At 19 years old I got a job at a Ford dealership July 3, 1978. I retired as the shop foreman of that dealership 42 years later in 2020. Pinto, Saved my career as a mechanic. The owner said he had to let me go due to lack of work. Then the Pinto recall went into effect. Being low man, I was assigned to do Pinto Recalls. I got really good at installing the safety features. At one point I was doing 10 a day. By the time the recall was over, management realized I had skills, and kept me on permanently as a mechanic. I retired as top dog at the dealership. Thanks Pinto!
@Rick Bria i was a mechanic for 32 years and repetition definitely helps in doing a lot of jobs faster i had a reputation of swapping 4 springs and four shocks in mid and full size fords and chevys in 30 minutes. blew my managers mind how fast i was at a lot of different jobs. could do 4 ball joints on ford E-150-250 vans and trucks in just over an hour. we had guys in the shop that would take 3 hours on that job...
My Pinto story is that as a new 2LT walking to report in to my new Battalion, a pinto passed me on the street and stopped. A huge Command Sergeant Major got out of the Pinto and headed towards me. My first reaction was to laugh because it reminded me of impossible clown cars. Fortunately I squelched that and then got worried. I forgot about my commission and in my mind reverted to being a Staff Sergeant again. Fortunately, when he saluted me, I remembered who I was now. He offered me a ride but I explained that I was enjoying my last few minutes of freedom before I signed in. Besides, I told him that I didn't think we could both fit in that little car. He smiled and wished me a good day. We had a few encounters over the next few months. He was an excellent NCO. I was privileged to know him. Good Luck, Rick
Cool story! My friend had been a Drill Sergeant. He always got a kick when he walked out of AAFES, in his brown round, and saw Majors and Colonels furtively checking to see if their cargo pockets were buttoned! We’re all in the same family.
Thanks for sharing this story! As a former Spec 4 I would have fainted upon seeing God get out of a pinto and approaching. I can't quit laughing at this one.
Great story... Reminds me of my early army days. During Basic training at Ft. Jackson (October 83) we were out on our overnight bivouac during a torrential downpour and were force marching to another site when the senior D.I. came running back getting volunteers for a mission. I was one of about 5 who followed him, only to find the company commander, reeking of whiskey, cursing his Pinto which had slid off the dirt road in a curve and stuck in the mud! We managed to get him unstuck and the senior drill instructor drove him home. I'll never forget that night. For the rest of our training cycle be was lovingly referred to as "Captain Pinto"... 😂 Good times.
I purchased a 73' Pinto and loved that car. It was a Runabout with a hatch back and a 4 speed transmission. You could put the rear seat down and have enough room to sleep in the back of it. I drove it to Florida once. No problems, one of the best cars I ever had.
You are correct. I had two Pintos and got many thousands of carefree driving miles from each. Despite the gas tank woes, it was pretty ok' good car for me.
They had great engines. A place called Pinto Bean made all kinds of performance parts for them and they became popular engines in dune buggies for a while. I had a Pinto for a short time while I was in college in the mid 80s. I bought it cheap and it worked well. Not to mention, it was the source of many, many jokes. Overall, I gotta say, it served it's purpose and I kinda liked it.
In 1986, I drove a 1974 Pinto Wagon "Woody" from Michigan to Florida.. and LIVED in it for 2 weeks, was GREAT ..(didn't blow up, but I never smoked in it ..)
I bought my first brand new car in 1981 when I was 15…a 1980 Ford Pinto (obviously my dad signed for it, but I made the payments!). 42 years and a couple of dozen vehicles later, that Pinto is one of the best I ever owned. Two engine rebuilds, 1 new transmission, about 20 clutches and about 650,000 miles later, I finally sold it to a kid down the street for $300. Loved that little car!!!
Man, your love affair with your Pinto, sounds just my love affair I had for my Chevette. 4 speed, 2 door hatch, NEVER let me down. One of my favorite cars of the many I’ve had over the years.
I have nothing but great things to say about Pintos. Mine was a 73' lowered, mild crane cam, header, and slicks. Lot's of mountain roads with twisties where I live (Rocky Point Road, scappoose oregon) that little car was a holy terror
@@d.m.3259 depends on what you do I worked in my dad‘s body and paint shop every day after school, I work the almond and walnut harvesters during summer vacation by the time I was 15 I had about $40,000 saved up, I could’ve bought a new car but I actually bought a 1957 Ford Fairlane with a 430 Mercury marauder NASCAR banned engine it would pull the front wheels off the ground, so the universe you live in that could be possible is called the United States of America where even A youngster who is raised with principles can accomplish tremendous things, my father told me I’ll buy your dirtbike for you but I won’t buy your first car for you I’ll work on it I’ll help you customize it in anyway you want but you have to buy your first car so that you have an understanding of working for what you want my second car was a 1967 barracuda commando I bought and paid for it while still having my 1957 hot rod Fairlane. I don’t know if that answers your question or not
My 1971 Pinto was hit from behind at a red light in 1979, jamming the driver’s door closed, and crumpling the left rear up to the fuel tank. The safety upgrade had been performed a month earlier.
I love the depiction of the Pinto in the movie, "Top Secret!". From memory, a leaf falls on the rear quarter near the fuel tank and the car explodes. (EDIT - No, a big vehicle lightly tapped the rear.)
My 72 Sedan was a fun little ride. When I bought it in 78 I took it to a dealer to pick up some parts for my dads truck. Two service guys looked underneath and told me the recall work on the tank had not been performed. I brought it back the next day and they did the work in about two hours. Being a car guy, I took before/after photos. They made quite a few changes in only a few hours. I had a bumper sticker that said "Stay back, I just refueled"
My '71 baby blue Pinto rendered good service for 25 years, with predictably constant service from its 2L engine and standard transmission. An urban car with real maneuverability, and so simple I learned to do basic maintenance, myself. There is a huge market for affordable, reliable and safe cars. And, yes, its tank was safely modified by Ford at a local dealership.
Thats a good story for the sticker, lol. I'd like to get one of those magnetic ones that say " VEHICLE IS CARRYING VENOMOUS REPTILES" that would come in handy in DFW traffic..... even the ja(koffs would leave me alone.
We named our babyblue 1971 Pinto "Gypsy" becasue my wife and I drove it all over the United States and Canada back when I was in the US Navy and had 30 days of vacation per year. It never failed us and I installed a stereo/cb radio/stereo amp "stack" between the center consule and the dash. Looked great at night and sounded great. The front seats laid back so we often saved money by sleeping in the car. Great Memories. She died , cancer, 2001. I gave my life to Christ and will join her soon.
Bart you broke my heart. I was enjoying your memories and nearly cried when I read your partner in that memory had passed. Thank you for serving in the Navy and thank you for sharing such a personal story.
My brother purchased a 1976 Pinto for $2,500. I went to another Ford dealer and the salesman told me they make $100 on each Pinto and would not sell it for less that $2,500.00.
The Ford Pinto was and still is one of my most favorite car designs. Simple, sleek and utilitarian. I recall our joke at the time, the go-cart who grew up.
It was a great car! I bought one used with 17,000 miles and had to scrap it when someone hit it. Over 200.000 miles. I'd buy one today if a ran across a low mileage example in good shape.
I drove a Pinto for years. Nice little car. Although in certain circumstances it may cause an issue, I thought the gas tank issue was waaaay overblown.
"I thought the gas tank issue was waaaay overblown." It was, read the court cases from the lawsuits. All the fires were from high-speed crashes. The one discussed in the video of three teenagers is a Pinto sitting still on a highway got rear-ended by a large van moving at 60+ mph. The Grimshaw one was also stalled on a highway and hit by a Ford Galaxie (a very large car) also at 60+. Those changes that Ford did not make that people gave them crap for would have been able to protect the fuel tank from puncture in rear end crashes up to 50mph. So, if they had made the changes, those accidents still would have resulted in the same way.
Typical hysteria of the media, the public and government. Unfortunately, people never change. Especially the media, they’ll stir the pot as hard and as long as possible squeezing every dime they can.
I owned, and drove over 100,000 miles, a 1973 Pinto Station Wagon. It was reliable, fuel efficient, and maintenance was a breeze. I often wish I could find one that was road worthy today.
Saw a Pinto on the road the other day. It was in pretty rough shape, but it was still going. Both me and my passenger stared at in in shock and amazement. It was noteworthy, unusual and hilarious.
Most old cars will outlast new ones. The old joke it takes a computer to really screw things up! How many early Mustangs and Camaros are still on the road almost 60 years old?
I worked at a Ford dealer back then. The only problem was the fuel filler hose from the filler neck in the quarter panel to the bottom of the fuel tank. In a rear end collision, the quarter panel moved forward faster than the tank, pulling the hose out of the bottom of the tank and spilling it's contents. The recall was improving the clamp on the fuel tank and installing softer bolts on the filler in the quarter panel. Those would break but the hose was long enough little fuel would spill.
Mike I was a Ford Mechanic at that time in Canada. I don't recall the filler neck repair but we were putting a heavy plastic shield that attached to the tank straps at the front to help avoid the tank hitting the diff. if pushed forward.
I thought it was long bolts at the bumper that would penetrate the tank and not an issue with the Wagon models A brown wagon Pinto is near us still, with side windows of cargo area solid metal except for dome-like round windows, like a 1970s "Don't Come Knockin' If this Van's Rockin' " street van
@@markrossow6303 hey, it was almost 50 years ago. Pretty sure about the soft bolts at the fuel filler but that jogged my memory and I think John's reply was right and it was to protect from the bolts near the diff. I was a service writer so I never did the recall, but I wrote plenty of tickets for it.
The wagons had a different fuel fill neck and 4" more space between tank and differential. Both the adjustments to the runabout neck and the plastic shield to keep the tank from rupturing on the differential bolts were employed. The panel wagon with moon windows was a factory option in 1977 - 1980(? Maybe just 77-78) wagons.
Oh man, this is great. As a small child I grew up with my parents owning an orange Pinto wagon and I have fond memories of riding in the back, facing the rear window with my sister and pretending it was a movie. Apparently sitting just above said fuel tank but hey, I never exploded so call that a victory.
My very first car was a 2000 cc 1971 Pinto in 1973. I've had a lot of nice vehicles but did I ever have fun with my little red Pinto. If I could find one today I'd grab it without hesitation if the price was right. I was 16 at the time and now 65 and I remember everything so clearly.So many fond memories. Thanks for taking me back.
I had a ‘71 that had a 1600 cc 4 banger engine !!! I could put 5 dollars worth of high test gas in it , and it would go about 400 miles on that much gas ( you can believe it or not !! As you say , If I could find one today ( a hatchback 1600 cc ) I’d buy it immediately !!!
I’d like to thank you for not only a fair and unbiased view of the Pinto, but the fair and unbiased application to all of your videos. In a world where everything is politicized, it’s not I️ cant tell where you stand. Please don’t change this aspect of the channel.
the pinto was not a totally bad car. it has it issues but all cars do. i used to replace a lot of upper control arm bushings on those along with lower ball joints. the upper arms were supposed to be greased regularly but a lot of mechanics never did it when in for an oil change and they would eventually fail. the coil over setup was hard on them too.
Lou, you are mischaracterizing (and mispelling) "muckraking" journalism: " muckraker: a person who searches for and tries to expose corruption, scandal, or other wrongdoing, especially in politics. The original muckrackers were journalists who exposed child labor, sweatshops, poor living and working conditions, and government inefficiency, in the early 1900's". In particular there was a group of about 15 muckraking journalists writing for McClure's magazine who made it their mission to expose societal problems and the people exacerbating or profiting from it. Teddy Roosevelt tried to turn the term into an insult, using it to denigrate journalists who covered him unfavorably, but overall, at least in those years, their influence was positive. We could use some altruistic, crusading, muckraking journalists nowadays; perhaps then, complete and utter liars like George Santos would not get elected to office. (BTW, there actually was a local Long Island newspaper, the North Shore Leader, that dug into Santos' background last October, before the election, and wrote about his sketchy financing and fake bio, but the story was never picked up by any larger papers or the wider news media. The publisher of the paper, a Republican, reluctantly endorsed a Democrat for that congressional seat. PBS posted an interview with the publisher on UA-cam yesterday).
My dad had a pinto and I drove it often in the 80s. It wasn't a great car but I remember during a bad winter freeze in Chicago, it was the only car on the block that started up right away
In 1972, a good friend of mine and I both bought new cars. I bought a Toyota Corona stationwagon and she bought a Ford Pinto stationwagon. I had my Toyota for 14 years after which I gave it to my son who had it for many years. My friend's Pinto was often in the shop for repairs and it was so undependable that she sold it several years later. I've only had 4 vehicles since 1972 - all Toyotas - and am still happily driving my 2006 Toyota Tacoma truck.
Truth be told, US automakers have always struggled with reliability. That is one of the reasons they focus so much on luxury and big... Practical cars are expected to be practical, and the more luxury market is not only more profitable but also more willing to put up with reliability problems (they also tend to trade out cars more frequently).
Same experience. I bought a 1981Toyota Corolla 3 door. 4 friends bought others. 2 Chevettes, Ford Escort 3 door, and a Dodge tourisamo. Their 4 cars were always in the shop. None lasted 4 yrs. My Corolla didn't hit the shop for 5 yrs. It had 4 round trips from Detroit to San Diego. 1987 it was traded for a 4 Runner. That lasted 15 yrs. Chevy Blazer only lasted 8 yrs. Honda Pilot going on 10 yrs.....
