+Tax. A 70? 71? Pinto with 1600cc and 4 speed, not even a radio! I was commuting on a summer job from college hauling 3 other guys 150 miles per day. I complained to the Ford dealer that I didn't think the car was doing very well on gas. He had a mechanic fill a gallon jug with gas, sat it on the front passenger floorboard hooked to the fuel pump, and said; Let's go for a drive. We got back to the dealership after 35 miles with enough gas left for the line to still suction it! Case closed! (Bet Ralph would like to have seen that!) 40 years later and we're bragging about getting 32 MPG! Now that's progress!!
And unlike my GMC, you could see if something broke on a Pinto, including the timing belt, and unlike the new Interference engines, a broken timing belt on a Pinto meant just that. Put a new one on and take off! New and improved engines totally self destruct when the belt goes. Not the Model P, as I used to call them. At one time, I knew about every nut and bolt on a Pinto and could swap a like engine by myself in 3-4 hours. (Took a little longer to plant a 1600 in a 2300 hole, or vice versa.)
I currently have a 65 Dodge step-side rat rod with late model front frame clip and drive train. Driving it reminds me of my Pinto days. It's a real comfort to know that if you break down in a Pinto, all you need is a good pair of vise grips and a couple screwdrivers to fix it, barring a major catastrophe.
Somebody should do the real math and petition Ford to bring back the Pinto in the same manner VW brought back the Beetle. I know it's not gonna happen, as Nader left the wounds too deep and the public memories are too sad, but we can dream, can't we?
What would a 2020 Pinto look like?
I'd hope it would look like a 71-76, get 35 MPG, and come with a pair of vise grips, and 2 screwdrivers.
Thanks for letting me reminisce.
Brian Saunders