@@travcollier Slightly off topic, but, the same could be said about American motorcycles such as Harley Davidson, which was near bankruptcy due to Japanese motorcycle imports when AMF bought the company and kept it alive until Willie G could buy it back some years later. Most Harley guys these days, if they even know about AMF, blame AMF for ruining H-D when in fact H-D ruined H-D and AMF saved H-D from extinction, but did next to nothing to improve them. "I'd rather ride my rice burner than push a Harley" was the motto of those days. My '98 Ford Ranger, though a bit rusty these days, is still getting me from A to B and back again with no complaints whatsoever.
I had 3 Pintos. Learned how to drive a standard in one (my wife taught me!). We had them at first because we were broke. As we started to do better and look for a newer car, I shopped for another one. When they disappeared, we started driving Escorts. The Pintos never gave us trouble. They were easy to drive and repair. And great on gas.
I had a '75 Pinto Blue hatchback for 5 years. I loved that little car. I had no problems at all with it, and it went everywhere.I really liked the fact that it came with a set of tools and a comprehensive book to do your own maintenance and repairs.
It was fairly easy to work on - the engine compartment was pretty roomy, as I recall. My grad school roommate had a Pinto station wagon, and I help my dad install a cruise control from a junk-yard Cadillac in that Pinto. Made the drive from MA to CA much more enjoyable than the drive out from CA had been.
@@FirstLast-gv1zl Just a heads up, I can see your post as a highlighted reply in the preview section but when I open it under “View All Replies” it has apparently been ghosted by YT algorithms. I would try reposting minus the first paragraph as it apparently offended YT’s censorship algorithms
A lot of our childhood WAS a lie. But then, a lot of our adulthood, especially recently, has been a much larger and more dangerous lie. Thanks for another great romp through history!
It's frightening, isn't it? One must make a concerted effort to not freak the crap out over it all. Even knowing that we are being lied to in all directions doesn't make us immune to some of it. I just keep telling myself "It's still not as bad as the year 536AD" lol
@@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785 Dude, politicians will be politicians, and if you think that one group is better than another, then i really feel sorry for you. It's not rocket science here. They all lie.
In 1982, after I moved to Washington from California, some relatives gave me a white 1976 pinto. It served its purpose, which was to get me and my mother (the oldest sibling of a large family) around our rural area. It was a nice gesture, but after I got a job in Seattle and moved there, I was able to buy a nice new Mazda. I gave the Pinto back to a younger cousin who was happy to get it.
My first brand new car was a 1973 Pinto. I loved that car and would load it up with my friends to go out partying. I was involved in a rear end collision in it and it did not explode. It was great in winter. Although it got stuck in snow constantly, it was so light that I could put it in first gear, let out the clutch and push it out myself. Thank you for giving a fair view of the much maligned Pinto.
That is similar to my experience with the ‘73 Pinto we had. It was horrible in the Midwest snow. We had a couple of very snowy winters in a row in late 1970s. I got a little better traction by putting two 40 pound bags of sand in the rear hatch. The tires that came on the car were complete crap. The traction was so loose that you could put the car in first gear and get out to push on the A-pillar to try to get the car moving. There were several times I had to do that to try to get up the slight grade leading to the street my house was on. I never had that issue with any other car.
I will never forget getting a ride home after high school from my friend's mom in their family Pinto and she yelled at me when I began putting my seatbelt on. She said it was safer to get thrown out of the car than trapped inside and burned if there was a crash. By the time I got over the shock and thought through what she just said, we were on the way and I rode the entire 15 minutes that felt like a decade, fully believing that it was going to be the last ride of my life.
Crazy, thank you! I thought the (taxi) drivers in third world countries saying they dive safely and do not turn on the lights to save fuel were the craziest.
@@judydoyle1124 My cousin would have been killed if he'd been wearing seat belt when he wrecked his car. It was a one in million, He was thrown out though right side window. The steering wheel and column was pushed through driver's seat into back seat. That was in early 1990s he was driving a 1970s 2 door sedan. I do still wear my seat belt when in vehicles and don't drive under the influence.
I had a 1974 2300cc Runabout hatchback with factory mag wheels. When rust finally forced it out to pasture, we had put 800,000 miles on the body. I rebuilt the engine at 300,000 miles twice and shortblocked it the final time. It was reliable like an old farm tractor. When jeeps were in ditches in snow storms, I was driving past them. 😅
The father of a guy I knew in High School in the 80s bought 4 used Pintos at an auction. They drove them to death. Over the years the size of the fleet gradually dropped. The least viable member of the fleet was retired and used for spare parts to keep the remaining Pintos running. By the time my friend was given one to drive as a teenager I think only 2 remained. One was blue with a red door salvaged from another member of the fleet. Everybody loved the cars and the owner's family took great pride in them.
WOW that's crazy, my dad bought me one because my car I bought was always breaking down I couldn't believe it!!!.. it was the most ugly car I ever owned, all my friends made fun of me but I had a family & a job it turned out to be the most dependable car I ever owned !!!!???....
I used to own a 1977 Ford Pinto. It was OK, but because of its rear wheel drive, it slid all over the place every time it snowed. No traction whatsoever! It still looks terrible that Lee Iacocca and his toadies at Ford openly knew there was a design flaw in the Pinto’s gas tank that could (and DID!) cost lives…and just ignored it to save money! They got everything they deserved in court, however…👎👎
My first car was a ‘79 Pinto. It was also orange. But it didn’t have any wood grain. I drove it for 156,000 miles. The only repair was a new clutch. I sold it to a friend who added 100,000 miles. It was nice to drive. Often took long trips with groups of friends. One of the best cars I ever owned.
As a passenger, I got rear-ended in a 1976 Ford Pinto sedan in 1989, by a 1974 Monte Carlo SS going 55 miles per hour. I can still feel the effects of those injuries, because the interior was very poorly padded. We had later heard that the recalled 1975 model could explode if rear-ended while the left turn signal was on. Luckily, we were turning right! The car was totalled. Within a few weeks, he had that engine transplanted into a red hatchback.
Turn signal had nothing to do with it. And as the video explained… it was all just media journalists try to make a name for theirselves. Almost ALL of the cars that made it in the news from the 60’s through the 90’s were falsely accused and later found to be ok, including the pinto
My first car was a 1980 ford Pinto with a 2.3 liter engine, and manual transmission, forest green metal flake paint, bullet hole chrome rims, tinted windows and a great stereo. It looked great and was one of the best cars I ever owned. I would buy one and drive it if I came across one tomorrow.
I’m glad you straightened this out. My friend was a big Pinto guy. He could make them scream! One time in 1982 a guy on I44 St. Louis tried to race him in a Mercedes sports car and lost! That little 4 cylinder could be made to scream and my Citation with its V6 couldn’t catch him either! How about a video on the despicable Citation. You could call it “The car that paint refused to adhere to!”
My friend knows nothing about cars, so he sensibly had his mechanic inspect a used one. He said it was a good car! Of course, it was the worst decision he ever made, excepting getting married 🙄
A Citation was the worst car my family owned growing up. Even the radio was sideways in that piece of garbage. We were far happier with two Chevettes than having that Citation!
I was 16, had my driver's license, gas was .45 a gallon at a nearby convince store. One of my older brothers had a yellow 73 pinto, which he often gave to me because his then girlfriend had her car. $5 took me almost everywhere. What fun days!
@Sic Semper Mortem Tyrannis Around 45 cents a gallon for premium (high 30s for regular) was the price where I lived in the Midwest in the mid '70s, before the '79 oil crisis temporarily drove it up to around $1. I got my first car in '76 and it required at least 98 octane, and at that time Sunoco 260 was in the mid 40's. Adjusting for inflation, 45 cents in '76 is equal to around $2.30 now. Under $3 is pretty typical for regular right now in the Midwest.
@charlesivey100 My father bought a yellow ‘73 Pinto, and soon afterward moved out of state, leaving the Pinto behind with maddening vagueness about if/when he’d want it back. In addition to driving to school and work, I took my beloved gran and great-aunt anywhere they wanted to go (people did double-takes at the Taco Bell!). Unfortunately, we were having altogether too much fun, so my parents abruptly demanded the return of the car over Xmas break. I got around on a bicycle after that, but the elderly joyriders were tragically out of luck.
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes I was going to say that "Nostalgia is remembering yesterday's prices and forgetting yesterday's wages," but it looks like there's less truth to that than I thought.
Thank you for giving a factual and unbiased story on the history of the Pinto. Too often the sensationalist of the main stream media skew the perceptions of the public.
...typical of the lawerly class...atbthe time there was a joke...how you could make murder look.like an accident...give you wife a Pinto with a set of Firestone 731 tires...
All the bad stuff said about Pintos are dumbass Leftist lies, similar to Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle." THE PINTO WAS NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN ANY OTHER CAR. Socialists are always spreading lies They try to bring down corporations. It's time to speak out BACK. Socialists are either paid by Russia to hurt American companies, or they are misguided and trying to "help" the little guy.
My parents bought a brand new Pinto in 1971, I remember how exciting it was when they bought it. My dad drove it to his work for years, he put over 200,000 miles on it. The only thing I remember is it needed a carburetor so we went to pick a part. We got lucky and found a Pinto with the same 2000 cc engine and 2bbl carb. Got the carb went home and changed them out. The car fired right up and ran great! Back in the days you could work on your own car. Oh yeah, my dad taught me to drive a manual transmission in that car! Great memories
The ford pinto was not a disaster! My mother won one back in 1972 ! It had a little 1600 cc motor and my family put 460000 miles on it and it was still running when i retired it ! That car was a jewell !!
i agree 10 million percent. I know someone who was rear ended in hers - NO BLOW UP! Such a dramatic time for the news - especially since other mfrs cars were blowing up but guess what - they paid to HIDE IT! shame on them
@@g.t.richardson6311 My friends mom had one and it was fine. From when I was 8 until I left the house at 18 she had that same car. It was good for 10 years anyway, I'd call that pretty darn good!
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy Totally agree, never had one but friends did It’s kind of like escapes now, 2012 or before Have 2 of them , no issues , 140000, 150000 miles Had a 2005 till 2019 too Got my moneys worth out of it
I wish more modern car companies made compact and space efficient cars. I hate that modern cars have so little interior space yet on the outside they are larger than the biggest SUVs in the past.
I learned to drive in a 79 pinto panel. With bubble windows and an orange rainbow down the side. My father purchased it in 1980 and still has it to this day. Thank you for the entertainment. Keep making, I'll keep watching.
@@shereesmazik5030 My '73 Pinto, given to me by my Dad in 1977 was completely rusted below the doors. This was partly due to a drain plug under the doors that were never removed and was full of water by 1977. I did the body work the summer of 1978 and got a $99 MAACO paint job, My dad paid $2,800 for it as a demo in 1973 and I sold it in 1980 with about 120,00 miles for $600. It was not a good car but got me around. The biggest and most expensive problem was the 4 speed manual trans would sometime get stuck between 3rd and 4th gears and costly to fix by a mechanic. The drivers seat frame also collapsed in 1978. Fortunately, my Uncle from Germany was visiting us and fixed the seat frame with scrap metal we found in the garage! Good Times! :)
I bought a 1971 sky blue( I called it) pinto in 1973 while in the AF. I drove it from Texas to Florida, back to Texas, and then to California. I learned how to change points, cap, plugs, oil and brake pads which made it easier on other cars I owned. Top speed was 85 to 87 mph. Did that on Hwy21 going down hill into Bastrop on my way to Austin Tx. I had some GREAT times in that car. I wish I had kept it.
I am old enough to have been driving since the early 70s. In those days, I have friends that drove Gremlin, Vega and Maverick, all "crap" cars. The number of people I know that drove Pintos were order of magnitude higher than all those cars combined. A coworker of mine drive a Pinto Wagon to work (yes, wood panel and all) and his commute was over 100 miles a day, 6 days a week. Over the 4 years we worked together, he has zero problems, except for a bunch of speeding tickets. In the early 80s, I worked with somebody that was a street drag racer. His car was an old Pinto, he installed a jet fuel tank in the hatch back, did not concern him at all. Yes, that was a really fast car. My uncle's orange Pinto lasted 2 generations, until his daughter graduated from college and traded it in.
I worked in a Ford Dealership when the recall for the fuel tanks was being performed. We had one full time guy that only did the recalls for about a year, 40 hours a week. I did a lot of them too, and I owned a few Pintos over the years. I truly agree with your thoughts about an overblown situation, and I distinctly remember that parts and pieces we used to update them. There were rusty old beaters that shouldn't even have been on the road anymore, and we had repair kits for the recall to address rusty old beaters too. When this video started, I had a frown because I knew a lot of this story, and by the time you were done, you explained the misconceptions. I appreciate that, although the damage was done long ago. I replaced the engine and transmission in one of mine with a Maverick V8 and Mustang rear end. No one noticed that the Mustang II was almost the same underneath. The V8 Pinto is a fun car. And no believed that all fit in there with no body modifications, but yes, I did perform the fuel tank recall ! Thank you again for your History Guy series, I love watching and learning, and I like the way you present them. Good Luck and Be safe.
One of my favorite cars when I was a teenager was my pinto. I had bought it from a buddy who had had it previously rear-ended so it was already pre crashed safe. It had cragar mags all the way around and b50s and b-60s in the front. It was I love that car. Drove it all over hell and back
HaHa me too! I was a high strung teen-ager and I bet I put 100,000 miles on that car. My dad got it from a neighbor when it wasn't running. I don't remember what the problem was but he had it going in no time. That little 4 cyl was strong and mine had the 4 speed transmission. I loved that car.
My sister's 1st car was a 1980 Mauve Ford Pinto. Never had a rear end fireball, but she used to drive way too fast even during the winter and I remember her needing my dad's help getting the car out of many a ditches.
There is a scene in the move "Top Secret", where a Pinto is rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle just barely taps the Pinto and you hear a "ping" and then the Pinto explodes. Great movie and it was Val Kilmer's first movie.
Say what you want about the Germans, they do build good trucks! (After rearending and exploding the Pinto, and driving away in a Mercedes truck with flames all over it) great movie!😂😂😂
@@theboyisnotright6312 I took my wife to a drive-in, remember those, to see this. I thought is was great, but she did not like it. I think I will go make so flaming hog balls now. lmao
I appreciate your giving the press some responsibility for greatly exaggerating the Pinto's lethality! I had a '73 Pinto hatchback exactly like the one @8:38, right down to the color. It had high back bucket seats and shag carpeting. I put 36,000 miles on it before moving to Florida, and had to sell it as it had no A/C. Ford clearly made some errors with this car, which were ultimately corrected, but the problems with this car pale in comparison to the GM "side saddle" gas tanks disaster! Unfortunately, an estimated 135 souls were lost in the Pinto due to its fuel tank issue. GM's outside the frame mounting of its fuel tanks on Chevy and GMC pickups killed close to 2,000 people over a period of a decade and a half. Even worse, GM refused multiple requests for a recall over a 15 year or so period! How come the public didn't seem to know about this devastating dilemma, bordering on criminal, like they knew about the Pinto? Would love to see you do a similar piece on that!
As I recall, 60 Minutes did a segment on how easily the Chevy/GMC trucks's fuel tanks ruptured and caught fire. But they had staged the filmings and were caught out. I think the momentum was lost on that crusade because of it.
@@painmagnet1 Ahhh, my 74 (today) year old memory recalls that segment now! Ironic isn't it, that the GM giant with a much more severe situation had their potential for much worse press scrutinization basically disappear, where Ford's Pinto issue was blown out of proportion tremendously! Sounds like some behind the scenes weaseling went on here! 🦨 Thank you for the clarification. 😉
I'm right with you there. I owned red '74 Vega for less than one year. What a disaster. I paid nearly $2,000 for it used, the engine blew on the expressway, a mechanic bought it from me for $200.00 . My one and only car buying mistake in 40 years, and it still hurts to think about it.
My father entered a sweepstakes drawing at Sears and Roebuck to win a new car. Well, he won that drawing and the car was a gold 1970 Ford Pinto. Black interior and manual transmission,. It looked stylish, ran great, and was very reliable. Later on, I bought a silver 1976 Ford Pinto from my wife's friend. Another good looking car that never broke down. I ended up giving it to my father in law at 186,000 miles. He loved it and drove it to work for two more years after that. 🦓
In 1974, my mom & I took a trip to Santa Cruz, California; she rented a car for the trip, which was a blue '72 Pinto Hatchback. She loved it so much that she later bought the 1976 Pinto Wagon - beige, with the "wood" trim. She loved that car, and we had it for well over a decade.
My brother had a Pinto back in the early 80s, I think it was a 72 or 73. I loved that car. It actually got destroyed when a semi rear ended him while he was at a stop light and the semi didn't brake when it hit him. Totally crushed the Pinto, but no explosion or fire. My brother lost two teeth from hitting the steering wheel. But the high back seats saved him from whiplash or worse. So kudos to Ford for those high back buckets seats in the Pinto. A Pinto is on the short list of Fords (Mustang and F150 are the other two) I would buy, I'm a Chevy guy.
I had a 1980 pinto that I was rear-ended by someone who's going at least 55 mi an hour unlikely my car did not explode but I got the hell out of that cars fast as I can
A 71 Pinto was my first car - no problems. In 1980 I bought a new one with 4 miles on it. I owned it until 1997 when the engine finally went and it had gone a bit over 587,000 miles. Never had a major repair, only the expected. The trick to making a Pinto last was to change the oil every 3,000 miles. Everyone I knew that did that had a dependable long-lasting car.
The Pinto has the same reputation as the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. I'm from Ohio and people in other states still ask me if our rivers catch on fire. It's been 53 years since that happened and the 1969 fire was out so fast, they use a photo from 1952.
I've heard that other rivers had burned too. The Cuyahoga got all the press. There've been fish in the Cuyahoga for a long time now, for heaven's sake!
If they use the 1952 picture, that does mean the river burned at least twice. It might be over blown, but most of us find a burning river a might unusual.
@@cdjhyoung , My understanding is that the Cuyahoga burned a number of times, more than twice for certain. If a river needs to burn more than twice in order for government to say we need to do something about it, then that looks pretty short sighted on the part of the people who watched it burn repeatedly, doesn't it? Where
I always was attracted to the Pinto car. I considered myself fortunate to eventually land a Pinto station wagon. I found out that it was advantageous to get a Pinto with the 4 cylinder German engine. Not the British one. And it held up very well. I even used it as a work truck. RE: fire problems -- any car you ran into that exploded would take similar force and conditions. Furthermore, Chevrolet had something to do with the rumor mongering. Very disappointing as I liked both companies. Thanks for this episode.
I thought the Pinto's motor was dubbed the Lima for being produced at the Lima Ohio plant. The German made 2.8 liter V-6 was not introduced until 1975.
Me and my friends grew up driving the hell out of these Pintos. They were tough as they could be. Built to a standard you will only find in some models at Toyota and Honda today and in Japanese motorcycles. I had friends who actually made drag cars and road race cars out of them. The engines and transmission were built like truck units. In the fifteen years I was around them, I never heard of one catching on fire and we crashed them regularly.
My sister had a 71 pinto and later I bought a 76 bobcat. Both were great cars! Low maintenance, good gas milage, and fun to drive. I loved my bobcat- wish I still had it!👍🇺🇸❤️
I remember fixing a Pinto wagon in the bodyshop that had woodgrain. The car owner couldn't afford those expensive woodgrain applications...so I used Mac Tac , and a heat gun to stretch it around and into the door handle recesses. Looked great! Not sure how long it lasted.
My wife had a '71 pinto, my mom a '72 and my grandfather a '76. We collectively put tons of miles on those cars. They were great cars. Ran good and ran cheap.
Most Pintos I remember were driven until they were rusted and worn out, I'd still take my chances with a Pinto before I'd take a chance on one of today's electric cars that might catch itself on fire parked in my garage and burn my home down.
Thank you for presenting a factual review of the Pinto's safety performance. It has always bothered me that Lawyers and the media had so distorted the true situation for their own benefit.
Tell that to the 'Spider boy', that 13 year old kid that was horribly burned over his whole body to the point where his thin blackened body 'looked like a spider'. All so Lee Iacocca, a 1%'er, could make more money by making a cheap car. Who cares if people got hurt or killed? Profit is everything, Working class people don't count.
@@raygamma36 Just because the boy was burned in one accident does not mean the overall safety numbers (or lack thereof) of the car was not also misrepresented by lawyers and the media. As for your ignorant and divisive 1% comment, which reveals how much of a clown you are, EVERY business has a breakdown where lawsuits are weighed against product design. But you do know that Iococa also designed the Mustang. Which featured seatbelts before they were mandated. But your only take is "screw him because he wanted to build a low-priced compact car" -- when all the competition, foreign and domestic we're building cheap, subcompact cars and that's what the consumers wanted. I realize the people who bitch about 1%ers and the minimum wage are utterly clueless how business work. I mean, I guess if you want to live in the stone age, fine. But you just exposed yourself as the Neanderthal bitching that the Homo Sapiens have caves and fire. Damn those 1%ers.
@@derrickodyes1934 BOVINE SCAT...VERY few 'flames' resulted (from mine, too, that was involved in a rear-ender...no flames). Read my above response...the 'tests' by the MSM failed to ignite/explode ANY of the multiple ones they wasted their money on, until someone put a pyrotechnic device in the headlamp of the colliding vehicle! THEN it blew up!
My first new car I bought was a 78 Cruising Wagon, that I still own! I drive it everywhere. Currently on a two month road trip to Florida. Oh the looks and comments I get. Nearly all positive. Thanks for trying to set the record straight. It's a tough job to do.
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes We are retired, getting away from the snow for a while lol! Over 3,000 miles on the trip so far. Will be in Key West the next couple of days then head back north.
My sister's first car was a brand new 1975 Pinto MPG 2-door sedan in dark blue. It was a rust pit in the burbs of Detroit. I spent a lot of time patching door bottoms with metal and bondo to keep it looking OK. She was rear-ended on a state highway in 1982 whcih caused the read end to push down, but not forward to the gas tank. By that time, Ford had installed the plastic gas tank shield and a new gas tube system to the tank. No blow up. She bought another car in the fall of 82, so I bought her Pinto. I had a 1977 Pinto Wagon, which I loved for the most part. I traded both Pintos for a Mercury Marquis Brougham mid-sized sedan in June 1983. Both Pintos had issues with parts: the 75 blew a rear main seal, had severe EGR system issues, rotted radiator and had the recall done. My 77 had a engine head rebuild due to piston schuffing due to Ford's cheapout in installing bearing without oil holes, therby robbing the pistons of lubrication. That wagon blow through 3 ignition modules, transmission seals and gaskets and cheapouted headlight switch bezel nut made of plastic. I went to the dealer parts dept and found they went to plastic in 77, but prior to that used metal. I bought the metal one. Same price. Damned Ford cheapness. Here we are in 2024 and they lead the industry in recalls. They never learned...
Unbelievably, a high school girl, who has been my wife now for 43 years, actually went out with me in my sky blue pinto station wagon. I would love to have that car back again now that I’m in my 60’s.
Thanks for this! My dad loved Ford automobiles. When I was a child we had a Ford woody wagon. When I was in high school we had a Galaxy, then I got my license in the Corvair. When I got married he got a deal on two Pinto wagons with "woody" trim, one for him and one for us. I have no regrets, except that I had to let them go with time. The cars were always a member of the family ~ is that true anymore? We genuinely loved our cars. Thanks for this episode, sir!
The Pinto wagons had a longer, stronger rear body than the sedans and hatchbacks, so were less vulnerable in a rear-ender. Back when used wagons were plentiful, that was a reason wagons generally were preferred for demolition-derbies! In 1980, I took a '77 Pinto Pony MPG hatchback in trade for a motorcycle I was selling. After '73, all Pintos had a stronger rear structure to accommodate the new 5 mph bumper standards, and my '77 already had the gas-tank shield upgrade. So I wasn't too concerned about detonating on impact. While it was sluggish due to the optional MPG economy gearing, and somewhat crude, it was a clean, solid car, and my first with factory AC. Had it been a wagon, I might have kept it. But it couldn't match the refinement, and especially - the cargo-room of my '71 (admittedly trouble prone) Audi wagon. Wouldn't mind a decent Pinto wagon today, even without the 'Junior Country Squire' trim package! 🙂
Late ‘70’s; a schoolmate worked at a Ford dealership as a junior mechanic. His task, for months, was to deplete a small mountain of fuel system remediation parts..for Pintos. They were a new filler neck and a thick slab of plastic about the size of a mud flap to go between the tank and rear axle. I had a lot of fun with those cars. You could buy a near perfect used one for scrap metal prices when the world was through with them.
we had many. some well outfitted like a compact cadillac. some tight and cornery. some shiny, some junky. ive sat the 40 minutes over coffee (more than once) while they installed your the 2 items. stopping distance was atrocious. the brakes could be upgraded. the accessories were fun. I WISH I HAD MY 78 now
The filter neck was not the problem. I also worked on Pintos. The issue was they simply couldn't tolerate as much rear end impact as their upmarket competitors with the gas tank forward of the axle. "Unsafe at Any Speed" was a hitpiece, but the thing about well-informed hitpieces is that THEY HIT.
My girlfriend back then had a Pinto. Aside from the fuel tank issues, and the horrible rust issues, the little car with rack and pinion steering and the top loader 4 speed transmission was fun to drive. Not fast, but it handled and drove like an MG sports car. It also got 3X better gas mileage than my Chevy Laguna SS 454 V8! And we survived it. The body's also made great Modified Stock Cars! 8)
This is the first time I have heard an honest recap of the entire situation. My Uncle was an engineer at FoMoCo at the time and he was livid at the unsupported diatribes hurled at the Pinto as he felt about the ones against the Edsel. As for me, well I bought a Cosworth Vega. 😮
Dude. When the t.v. and magazine and newspapers went nuts over the Pinto story I suspected that there was a lot of hyperbole in popular data. Now 50 years later you clear it up, confirming my feelings about a car that I very much liked for no particular reason. It had that "La-de-da I'm chill" face. Thank you. Plus it got pretty good mileage.
I had the slightly up scale (I use this term loosely) 18976 Mercury model of the Pinto, called the Bobcat, hatchback, white with blue interior. I fit all my belongings in it when I drove off to college. I have such affection for this car.
My friends dad bought his mom a brand new pinto. As a kid we thought is was the coolest ride, it smelled like a brand new car. My mom said "yes" I could ride with my friend to the grocery store in his mom`s new car! Life was so great!
I got to experience that new car smell when my parents bought a 1972 Ford Torino. They also bought a '72 Ford Courier but it didn't have the smell. My dad traded in his '65 Ford Camper. I didn't like the Torino at first. There were so many other cars I liked better, but they were old in 1972.
My dad went from a Cortina to a Pinto wagon. The heater in the Pinto worked. No heat in the Cortina. Very important in that part of Canada. Manual transmission was as important to him as vent windows. Having watched lots of old crash test videos, it really didn't matter if you were crushed or burned to death.
My Pops got a used Cortina when in my pre-teens. Me and my younger thought the interior smelled of vomit, especially when parked in the Sun. I don’t know if anyone actually puked 🤮 in it or not though. 🤷♂️ On my 13th birthday, Mom let me drive for a bit on a country road with no other traffic coming back from an optometrist appointment. I guess she thought since I could see well, it was safe enough. 😉😆🤫🤭 Best birthday 🎁 presenot ever. 👍🏻
@@tomtheplummer7322 The Cortina was my dad's first brand new car. A 69. I was 7. It died after two years. Despite doing well for himself later in life, he never bought another new car.
I owned a '72 Pinto station wagon and a '76 Mercury Bobcat (Mercury's version of the Pinto). Both cars were admittedly pretty basic, but they both served me well for years and were pretty trouble free. I loved that little station wagon and which I had it now!! Hard to look cool in a Pinto station wagon but I am old enough to not care!
Bravo Lance! History must be revised in light of new evidence! i was born in '62. i'm sad to say at least 90% of what i was taught growing up was a lie 💜🙏
In a rear end collision, the Pinto's bumper attachment bolts would pierce the tank and gas would ignite when it contacted the hot exhaust. The repair was to cut down the bumper bolts and the car was safe. I took 10 minutes with an angle grinder and a cut-off disc. I was in my teens buying up Pintos for cheap money, apply the fix, and flip them for maybe a $100 profit. Helped pay my way through school. Also, if you look into the issue, this was also a problem with many cars with tanks behind the axle. Any car with a solid filler neck hidden behind the license plate (a popular feature) could go up in flames in a rear and collision. The filler neck would tear off and gas would ignite on the exhaust.
Gasoline cannot ignite without a spark, from just a hot exhaust pipe. In a collision, a piece of steel hitting the pavement, an electric wire being severed, or static electricity being created, are more likely the cause of fire.
My father took every car we ever owned to our next store neighbor for maintenance and repairs. He owned a mechanic's shop a few miles away. He and my father were good friends, and I was friends with his daughter. So I was dismayed when my friend came home with a used Pinto her father had bought for her. I asked my Dad about it. He said "Paul" had picked up the Pinto for a song, made the repairs, and it was as safe as any other car. She drove it for years with no issues.
I am sure Lance is giving us accurate information regarding Pintos versus similar cars. My first cousin was one of those girls in the Indiana Pinto accident. Indiana capped lawsuits at a $100,000 if memory serves, so my aunt and uncle did not get rich by any means. My dad and mom drove Chryslers, but even those heavy cars had issues. Sad story. A lot of good came from it though due to improvements in safety.
In truth the Pinto wasn't a bad car at all. It looked pretty good, got good gas mileage and was dependable. One little thing that I loved to point out to Pinto owning friends was the door handles. They were made of pot iron and tended to break very quickly. We would go to salvage yards to get replacements but most the time the Pintos we located also had broken door handles. Vise Grips became the norm!!
My experience with our ‘73 Pinto was pretty much the opposite. Just about every interior component which could fall apart or break off did. For example, the window cranks were zinc pot metal and broke easily, same for the heater control bracket which broke easily and I replaced twice. The plastic door handles also came apart. The syncros in the 4 speed manual transmission jammed. I remember trying to time the German-made distributor and due to the rounded lobes on the cam, the timing mark drifted back and forth in the strobe, so I just set it by ear somewhere in the middle. Also chunks of the grille inexplicably fell out. An aesthetic insult was part of the fuel tank mitigation consisted of installing a big ugly black metal ring which sat slightly proud of the car’s contour around the gas cap due to heavy rust on the rear quarter panel. The Pinto got even with me for my despise by clobbering me in the head when both gas struts on the rear hatch let go simultaneously while grabbing my briefcase out of the back. I didn’t miss the Pinto. We replaced it with a ‘79 Chevette which was also a cheapie car but actually pretty reliable.
@@faulltw Apparently Pintos must have improved after the first few years. The one I had was despicably poorly manufactured. My uncle had a blue 1971 Pinto where the passenger door got so loose that he simply bolted it in place never to be used again. About the only major system which didn’t fail before 50K miles was the brakes.
I am NOT a Ford man at all but the Maverick and Fairmont were by far much better cars than a Pinto. Many times did I replace the junk plastic bushing that supported the shifter in the manual transmission and then there was the timing belts and the emissions system problems. None of that ever happened to a 6cyl Maverick or Fairmont.
I learned how to drive in my dad's red 1974 pinto station wagon. When I got married years later, dad loaned me the car until I bought my own a few months later. When he passed away in 2000, I got the car again and we gave it to a neighbor of ours. It was still in good condition for a 26 year old car in 2000.
My second car was a 72 baby-blue Pinto (my first being a 63 Bug) and I drove that Pinto for many years. I did some body work on it and then had an Earl Schieb paint job sprayed on it which inspired me to keep it for more years. I loved that car. It was a hatchback which I put a roof rack on that carried my 17' canoe all over Missouri to all of our beautiful rivers for days of fishing. I traded the Pinto in for a new Ford Escort that I drove the wheels off of commuting to the city for my first real job. I loved the Escort too. At the same times of my Pinto my brother owned a Vega that was a REAL POS and I laughed at him every time I heard it was back in the shop. I'm still a Ford guy owning a Ford Edge Sport that I really like.
I appreciate the research presented here and in all the History Guy's episodes. I had a white two door '76 Pinto that was rear-ended by a loaded gravel truck, but it didn't explode. Fortunately, the recall to fix the gas tank problem had been done before that accident. It did burn a lot of oil. When I went to the gas station, I'd say, "Fill up the oil and check the gas." I lived in New Jersey, which I think still doesn't have self-service.
I was stationed in New Jersey while in the Navy (Colts Neck NJ) and I was surprised that they didn't allow you to pump your own gas. The funny thing about it was that the gas didn't cost any more than in places where you were allowed to pump your own gas. Can anyone explain why that was so?
@@eyesalooking It's a law on the books in NJ. Certain groups believed that allowing a citizen to pump their own gas would be dangerous (as they couldn't be trusted to not cause a fire or explosion). And many lawmakers have already tried to get rid of the law, but those same groups continue to make the specious argument that people can't be trusted to pump their own gas and that it's a safety issue.
In 1986, I drove a 1974 Pinto Wagon "Woody" from Michigan to Florida.. and LIVED in it for 2 weeks, was GREAT ..(didn't blow up, but I never smoked in it ..)
I bought a 72 pinto in 1975. It had low miles, but had a spun rod bearing, but otherwise perfect so I bought it very inexpensively. So, I pulled the C4 automatic transmission, pulled the crank, got the crank ground, put in all new bearings (all with the engine in the car), replaced the crank and it ran perfect for a very long time. I really grew to love that car, passed it on to my little brother who, like me, used it without any problems.
I have very fond memories of our Ford Pintos. We owned a two-door, a hatchback, and a wagon…and all of them light blue. They were very comfortable to drive, fairly good gas mileage, and wagon had lots of room for its size. They were a great car for the time.
I was a "line mechanic" at the local Ford Store in the late 70's. One of the few recalls I even really made good time (money) on was the Pinto tank upgrade kit! Also did a#of door handle R&R's.
AMEN! Ralph Nader's heart was in the right place but he was not an engineer and he killed a really nice car. The characterstic he thought so dangerous was completely designed out of the '65 and '66 models and they were terrific cars. My '65 Beetle was every bit the twitchy, oversteering "death trap" he labeled the early Corvairs. Any one who was paying attention soon learned not to provoke it into misbehaving and a really cheap modification kit called a "camber compensator" was a great upgrade for my model. Nader got a lot of safety legislation going but on the corvair, he blew it!
My dad gave me my first parking lot driving lesson in a Pinto runabout when I was 9 years old. Later I drove that same Pinto to high school. Pretty much every 1970s small car was a deathtrap and you would have still been better off in an accident with a Pinto than with a 1970s VW Beetle, Honda, or Toyota.
I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for the Pinto - even after the controversy started. Cute car and fun to drive! I honed my clutch skills in a friend’s green hatchback in H.S. I’m glad to hear the real story!
Yes, the reason the fuel tank lost it's integrity in a rear-end collision was that the fuel tank could be pushed forward and get smashed into the trear differential, which would puncture the tank as it was pushed forward. I owned a 1980 Pinto (living in Hawaii at the time) I purchased around 1986, and the first thing I did was check underneath it to see what was changed. I found a thick, curved plastic shield had been installed (as part of the recall) that was supposed to deflect the fuel tank downward, away from the differential. I also was taking a class in Business Ethics at the time, and for my term paper I chose the Ford Pinto. Did you know Ford Motor Company became the first American corporation to be criminally prosecuted when it was charged with reckless homicide? Although it was acquitted of the criminal charges, Ford paid damages totaling well over $100 million in civil suits arising from explosions of Pinto fuel tanks; recalled 1.5 million Pintos; and ceased production of the car. But, living in Hawii as I did at the time, it was a GREAT "island car" and got good mpg. It was maligned - I loved it. BUT one thing I learned was that if you were being tailgated. just hit the brakes and watch the driver's eyes behind you expand into huge white pancakes when they see the ass-end of a Pinto coming at them at 60 mph....oh those were the days.
@@noneofurbusiness5223 It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1919. It has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world. SO we both are right. It HAS to be a corporation to protect the FORD family from litigation and lawsuits.
I drove a "Drive-Away" Pinto wagon in '78 from DC to Newhall, CA. Not a peep of trouble, plenty of room for my belongings that I dropped off in Phoenix. Hit a pretty wild bug storm outside Tucumcari, NM. Great memories and from my experience a great little car.
Thank you for an honest analysis on the Pinto. My Dad traded in his 1970 GTO Judge for a Pinto when the fuel crisis hit and more children arrived in the family.
At 19 years old I got a job at a Ford dealership July 3, 1978. I retired as the shop foreman of that dealership 42 years later in 2020. Pinto, Saved my career as a mechanic. The owner said he had to let me go due to lack of work. Then the Pinto recall went into effect. Being low man, I was assigned to do Pinto Recalls. I got really good at installing the safety features. At one point I was doing 10 a day. By the time the recall was over, management realized I had skills, and kept me on permanently as a mechanic. I retired as top dog at the dealership. Thanks Pinto!
Great story. Glad things turned out well for you.
@Rick Bria i was a mechanic for 32 years and repetition definitely helps in doing a lot of jobs faster i had a reputation of swapping 4 springs and four shocks in mid and full size fords and chevys in 30 minutes. blew my managers mind how fast i was at a lot of different jobs. could do 4 ball joints on ford E-150-250 vans and trucks in just over an hour. we had guys in the shop that would take 3 hours on that job...
I heard they exploded when rear ended.
Very cool; thanks for sharing your story!
What were the recall items put in to correct this? I’d love to see some sort of visual, if you know of one.
My Pinto story is that as a new 2LT walking to report in to my new Battalion, a pinto passed me on the street and stopped. A huge Command Sergeant Major got out of the Pinto and headed towards me. My first reaction was to laugh because it reminded me of impossible clown cars. Fortunately I squelched that and then got worried. I forgot about my commission and in my mind reverted to being a Staff Sergeant again. Fortunately, when he saluted me, I remembered who I was now. He offered me a ride but I explained that I was enjoying my last few minutes of freedom before I signed in. Besides, I told him that I didn't think we could both fit in that little car. He smiled and wished me a good day. We had a few encounters over the next few months. He was an excellent NCO. I was privileged to know him. Good Luck, Rick
Thanks for your service brother. Retired Navy Sailor here
Cool story! My friend had been a Drill Sergeant. He always got a kick when he walked out of AAFES, in his brown round, and saw Majors and Colonels furtively checking to see if their cargo pockets were buttoned!
We’re all in the same family.
Thanks for sharing this story! As a former Spec 4 I would have fainted upon seeing God get out of a pinto and approaching. I can't quit laughing at this one.
My father was a Sargent Major. They are a breed unto themselves. Thanks for sharing.
Great story... Reminds me of my early army days. During Basic training at Ft. Jackson (October 83) we were out on our overnight bivouac during a torrential downpour and were force marching to another site when the senior D.I. came running back getting volunteers for a mission. I was one of about 5 who followed him, only to find the company commander, reeking of whiskey, cursing his Pinto which had slid off the dirt road in a curve and stuck in the mud! We managed to get him unstuck and the senior drill instructor drove him home. I'll never forget that night. For the rest of our training cycle be was lovingly referred to as "Captain Pinto"... 😂 Good times.
I purchased a 73' Pinto and loved that car. It was a Runabout with a hatch back and a 4 speed transmission. You could put the rear seat down and have enough room to sleep in the back of it. I drove it to Florida once. No problems, one of the best cars I ever had.
You are correct. I had two Pintos and got many thousands of carefree driving miles from each. Despite the gas tank woes, it was pretty ok' good car for me.
They had great engines. A place called Pinto Bean made all kinds of performance parts for them and they became popular engines in dune buggies for a while.
I had a Pinto for a short time while I was in college in the mid 80s. I bought it cheap and it worked well. Not to mention, it was the source of many, many jokes. Overall, I gotta say, it served it's purpose and I kinda liked it.
Had the same car. Very similar experience. I loved that littke hacthback. Great visibility out of that huge rear window
In 1986, I drove a 1974 Pinto Wagon "Woody" from Michigan to Florida.. and LIVED in it for 2 weeks, was GREAT ..(didn't blow up, but I never smoked in it ..)
@@shananagans5 I have to take exception on a "great engine". It was dependable, but was so very weak and under powered even for a four cylinder.
I bought my first brand new car in 1981 when I was 15…a 1980 Ford Pinto (obviously my dad signed for it, but I made the payments!). 42 years and a couple of dozen vehicles later, that Pinto is one of the best I ever owned. Two engine rebuilds, 1 new transmission, about 20 clutches and about 650,000 miles later, I finally sold it to a kid down the street for $300. Loved that little car!!!
Man, your love affair with your Pinto, sounds just my love affair I had for my Chevette. 4 speed, 2 door hatch, NEVER let me down. One of my favorite cars of the many I’ve had over the years.
I have nothing but great things to say about Pintos. Mine was a 73' lowered, mild crane cam, header, and slicks. Lot's of mountain roads with twisties where I live (Rocky Point Road, scappoose oregon) that little car was a holy terror
@@kevinbuja8105other than some quality control issues, the Chevette was actually a pretty damn good car, and actually quite hard to kill
In which universe you can affort a new car at the age of 15 ?
@@d.m.3259 depends on what you do I worked in my dad‘s body and paint shop every day after school, I work the almond and walnut harvesters during summer vacation by the time I was 15 I had about $40,000 saved up, I could’ve bought a new car but I actually bought a 1957 Ford Fairlane with a 430 Mercury marauder NASCAR banned engine it would pull the front wheels off the ground, so the universe you live in that could be possible is called the United States of America where even A youngster who is raised with principles can accomplish tremendous things, my father told me I’ll buy your dirtbike for you but I won’t buy your first car for you I’ll work on it I’ll help you customize it in anyway you want but you have to buy your first car so that you have an understanding of working for what you want my second car was a 1967 barracuda commando I bought and paid for it while still having my 1957 hot rod Fairlane. I don’t know if that answers your question or not
My 1971 Pinto was hit from behind at a red light in 1979, jamming the driver’s door closed, and crumpling the left rear up to the fuel tank. The safety upgrade had been performed a month earlier.
I love the depiction of the Pinto in the movie, "Top Secret!".
From memory, a leaf falls on the rear quarter near the fuel tank and the car explodes.
(EDIT - No, a big vehicle lightly tapped the rear.)
No in top secret a truck tapped the bumper.
@@535tony My mother did not think that was funny, at all. She had a Pinto and was still afraid to drive it after the 'fix'.
@@hardlyb I didn’t either my Sister had a 74 pinto that was a good car.
@@raypurchase801 ua-cam.com/video/-9GGDOUDLhc/v-deo.html
My 72 Sedan was a fun little ride. When I bought it in 78 I took it to a dealer to pick up some parts for my dads truck. Two service guys looked underneath and told me the recall work on the tank had not been performed. I brought it back the next day and they did the work in about two hours. Being a car guy, I took before/after photos. They made quite a few changes in only a few hours. I had a bumper sticker that said "Stay back, I just refueled"
My '71 baby blue Pinto rendered good service for 25 years, with predictably constant service from its 2L engine and standard transmission. An urban car with real maneuverability, and so simple I learned to do basic maintenance, myself.
There is a huge market for affordable, reliable and safe cars. And, yes, its tank was safely modified by Ford at a local dealership.
your bumber sticker probably brightened the day of many a passing motorists.
@@bocadelcieloplaya3852 And made anyone behind him in an Audi 5000 nervous.
Thats a good story for the sticker, lol.
I'd like to get one of those magnetic ones that say " VEHICLE IS CARRYING VENOMOUS REPTILES" that would come in handy in DFW traffic..... even the ja(koffs would leave me alone.
@@tashalynn29 I'd give you a "High-5" if I could
We named our babyblue 1971 Pinto "Gypsy" becasue my wife and I drove it all over the United States and Canada back when I was in the US Navy and had 30 days of vacation per year. It never failed us and I installed a stereo/cb radio/stereo amp "stack" between the center consule and the dash. Looked great at night and sounded great. The front seats laid back so we often saved money by sleeping in the car. Great Memories. She died , cancer, 2001. I gave my life to Christ and will join her soon.
Bart you broke my heart. I was enjoying your memories and nearly cried when I read your partner in that memory had passed. Thank you for serving in the Navy and thank you for sharing such a personal story.
Thank you for your service.
God bless you and her and I bet she's waiting now 🙏 amen
God bless you
Thank you for your service. I am sorry for your loss, but I understand how you feel.
I am 66. I have owned 3 pintos. Loved every one of them! Great little cars . 2 runabouts, 1 wagon.
My brother purchased a 1976 Pinto for $2,500. I went to another Ford dealer and the salesman told me they make $100 on each Pinto and would not sell it for less that $2,500.00.
This is my story exactly. I am 66, owned 3 Pintos (2 hatchbacks and a wagon)! Great little cars and so easy to work on.
The Ford Pinto was and still is one of my most favorite car designs. Simple, sleek and utilitarian. I recall our joke at the time, the go-cart who grew up.
It was a great car! I bought one used with 17,000 miles and had to scrap it when someone hit it. Over 200.000 miles. I'd buy one today if a ran across a low mileage example in good shape.
I think it looks rather good.
We used to call my friend's Pinto a rolling barbecue.
It was better than the Vega, but that's not saying much.
@@totallyjonesin I had a '73 Pinto and a '74 Vega. In my opinion, the Vega was better built...but that was a long time ago.
I drove a Pinto for years. Nice little car. Although in certain circumstances it may cause an issue, I thought the gas tank issue was waaaay overblown.
"I thought the gas tank issue was waaaay overblown." It was, read the court cases from the lawsuits. All the fires were from high-speed crashes. The one discussed in the video of three teenagers is a Pinto sitting still on a highway got rear-ended by a large van moving at 60+ mph. The Grimshaw one was also stalled on a highway and hit by a Ford Galaxie (a very large car) also at 60+. Those changes that Ford did not make that people gave them crap for would have been able to protect the fuel tank from puncture in rear end crashes up to 50mph. So, if they had made the changes, those accidents still would have resulted in the same way.
Same as the Corvair issue. They both have Ralph Nader traction.
Typical hysteria of the media, the public and government. Unfortunately, people never change. Especially the media, they’ll stir the pot as hard and as long as possible squeezing every dime they can.
Nice choice of words, there… 😮
I suppose, better overblown that overblown...... 🙂
I owned, and drove over 100,000 miles, a 1973 Pinto Station Wagon. It was reliable, fuel efficient, and maintenance was a breeze. I often wish I could find one that was road worthy today.
We too had 73 Pinto Wagon. No problems.
@@lindaoreilly5728 Had a 76 Pinto Wagon and had no issues with it.
I had a 73 Pinto wagon, 4 speed, 2 litre engine. Steering and handling were great.
The wagon had a different rear design for the fuel filler and so did not have the same problem.
Mine a surf blue wagon. Excellent car. Sold it for more than I paid.
Saw a Pinto on the road the other day.
It was in pretty rough shape, but it was still going.
Both me and my passenger stared at in in shock and amazement.
It was noteworthy, unusual and hilarious.
This was how I reacted to seeing a Trabant zooming down the highway once.
I see a few around Carlisle PA during car shows
Most old cars will outlast new ones. The old joke it takes a computer to really screw things up! How many early Mustangs and Camaros are still on the road almost 60 years old?
@@jimandersen3003 Yes! And are a ton easier to work on due to no onboard computer or gas-eating gadgets.
I saw one moving under its own power
I worked at a Ford dealer back then. The only problem was the fuel filler hose from the filler neck in the quarter panel to the bottom of the fuel tank. In a rear end collision, the quarter panel moved forward faster than the tank, pulling the hose out of the bottom of the tank and spilling it's contents. The recall was improving the clamp on the fuel tank and installing softer bolts on the filler in the quarter panel. Those would break but the hose was long enough little fuel would spill.
Mike I was a Ford Mechanic at that time in Canada. I don't recall the filler neck repair but we were putting a heavy plastic shield that attached to the tank straps at the front to help avoid the tank hitting the diff. if pushed forward.
@@johnready630 yes, I think I remember that too.
I thought it was long bolts at the bumper that would penetrate the tank
and not an issue with the Wagon models
A brown wagon Pinto is near us still, with side windows of cargo area solid metal except for dome-like round windows, like a 1970s
"Don't Come Knockin' If this Van's Rockin' " street van
@@markrossow6303 hey, it was almost 50 years ago. Pretty sure about the soft bolts at the fuel filler but that jogged my memory and I think John's reply was right and it was to protect from the bolts near the diff. I was a service writer so I never did the recall, but I wrote plenty of tickets for it.
The wagons had a different fuel fill neck and 4" more space between tank and differential. Both the adjustments to the runabout neck and the plastic shield to keep the tank from rupturing on the differential bolts were employed. The panel wagon with moon windows was a factory option in 1977 - 1980(? Maybe just 77-78) wagons.
Oh man, this is great. As a small child I grew up with my parents owning an orange Pinto wagon and I have fond memories of riding in the back, facing the rear window with my sister and pretending it was a movie. Apparently sitting just above said fuel tank but hey, I never exploded so call that a victory.
I like your word/number muncher icon so much.
@@crystalwater505 Why thank you!
Selfish,😐
I would rather you had exploded for the entertainment value.
🤗😉🤗
Uhhhhhhhh, The wagon was never under recall -it was not considered part of the problem. I know, we had one and repeatedly checked back then
@@budsodalsky Spreading falsehoods? Give the world a great big hairy break.🙄 The worst he is doing is being wrong. That is hardly a falsehood. 😉😂😉
This was my college speech coach, and I'm still learning from him. So proud of you Lance.
COM 101 here
@Robert Milz
You forgot your comma before "Lance."
He’s a natural. I’d stay awake in his class.
I think he's sexy! ☺
@@lisahinton9682 Grammar, nazi.
My very first car was a 2000 cc 1971 Pinto in 1973. I've had a lot of nice vehicles but did I ever have fun with my little red Pinto. If I could find one today I'd grab it without hesitation if the price was right. I was 16 at the time and now 65 and I remember everything so clearly.So many fond memories. Thanks for taking me back.
I had a ‘71 that had a 1600 cc 4 banger engine !!! I could put 5 dollars worth of high test gas in it , and it would go about 400 miles on that much gas ( you can believe it or not !! As you say , If I could find one today ( a hatchback 1600 cc ) I’d buy it immediately !!!
If you can find one from Arizona, go for it. All of the rubber will be shot of course.
I called Richard Rawlings when I seen the yellow 1 in his lot on his show but it was gone, lol
❤️😞😞😞😁🤔
Yup. They were like a big roller skate on a rail.
I’d like to thank you for not only a fair and unbiased view of the Pinto, but the fair and unbiased application to all of your videos. In a world where everything is politicized, it’s not I️ cant tell where you stand. Please don’t change this aspect of the channel.
the pinto was not a totally bad car. it has it issues but all cars do. i used to replace a lot of upper control arm bushings on those along with lower ball joints. the upper arms were supposed to be greased regularly but a lot of mechanics never did it when in for an oil change and they would eventually fail. the coil over setup was hard on them too.
Thank you!
Much about the Pinto is urban myth and muck racking "journalism".
The "ugly car" lists always have low status vehicles.
Automotive journalism (especially from the mainstream media) has always been extremely poor.
Lou, you are mischaracterizing (and mispelling) "muckraking" journalism: " muckraker: a person who searches for and tries to expose corruption, scandal, or other wrongdoing, especially in politics. The original muckrackers were journalists who exposed child labor, sweatshops, poor living and working conditions, and government inefficiency, in the early 1900's". In particular there was a group of about 15 muckraking journalists writing for McClure's magazine who made it their mission to expose societal problems and the people exacerbating or profiting from it. Teddy Roosevelt tried to turn the term into an insult, using it to denigrate journalists who covered him unfavorably, but overall, at least in those years, their influence was positive. We could use some altruistic, crusading, muckraking journalists nowadays; perhaps then, complete and utter liars like George Santos would not get elected to office. (BTW, there actually was a local Long Island newspaper, the North Shore Leader, that dug into Santos' background last October, before the election, and wrote about his sketchy financing and fake bio, but the story was never picked up by any larger papers or the wider news media. The publisher of the paper, a Republican, reluctantly endorsed a Democrat for that congressional seat. PBS posted an interview with the publisher on UA-cam yesterday).
I knew that- auto spell- but left it. Good point, but I was using muckraker ironically.
My dad had a pinto and I drove it often in the 80s. It wasn't a great car but I remember during a bad winter freeze in Chicago, it was the only car on the block that started up right away
Same here!
Always started, had my 72 til 1985😊... junkyard used it to drive the torch tanks into the 1990s
In 1972, a good friend of mine and I both bought new cars. I bought a Toyota Corona stationwagon and she bought a Ford Pinto stationwagon. I had my Toyota for 14 years after which I gave it to my son who had it for many years. My friend's Pinto was often in the shop for repairs and it was so undependable that she sold it several years later. I've only had 4 vehicles since 1972 - all Toyotas - and am still happily driving my 2006 Toyota Tacoma truck.
Truth be told, US automakers have always struggled with reliability. That is one of the reasons they focus so much on luxury and big... Practical cars are expected to be practical, and the more luxury market is not only more profitable but also more willing to put up with reliability problems (they also tend to trade out cars more frequently).
ford is the singular reason i switched to japanese cars. not a single regret to date. fords were the worst cars i have ever owned.
The 72 Corona was great with the six cylinder.
Same experience. I bought a 1981Toyota Corolla 3 door. 4 friends bought others. 2 Chevettes, Ford Escort 3 door, and a Dodge tourisamo. Their 4 cars were always in the shop. None lasted 4 yrs. My Corolla didn't hit the shop for 5 yrs. It had 4 round trips from Detroit to San Diego. 1987 it was traded for a 4 Runner. That lasted 15 yrs. Chevy Blazer only lasted 8 yrs. Honda Pilot going on 10 yrs.....
@@travcollier Slightly off topic, but, the same could be said about American motorcycles such as Harley Davidson, which was near bankruptcy due to Japanese motorcycle imports when AMF bought the company and kept it alive until Willie G could buy it back some years later.
Most Harley guys these days, if they even know about AMF, blame AMF for ruining H-D when in fact H-D ruined H-D and AMF saved H-D from extinction, but did next to nothing to improve them. "I'd rather ride my rice burner than push a Harley" was the motto of those days.
My '98 Ford Ranger, though a bit rusty these days, is still getting me from A to B and back again with no complaints whatsoever.
I had 3 Pintos in the 70’s. First one was an orange 72 Runabout. Loved those cars. Drove well and easy to work on.
I had 3 Pintos. Learned how to drive a standard in one (my wife taught me!). We had them at first because we were broke. As we started to do better and look for a newer car, I shopped for another one. When they disappeared, we started driving Escorts. The Pintos never gave us trouble. They were easy to drive and repair. And great on gas.
I also had an orange runabout. It was a great little car.
I had a '75 Pinto Blue hatchback for 5 years. I loved that little car. I had no problems at all with it, and it went everywhere.I really liked the fact that it came with a set of tools and a comprehensive book to do your own maintenance and repairs.
My grandfather and mom both had 78 Pintos ... they were very reliable
It was fairly easy to work on - the engine compartment was pretty roomy, as I recall. My grad school roommate had a Pinto station wagon, and I help my dad install a cruise control from a junk-yard Cadillac in that Pinto. Made the drive from MA to CA much more enjoyable than the drive out from CA had been.
@@hardlyb the wagons are sweet
@@FirstLast-gv1zl Just a heads up, I can see your post as a highlighted reply in the preview section but when I open it under “View All Replies” it has apparently been ghosted by YT algorithms.
I would try reposting minus the first paragraph as it apparently offended YT’s censorship algorithms
I had a blue wagon for on the floor but I can’t remember what year. It might’ve been a 79 or 1980. I was very young then.
A lot of our childhood WAS a lie. But then, a lot of our adulthood, especially recently, has been a much larger and more dangerous lie.
Thanks for another great romp through history!
It's frightening, isn't it? One must make a concerted effort to not freak the crap out over it all. Even knowing that we are being lied to in all directions doesn't make us immune to some of it. I just keep telling myself "It's still not as bad as the year 536AD" lol
Everything the Liberal Democrats say is a lie.... always remember that.
@@pex_the_unalivedrunk6785 Dude, politicians will be politicians, and if you think that one group is better than another, then i really feel sorry for you. It's not rocket science here. They all lie.
Some "people" would not consider it lying just good creative marketing techniques. But alas, no... it's just good ole everyday lying.
A lie because of YOUR upbringing, parents, horseshit ignorance.
In 1982, after I moved to Washington from California, some relatives gave me a white 1976 pinto. It served its purpose, which was to get me and my mother
(the oldest sibling of a large family) around our rural area. It was a nice gesture, but after I got a job in Seattle and moved there, I was able to buy a nice new Mazda. I gave the Pinto back to a younger cousin who was happy to get it.
My first brand new car was a 1973 Pinto. I loved that car and would load it up with my friends to go out partying. I was involved in a rear end collision in it and it did not explode. It was great in winter. Although it got stuck in snow constantly, it was so light that I could put it in first gear, let out the clutch and push it out myself. Thank you for giving a fair view of the much maligned Pinto.
That is similar to my experience with the ‘73 Pinto we had. It was horrible in the Midwest snow. We had a couple of very snowy winters in a row in late 1970s. I got a little better traction by putting two 40 pound bags of sand in the rear hatch. The tires that came on the car were complete crap. The traction was so loose that you could put the car in first gear and get out to push on the A-pillar to try to get the car moving. There were several times I had to do that to try to get up the slight grade leading to the street my house was on. I never had that issue with any other car.
I will never forget getting a ride home after high school from my friend's mom in their family Pinto and she yelled at me when I began putting my seatbelt on. She said it was safer to get thrown out of the car than trapped inside and burned if there was a crash. By the time I got over the shock and thought through what she just said, we were on the way and I rode the entire 15 minutes that felt like a decade, fully believing that it was going to be the last ride of my life.
Crazy, thank you! I thought the (taxi) drivers in third world countries saying they dive safely and do not turn on the lights to save fuel were the craziest.
Mom needed her Quelude that day. They were all the rage on those days😏
I remember riding without seat belts and the “being thrown from the car is better” argument. Such baloney it was!
@@judydoyle1124
My cousin would have been killed if he'd been wearing seat belt when he wrecked his car. It was a one in million, He was thrown out though right side window. The steering wheel and column was pushed through driver's seat into back seat. That was in early 1990s he was driving a 1970s 2 door sedan. I do still wear my seat belt when in vehicles and don't drive under the influence.
She was probably suffering from RNDS (Ralph Nader Derangement Syndrone). To this day, many people still fly into a rage when hearing his name.
We're flattered that you included us in your research and quoted us appropriately. Thank you.
Thank you too!
I though he had said, "Victory in Reseda" and I what thinkin' .. "whooooaaa duuuuude! Duuuuhuuuude! What was WON in Reseda?" Whhhoooooah!
@@silasmarner7586 At first I thought he said "Victory and Reseda," two major thoroughfares that cut through the San Fernando Valley. Ha!
I had a 1974 2300cc Runabout hatchback with factory mag wheels. When rust finally forced it out to pasture, we had put 800,000 miles on the body. I rebuilt the engine at 300,000 miles twice and shortblocked it the final time. It was reliable like an old farm tractor. When jeeps were in ditches in snow storms, I was driving past them. 😅
That was an awesome motor mine was the same beat the hell out of it and it just kept on running loved that car very quick.
The father of a guy I knew in High School in the 80s bought 4 used Pintos at an auction. They drove them to death. Over the years the size of the fleet gradually dropped. The least viable member of the fleet was retired and used for spare parts to keep the remaining Pintos running. By the time my friend was given one to drive as a teenager I think only 2 remained. One was blue with a red door salvaged from another member of the fleet. Everybody loved the cars and the owner's family took great pride in them.
WOW that's crazy, my dad bought me one because my car I bought was always breaking down I couldn't believe it!!!.. it was the most ugly car I ever owned, all my friends made fun of me but I had a family & a job it turned out to be the most dependable car I ever owned !!!!???....
"drove them to death".....Freudian slip there? lol
I used to own a 1977 Ford Pinto. It was OK, but
because of its rear wheel drive, it slid all over the place every time it snowed. No traction whatsoever! It still looks terrible that Lee Iacocca and his toadies at Ford openly knew there was a design flaw in the Pinto’s gas tank that could (and DID!) cost lives…and just ignored it to save money! They got everything they deserved in court, however…👎👎
My first car was a ‘79 Pinto. It was also orange. But it didn’t have any wood grain.
I drove it for 156,000 miles. The only repair was a new clutch. I sold it to a friend who added 100,000 miles.
It was nice to drive. Often took long trips with groups of friends.
One of the best cars I ever owned.
That is pretty fly !
As a passenger, I got rear-ended in a 1976 Ford Pinto sedan in 1989, by a 1974 Monte Carlo SS going 55 miles per hour. I can still feel the effects of those injuries, because the interior was very poorly padded. We had later heard that the recalled 1975 model could explode if rear-ended while the left turn signal was on. Luckily, we were turning right! The car was totalled. Within a few weeks, he had that engine transplanted into a red hatchback.
Yea, that's the way we did things back then.
Turn signal had nothing to do with it. And as the video explained… it was all just media journalists try to make a name for theirselves. Almost ALL of the cars that made it in the news from the 60’s through the 90’s were falsely accused and later found to be ok, including the pinto
My aunt bought a Pinto in '96 and it finally clunked out in 2013. That baby was a lifesaver.
My first car was a 1980 ford Pinto with a 2.3 liter engine, and manual transmission, forest green metal flake paint, bullet hole chrome rims, tinted windows and a great stereo. It looked great and was one of the best cars I ever owned. I would buy one and drive it if I came across one tomorrow.
Me Too
Me too also.
My '76 was shit...
I’m glad you straightened this out. My friend was a big Pinto guy. He could make them scream! One time in 1982 a guy on I44 St. Louis tried to race him in a Mercedes sports car and lost! That little 4 cylinder could be made to scream and my Citation with its V6 couldn’t catch him either!
How about a video on the despicable Citation. You could call it “The car that paint refused to adhere to!”
Pretty amazing for a tiny four banger to out run a fuel injected overhead cam v-8.
Could say the same about every Ford in the 80s! Especially if they were silvery grey!
My friend knows nothing about cars, so he sensibly had his mechanic inspect a used one. He said it was a good car! Of course, it was the worst decision he ever made, excepting getting married 🙄
A Citation was the worst car my family owned growing up. Even the radio was sideways in that piece of garbage. We were far happier with two Chevettes than having that Citation!
My Grandfather drove a gray 1980 V6 Citation for 20 years. The paint didn't seem to be a problem but he also always maintained his cars
I was 16, had my driver's license, gas was .45 a gallon at a nearby convince store. One of my older brothers had a yellow 73 pinto, which he often gave to me because his then girlfriend had her car. $5 took me almost everywhere. What fun days!
@Sic Semper Mortem Tyrannis In 1930s, gas was more like 15 cents per gallon. 45 cents per gallon sounds about right for the mid 1970s.
@Sic Semper Mortem Tyrannis Around 45 cents a gallon for premium (high 30s for regular) was the price where I lived in the Midwest in the mid '70s, before the '79 oil crisis temporarily drove it up to around $1. I got my first car in '76 and it required at least 98 octane, and at that time Sunoco 260 was in the mid 40's. Adjusting for inflation, 45 cents in '76 is equal to around $2.30 now. Under $3 is pretty typical for regular right now in the Midwest.
@Sic Semper Mortem Tyrannis 1970s
@charlesivey100 My father bought a yellow ‘73 Pinto, and soon afterward moved out of state, leaving the Pinto behind with maddening vagueness about if/when he’d want it back. In addition to driving to school and work, I took my beloved gran and great-aunt anywhere they wanted to go (people did double-takes at the Taco Bell!).
Unfortunately, we were having altogether too much fun, so my parents abruptly demanded the return of the car over Xmas break. I got around on a bicycle after that, but the elderly joyriders were tragically out of luck.
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes I was going to say that "Nostalgia is remembering yesterday's prices and forgetting yesterday's wages," but it looks like there's less truth to that than I thought.
I've had a pinto wagon and a bobcat. Loved them both. Never broke down. Fun to drive on back roads.
Thank you for giving a factual and unbiased story on the history of the Pinto. Too often the sensationalist of the main stream media skew the perceptions of the public.
Sensationalism sells.
@@jliller and we buy it, too often. It's on us, in a way.
Very good explanation of the Pinto story. Even at the time, I thought the danger was overstated. The lawyers smelled money and hyped up the story.
Exactly. Triumph GT6, MGB GT etc. were just as bad, or worse, but they were broke, and Ford was rich, so...
Just like Ralph Nader did about the Corvair.
...typical of the lawerly class...atbthe time there was a joke...how you could make murder look.like an accident...give you wife a Pinto with a set of Firestone 731 tires...
Tell that to the people with burns.
All the bad stuff said about Pintos are dumbass Leftist lies, similar to Upton Sinclair's book "The Jungle." THE PINTO WAS NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN ANY OTHER CAR. Socialists are always spreading lies They try to bring down corporations. It's time to speak out BACK. Socialists are either paid by Russia to hurt American companies, or they are misguided and trying to "help" the little guy.
My mom drove my brother and I from California to Oklahoma and back in a pinto wagon. Dad’s biggest complaint was being passed by a bug going uphill
Text me on telegram ☝️✍️
Did the bug have 4 people in it? That counts, a lot! Because the bug was underpowered as hell.
My parents bought a brand new Pinto in 1971, I remember how exciting it was when they bought it. My dad drove it to his work for years, he put over 200,000 miles on it. The only thing I remember is it needed a carburetor so we went to pick a part. We got lucky and found a Pinto with the same 2000 cc engine and 2bbl carb. Got the carb went home and changed them out. The car fired right up and ran great! Back in the days you could work on your own car. Oh yeah, my dad taught me to drive a manual transmission in that car! Great memories
The ford pinto was not a disaster! My mother won one back in 1972 ! It had a little 1600 cc motor and my family put 460000 miles on it and it was still running when i retired it ! That car was a jewell !!
i agree 10 million percent. I know someone who was rear ended in hers - NO BLOW UP! Such a dramatic time for the news - especially since other mfrs cars were blowing up but guess what - they paid to HIDE IT! shame on them
I had 2 1600s and both were flawless till I sold/ traded them on bigger cars.
The stories were overhyped but there were issues , but not as bad as made out to be
@@g.t.richardson6311
My friends mom had one and it was fine. From when I was 8 until I left the house at 18 she had that same car. It was good for 10 years anyway, I'd call that pretty darn good!
@@Skank_and_Gutterboy
Totally agree, never had one but friends did
It’s kind of like escapes now, 2012 or before
Have 2 of them , no issues , 140000, 150000 miles
Had a 2005 till 2019 too
Got my moneys worth out of it
The Pinto was my favorite car. For their size they were built well and was dependable.
🤦♂
Agree 100%!
I agree. I had two of them and my uncle drove them for 25 years.
I wish more modern car companies made compact and space efficient cars. I hate that modern cars have so little interior space yet on the outside they are larger than the biggest SUVs in the past.
I learned to drive in a 79 pinto panel. With bubble windows and an orange rainbow down the side. My father purchased it in 1980 and still has it to this day. Thank you for the entertainment. Keep making, I'll keep watching.
You should do a video on your Dad's Pinto Wagon and post it on your channel. Those are pretty cool and rare.
Rust ?
@@shereesmazik5030 My '73 Pinto, given to me by my Dad in 1977 was completely rusted below the doors. This was partly due to a drain plug under the doors that were never removed and was full of water by 1977. I did the body work the summer of 1978 and got a $99 MAACO paint job, My dad paid $2,800 for it as a demo in 1973 and I sold it in 1980 with about 120,00 miles for $600. It was not a good car but got me around. The biggest and most expensive problem was the 4 speed manual trans would sometime get stuck between 3rd and 4th gears and costly to fix by a mechanic. The drivers seat frame also collapsed in 1978. Fortunately, my Uncle from Germany was visiting us and fixed the seat frame with scrap metal we found in the garage! Good Times! :)
I always wanted one of those panel cars
I bought a 1971 sky blue( I called it) pinto in 1973 while in the AF. I drove it from Texas to Florida, back to Texas, and then to California. I learned how to change points, cap, plugs, oil and brake pads which made it easier on other cars I owned. Top speed was 85 to 87 mph. Did that on Hwy21 going down hill into Bastrop on my way to Austin Tx. I had some GREAT times in that car. I wish I had kept it.
I am old enough to have been driving since the early 70s. In those days, I have friends that drove Gremlin, Vega and Maverick, all "crap" cars. The number of people I know that drove Pintos were order of magnitude higher than all those cars combined. A coworker of mine drive a Pinto Wagon to work (yes, wood panel and all) and his commute was over 100 miles a day, 6 days a week. Over the 4 years we worked together, he has zero problems, except for a bunch of speeding tickets. In the early 80s, I worked with somebody that was a street drag racer. His car was an old Pinto, he installed a jet fuel tank in the hatch back, did not concern him at all. Yes, that was a really fast car. My uncle's orange Pinto lasted 2 generations, until his daughter graduated from college and traded it in.
I haaaated my parents' maverick. They had that and an Olds Omega. Riding in the Maverick felt like a punishment.
I worked in a Ford Dealership when the recall for the fuel tanks was being performed. We had one full time guy that only did the recalls for about a year, 40 hours a week. I did a lot of them too, and I owned a few Pintos over the years. I truly agree with your thoughts about an overblown situation, and I distinctly remember that parts and pieces we used to update them. There were rusty old beaters that shouldn't even have been on the road anymore, and we had repair kits for the recall to address rusty old beaters too. When this video started, I had a frown because I knew a lot of this story, and by the time you were done, you explained the misconceptions. I appreciate that, although the damage was done long ago. I replaced the engine and transmission in one of mine with a Maverick V8 and Mustang rear end. No one noticed that the Mustang II was almost the same underneath. The V8 Pinto is a fun car. And no believed that all fit in there with no body modifications, but yes, I did perform the fuel tank recall ! Thank you again for your History Guy series, I love watching and learning, and I like the way you present them. Good Luck and Be safe.
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One of my favorite cars when I was a teenager was my pinto. I had bought it from a buddy who had had it previously rear-ended so it was already pre crashed safe. It had cragar mags all the way around and b50s and b-60s in the front. It was I love that car. Drove it all over hell and back
HaHa me too! I was a high strung teen-ager and I bet I put 100,000 miles on that car. My dad got it from a neighbor when it wasn't running. I don't remember what the problem was but he had it going in no time. That little 4 cyl was strong and mine had the 4 speed transmission. I loved that car.
My sister's 1st car was a 1980 Mauve Ford Pinto. Never had a rear end fireball, but she used to drive way too fast even during the winter and I remember her needing my dad's help getting the car out of many a ditches.
There is a scene in the move "Top Secret", where a Pinto is rear-ended by another vehicle. The vehicle just barely taps the Pinto and you hear a "ping" and then the Pinto explodes. Great movie and it was Val Kilmer's first movie.
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Say what you want about the Germans, they do build good trucks! (After rearending and exploding the Pinto, and driving away in a Mercedes truck with flames all over it) great movie!😂😂😂
@@theboyisnotright6312 I took my wife to a drive-in, remember those, to see this. I thought is was great, but she did not like it. I think I will go make so flaming hog balls now. lmao
My mom had one for many years. We all survived, not having a single fatal accident.
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My ex had a Pinto. We went everywhere in that car.
I had a yellow one. Certified lemon. The engine blew up, not the gas tank 😉
@@LoneLee2022 apparently you didn't go everywhere if she/he is your ex.....
@@grama9094 so ironic :)
I appreciate your giving the press some responsibility for greatly exaggerating the Pinto's lethality! I had a '73 Pinto hatchback exactly like the one @8:38, right down to the color. It had high back bucket seats and shag carpeting. I put 36,000 miles on it before moving to Florida, and had to sell it as it had no A/C. Ford clearly made some errors with this car, which were ultimately corrected, but the problems with this car pale in comparison to the GM "side saddle" gas tanks disaster! Unfortunately, an estimated 135 souls were lost in the Pinto due to its fuel tank issue. GM's outside the frame mounting of its fuel tanks on Chevy and GMC pickups killed close to 2,000 people over a period of a decade and a half. Even worse, GM refused multiple requests for a recall over a 15 year or so period! How come the public didn't seem to know about this devastating dilemma, bordering on criminal, like they knew about the Pinto? Would love to see you do a similar piece on that!
As I recall, 60 Minutes did a segment on how easily the Chevy/GMC trucks's fuel tanks ruptured and caught fire. But they had staged the filmings and were caught out. I think the momentum was lost on that crusade because of it.
@@painmagnet1 Ahhh, my 74 (today) year old memory recalls that segment now! Ironic isn't it, that the GM giant with a much more severe situation had their potential for much worse press scrutinization basically disappear, where Ford's Pinto issue was blown out of proportion tremendously! Sounds like some behind the scenes weaseling went on here! 🦨 Thank you for the clarification. 😉
Glad you mentioned the Chevy Vega, one of the first cars I owned. It was a disaster; burned more oil than gas. Wish I'd bought a Pinto instead!
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I'm right with you there. I owned red '74 Vega for less than one year. What a disaster. I paid nearly $2,000 for it used, the engine blew on the expressway, a mechanic bought it from me for $200.00 . My one and only car buying mistake in 40 years, and it still hurts to think about it.
My father entered a sweepstakes drawing at Sears and Roebuck to win a new car. Well, he won that drawing
and the car was a gold 1970 Ford Pinto. Black interior and manual transmission,. It looked stylish, ran great, and was very reliable. Later on, I bought a silver 1976 Ford Pinto from my wife's friend. Another good looking car that never broke down. I ended up giving it to my father in law
at 186,000 miles. He loved it and drove it to work for two more years after that.
🦓
Yes, they were very reliable cars and were all over the road since they were so popular. My family had 2 of them a few years apart.
@@mikemondano3624 🦓
Mother Jones never met an American corporation that wasn't guilty or evil.
In 1974, my mom & I took a trip to Santa Cruz, California; she rented a car for the trip, which was a blue '72 Pinto Hatchback. She loved it so much that she later bought the 1976 Pinto Wagon - beige, with the "wood" trim. She loved that car, and we had it for well over a decade.
My brother had a Pinto back in the early 80s, I think it was a 72 or 73. I loved that car. It actually got destroyed when a semi rear ended him while he was at a stop light and the semi didn't brake when it hit him. Totally crushed the Pinto, but no explosion or fire. My brother lost two teeth from hitting the steering wheel. But the high back seats saved him from whiplash or worse. So kudos to Ford for those high back buckets seats in the Pinto. A Pinto is on the short list of Fords (Mustang and F150 are the other two) I would buy, I'm a Chevy guy.
Loved those seats and the fold down deck!
i drive a 95 explorer 20 miles a day...pretty good one
I had a 1980 pinto that I was rear-ended by someone who's going at least 55 mi an hour unlikely my car did not explode but I got the hell out of that cars fast as I can
I owned a 3 year old Pinto Wagon with a 2000cc engine and 4 speed manual. Super dependable and easy to drive. It was a good car for its time.
A 71 Pinto was my first car - no problems. In 1980 I bought a new one with 4 miles on it. I owned it until 1997 when the engine finally went and it had gone a bit over 587,000 miles. Never had a major repair, only the expected. The trick to making a Pinto last was to change the oil every 3,000 miles. Everyone I knew that did that had a dependable long-lasting car.
The Pinto has the same reputation as the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. I'm from Ohio and people in other states still ask me if our rivers catch on fire. It's been 53 years since that happened and the 1969 fire was out so fast, they use a photo from 1952.
I've heard that other rivers had burned too. The Cuyahoga got all the press. There've been fish in the Cuyahoga for a long time now, for heaven's sake!
@@eliscanfield3913 Trenton NJ used to had no smoking signs along the Delaware river.
If they use the 1952 picture, that does mean the river burned at least twice. It might be over blown, but most of us find a burning river a might unusual.
@@cdjhyoung , My understanding is that the Cuyahoga burned a number of times, more than twice for certain. If a river needs to burn more than twice in order for government to say we need to do something about it, then that looks pretty short sighted on the part of the people who watched it burn repeatedly, doesn't it? Where
@@cdjhyoung several times. It was the trash and factory runoff and such floating on top that caught.
I always was attracted to the Pinto car. I considered myself fortunate to eventually land a Pinto station wagon. I found out that it was advantageous to get a Pinto with the 4 cylinder German engine. Not the British one. And it held up very well. I even used it as a work truck.
RE: fire problems -- any car you ran into that exploded would take similar force and conditions. Furthermore, Chevrolet had something to do with the rumor mongering. Very disappointing as I liked both companies.
Thanks for this episode.
I thought the Pinto's motor was dubbed the Lima for being produced at the Lima Ohio plant. The German made 2.8 liter V-6 was not introduced until 1975.
Me and my friends grew up driving the hell out of these Pintos. They were tough as they could be. Built to a standard you will only find in some models at Toyota and Honda today and in Japanese motorcycles. I had friends who actually made drag cars and road race cars out of them. The engines and transmission were built like truck units. In the fifteen years I was around them, I never heard of one catching on fire and we crashed them regularly.
My sister had a 71 pinto and later I bought a 76 bobcat. Both were great cars! Low maintenance, good gas milage, and fun to drive. I loved my bobcat- wish I still had it!👍🇺🇸❤️
My first car in 1986 was a ‘78 Mercury Bobcat, lime green with yellow and white stripe on the sides
Our family had a 1977 Pinto Wagon, and I had a 1978 Pinto Coupe. They were tough little cars, easy to repair and extremely uncomfortable! :)
I remember fixing a Pinto wagon in the bodyshop that had woodgrain. The car owner couldn't afford those expensive woodgrain applications...so I used Mac Tac , and a heat gun to stretch it around and into the door handle recesses. Looked great! Not sure how long it lasted.
Thank you for this! I am a college professor and am constantly telling students to never say “everybody knows.”
My wife had a '71 pinto, my mom a '72 and my grandfather a '76. We collectively put tons of miles on those cars. They were great cars. Ran good and ran cheap.
Most Pintos I remember were driven until they were rusted and worn out, I'd still take my chances with a Pinto before I'd take a chance on one of today's electric cars that might catch itself on fire parked in my garage and burn my home down.
Thank you for presenting a factual review of the Pinto's safety performance. It has always bothered me that Lawyers and the media had so distorted the true situation for their own benefit.
A trend that continues to this day....
Tell that to the 'Spider boy', that 13 year old kid that was horribly burned over his whole body to the point where his thin blackened body 'looked like a spider'.
All so Lee Iacocca, a 1%'er, could make more money by making a cheap car. Who cares if people got hurt or killed? Profit is everything, Working class people don't count.
@@raygamma36 Just because the boy was burned in one accident does not mean the overall safety numbers (or lack thereof) of the car was not also misrepresented by lawyers and the media. As for your ignorant and divisive 1% comment, which reveals how much of a clown you are, EVERY business has a breakdown where lawsuits are weighed against product design. But you do know that Iococa also designed the Mustang. Which featured seatbelts before they were mandated. But your only take is "screw him because he wanted to build a low-priced compact car" -- when all the competition, foreign and domestic we're building cheap, subcompact cars and that's what the consumers wanted. I realize the people who bitch about 1%ers and the minimum wage are utterly clueless how business work. I mean, I guess if you want to live in the stone age, fine. But you just exposed yourself as the Neanderthal bitching that the Homo Sapiens have caves and fire. Damn those 1%ers.
Nothing has changed, oh wait, it has gotten worse.
I mean no cars anywhere should explode. Just because it was average doesn't mean it was ok.
We owned several Pintos… they weren’t bad, and they never blew up!
You werent rear ended then
I actually backed mine into a cinderblock wall, and it didn't blow up either! It did take some light damage to the bumper.
@@derrickodyes1934 That was a fake complaint by "do gooders" that wanted to complain about everything. They didn't have a fire problem.
@@derrickodyes1934 BOVINE SCAT...VERY few 'flames' resulted (from mine, too, that was involved in a rear-ender...no flames). Read my above response...the 'tests' by the MSM failed to ignite/explode ANY of the multiple ones they wasted their money on, until someone put a pyrotechnic device in the headlamp of the colliding vehicle! THEN it blew up!
@@derrickodyes1934 I am sure many got rear ended and they didn't blow up. It was the media like today, that blows stories up to get advertising.
My first new car I bought was a 78 Cruising Wagon, that I still own! I drive it everywhere. Currently on a two month road trip to Florida. Oh the looks and comments I get. Nearly all positive. Thanks for trying to set the record straight. It's a tough job to do.
@@ItBeThatWaySometimes We are retired, getting away from the snow for a while lol! Over 3,000 miles on the trip so far. Will be in Key West the next couple of days then head back north.
I looked at ur page that is a beautiful car 👍🏼✌🏼
My sister's first car was a brand new 1975 Pinto MPG 2-door sedan in dark blue. It was a rust pit in the burbs of Detroit. I spent a lot of time patching door bottoms with metal and bondo to keep it looking OK. She was rear-ended on a state highway in 1982 whcih caused the read end to push down, but not forward to the gas tank. By that time, Ford had installed the plastic gas tank shield and a new gas tube system to the tank. No blow up. She bought another car in the fall of 82, so I bought her Pinto. I had a 1977 Pinto Wagon, which I loved for the most part. I traded both Pintos for a Mercury Marquis Brougham mid-sized sedan in June 1983.
Both Pintos had issues with parts: the 75 blew a rear main seal, had severe EGR system issues, rotted radiator and had the recall done. My 77 had a engine head rebuild due to piston schuffing due to Ford's cheapout in installing bearing without oil holes, therby robbing the pistons of lubrication. That wagon blow through 3 ignition modules, transmission seals and gaskets and cheapouted headlight switch bezel nut made of plastic. I went to the dealer parts dept and found they went to plastic in 77, but prior to that used metal. I bought the metal one. Same price. Damned Ford cheapness. Here we are in 2024 and they lead the industry in recalls. They never learned...
Unbelievably, a high school girl, who has been my wife now for 43 years, actually went out with me in my sky blue pinto station wagon. I would love to have that car back again now that I’m in my 60’s.
When this video began with exploding flames, I thought that was the Pinto blowing up!
Bahahahaha 🤣🤣
No, but that's all you're supposed to remember, sadly.
Now that I've watched the video, statistically speaking that was more likely to be a Beetle.
Bro this had me dead 💀
Thanks for this! My dad loved Ford automobiles. When I was a child we had a Ford woody wagon. When I was in high school we had a Galaxy, then I got my license in the Corvair. When I got married he got a deal on two Pinto wagons with "woody" trim, one for him and one for us. I have no regrets, except that I had to let them go with time. The cars were always a member of the family ~ is that true anymore? We genuinely loved our cars. Thanks for this episode, sir!
The Pinto wagons had a longer, stronger rear body than the sedans and hatchbacks, so were less vulnerable in a rear-ender. Back when used wagons were plentiful, that was a reason wagons generally were preferred for demolition-derbies!
In 1980, I took a '77 Pinto Pony MPG hatchback in trade for a motorcycle I was selling. After '73, all Pintos had a stronger rear structure to accommodate the new 5 mph bumper standards, and my '77 already had the gas-tank shield upgrade. So I wasn't too concerned about detonating on impact. While it was sluggish due to the optional MPG economy gearing, and somewhat crude, it was a clean, solid car, and my first with factory AC. Had it been a wagon, I might have kept it. But it couldn't match the refinement, and especially - the cargo-room of my '71 (admittedly trouble prone) Audi wagon. Wouldn't mind a decent Pinto wagon today, even without the 'Junior Country Squire' trim package! 🙂
I drove one for a few years and liked it a lot. Never had any real problems.
Late ‘70’s; a schoolmate worked at a Ford dealership as a junior mechanic. His task, for months, was to deplete a small mountain of fuel system remediation parts..for Pintos. They were a new filler neck and a thick slab of plastic about the size of a mud flap to go between the tank and rear axle. I had a lot of fun with those cars. You could buy a near perfect used one for scrap metal prices when the world was through with them.
we had many. some well outfitted like a compact cadillac. some tight and cornery. some shiny, some junky. ive sat the 40 minutes over coffee (more than once) while they installed your the 2 items. stopping distance was atrocious. the brakes could be upgraded. the accessories were fun. I WISH I HAD MY 78 now
The filter neck was not the problem. I also worked on Pintos. The issue was they simply couldn't tolerate as much rear end impact as their upmarket competitors with the gas tank forward of the axle. "Unsafe at Any Speed" was a hitpiece, but the thing about well-informed hitpieces is that THEY HIT.
My girlfriend back then had a Pinto. Aside from the fuel tank issues, and the horrible rust issues, the little car with rack and pinion steering and the top loader 4 speed transmission was fun to drive. Not fast, but it handled and drove like an MG sports car. It also got 3X better gas mileage than my Chevy Laguna SS 454 V8! And we survived it. The body's also made great Modified Stock Cars! 8)
This is the first time I have heard an honest recap of the entire situation. My Uncle was an engineer at FoMoCo at the time and he was livid at the unsupported diatribes hurled at the Pinto as he felt about the ones against the Edsel.
As for me, well I bought a Cosworth Vega. 😮
You do know that cosworth is owned by Ford Motor Company?
Dude. When the t.v. and magazine and newspapers went nuts over the Pinto story I suspected that there was a lot of hyperbole in popular data. Now 50 years later you clear it up, confirming my feelings about a car that I very much liked for no particular reason. It had that "La-de-da I'm chill" face. Thank you. Plus it got pretty good mileage.
I had the slightly up scale (I use this term loosely) 18976 Mercury model of the Pinto, called the Bobcat, hatchback, white with blue interior. I fit all my belongings in it when I drove off to college. I have such affection for this car.
My friends dad bought his mom a brand new pinto. As a kid we thought is was the coolest ride, it smelled like a brand new car. My mom said "yes" I could ride with my friend to the grocery store in his mom`s new car! Life was so great!
I got to experience that new car smell when my parents bought a 1972 Ford Torino. They also bought a '72 Ford Courier but it didn't have the smell. My dad traded in his '65 Ford Camper. I didn't like the Torino at first. There were so many other cars I liked better, but they were old in 1972.
My dad went from a Cortina to a Pinto wagon. The heater in the Pinto worked. No heat in the Cortina. Very important in that part of Canada. Manual transmission was as important to him as vent windows.
Having watched lots of old crash test videos, it really didn't matter if you were crushed or burned to death.
My Pops got a used Cortina when in my pre-teens. Me and my younger thought the interior smelled of vomit, especially when parked in the Sun. I don’t know if anyone actually puked 🤮 in it or not though. 🤷♂️ On my 13th birthday, Mom let me drive for a bit on a country road with no other traffic coming back from an optometrist appointment. I guess she thought since I could see well, it was safe enough. 😉😆🤫🤭 Best birthday 🎁 presenot ever. 👍🏻
@@tomtheplummer7322 The Cortina was my dad's first brand new car. A 69. I was 7. It died after two years. Despite doing well for himself later in life, he never bought another new car.
I owned a '72 Pinto station wagon and a '76 Mercury Bobcat (Mercury's version of the Pinto). Both cars were admittedly pretty basic, but they both served me well for years and were pretty trouble free. I loved that little station wagon and which I had it now!! Hard to look cool in a Pinto station wagon but I am old enough to not care!
Bravo Lance! History must be revised in light of new evidence!
i was born in '62. i'm sad to say at least 90% of what i was taught growing up was a lie 💜🙏
Same here i agree
In a rear end collision, the Pinto's bumper attachment bolts would pierce the tank and gas would ignite when it contacted the hot exhaust. The repair was to cut down the bumper bolts and the car was safe. I took 10 minutes with an angle grinder and a cut-off disc. I was in my teens buying up Pintos for cheap money, apply the fix, and flip them for maybe a $100 profit. Helped pay my way through school.
Also, if you look into the issue, this was also a problem with many cars with tanks behind the axle. Any car with a solid filler neck hidden behind the license plate (a popular feature) could go up in flames in a rear and collision. The filler neck would tear off and gas would ignite on the exhaust.
that is interesting info about the gas filler being behind the license plate. Where was th efill for the Pinto?
Gasoline cannot ignite without a spark, from just a hot exhaust pipe. In a collision, a piece of steel hitting the pavement, an electric wire being severed, or static electricity being created, are more likely the cause of fire.
@@manp1039 pinto fuel filler was on the driver's side rear quarter panel.
@@ramblerdave1339 or sparks when the bolts pierce the metal tank
My father took every car we ever owned to our next store neighbor for maintenance and repairs. He owned a mechanic's shop a few miles away. He and my father were good friends, and I was friends with his daughter. So I was dismayed when my friend came home with a used Pinto her father had bought for her. I asked my Dad about it. He said "Paul" had picked up the Pinto for a song, made the repairs, and it was as safe as any other car. She drove it for years with no issues.
I am sure Lance is giving us accurate information regarding Pintos versus similar cars. My first cousin was one of those girls in the Indiana Pinto accident. Indiana capped lawsuits at a $100,000 if memory serves, so my aunt and uncle did not get rich by any means. My dad and mom drove Chryslers, but even those heavy cars had issues. Sad story. A lot of good came from it though due to improvements in safety.
In truth the Pinto wasn't a bad car at all. It looked pretty good, got good gas mileage and was dependable. One little thing that I loved to point out to Pinto owning friends was the door handles. They were made of pot iron and tended to break very quickly. We would go to salvage yards to get replacements but most the time the Pintos we located also had broken door handles. Vise Grips became the norm!!
My experience with our ‘73 Pinto was pretty much the opposite. Just about every interior component which could fall apart or break off did. For example, the window cranks were zinc pot metal and broke easily, same for the heater control bracket which broke easily and I replaced twice. The plastic door handles also came apart. The syncros in the 4 speed manual transmission jammed. I remember trying to time the German-made distributor and due to the rounded lobes on the cam, the timing mark drifted back and forth in the strobe, so I just set it by ear somewhere in the middle. Also chunks of the grille inexplicably fell out. An aesthetic insult was part of the fuel tank mitigation consisted of installing a big ugly black metal ring which sat slightly proud of the car’s contour around the gas cap due to heavy rust on the rear quarter panel. The Pinto got even with me for my despise by clobbering me in the head when both gas struts on the rear hatch let go simultaneously while grabbing my briefcase out of the back. I didn’t miss the Pinto. We replaced it with a ‘79 Chevette which was also a cheapie car but actually pretty reliable.
Cold weather and pot metal are a curse then as now. Manufacturers never did learn their lesson
All I know is that our is that our Pinto was more dependable than our neighbors’ Vega. The neighbor was always repairing something on his Vega.
I owned two 1979 Pintos and can't say they were a bad car. My first two cars.
@@faulltw Apparently Pintos must have improved after the first few years. The one I had was despicably poorly manufactured. My uncle had a blue 1971 Pinto where the passenger door got so loose that he simply bolted it in place never to be used again. About the only major system which didn’t fail before 50K miles was the brakes.
i owned a few pinto’s and worked on many . great machines. well made and seemed to run forever 👍🏼
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I am NOT a Ford man at all but the Maverick and Fairmont were by far much better cars than a Pinto. Many times did I replace the junk plastic bushing that supported the shifter in the manual transmission and then there was the timing belts and the emissions system problems. None of that ever happened to a 6cyl Maverick or Fairmont.
I learned how to drive in my dad's red 1974 pinto station wagon. When I got married years later, dad loaned me the car until I bought my own a few months later. When he passed away in 2000, I got the car again and we gave it to a neighbor of ours. It was still in good condition for a 26 year old car in 2000.
My second car was a 72 baby-blue Pinto (my first being a 63 Bug) and I drove that Pinto for many years. I did some body work on it and then had an Earl Schieb paint job sprayed on it which inspired me to keep it for more years. I loved that car. It was a hatchback which I put a roof rack on that carried my 17' canoe all over Missouri to all of our beautiful rivers for days of fishing. I traded the Pinto in for a new Ford Escort that I drove the wheels off of commuting to the city for my first real job. I loved the Escort too. At the same times of my Pinto my brother owned a Vega that was a REAL POS and I laughed at him every time I heard it was back in the shop. I'm still a Ford guy owning a Ford Edge Sport that I really like.
My sister bought a used pinto right after high school in 1984. It was a 77. It was a great car. She drove that car for almost 8 years then sold it.
I appreciate the research presented here and in all the History Guy's episodes. I had a white two door '76 Pinto that was rear-ended by a loaded gravel truck, but it didn't explode. Fortunately, the recall to fix the gas tank problem had been done before that accident. It did burn a lot of oil. When I went to the gas station, I'd say, "Fill up the oil and check the gas." I lived in New Jersey, which I think still doesn't have self-service.
I was stationed in New Jersey while in the Navy (Colts Neck NJ) and I was surprised that they didn't allow you to pump your own gas. The funny thing about it was that the gas didn't cost any more than in places where you were allowed to pump your own gas. Can anyone explain why that was so?
@@eyesalooking It's a law on the books in NJ. Certain groups believed that allowing a citizen to pump their own gas would be dangerous (as they couldn't be trusted to not cause a fire or explosion). And many lawmakers have already tried to get rid of the law, but those same groups continue to make the specious argument that people can't be trusted to pump their own gas and that it's a safety issue.
In 1985 I drove from Denver Colorado to San Francisco in a 79 Pinto. I had 200 bucks in my pocket and 2 weeks vacation. I was brave! 🙂
In 1986, I drove a 1974 Pinto Wagon "Woody" from Michigan to Florida.. and LIVED in it for 2 weeks, was GREAT ..(didn't blow up, but I never smoked in it ..)
A friend drove a 1977 Pinto to and from college which was 350 miles away for 6 years before getting rid of it with over 300,000 miles.
I bought a 72 pinto in 1975. It had low miles, but had a spun rod bearing, but otherwise perfect so I bought it very inexpensively. So, I pulled the C4 automatic transmission, pulled the crank, got the crank ground, put in all new bearings (all with the engine in the car), replaced the crank and it ran perfect for a very long time.
I really grew to love that car, passed it on to my little brother who, like me, used it without any problems.
I have very fond memories of our Ford Pintos. We owned a two-door, a hatchback, and a wagon…and all of them light blue. They were very comfortable to drive, fairly good gas mileage, and wagon had lots of room for its size. They were a great car for the time.
I was a "line mechanic" at the local Ford Store in the late 70's. One of the few recalls I even really made good time (money) on was the Pinto tank upgrade kit! Also did a#of door handle R&R's.
Thank you History Guy. I believe that the negative reputation of the Corvair was overstated, too.
AMEN! Ralph Nader's heart was in the right place but he was not an engineer and he killed a really nice car. The characterstic he thought so dangerous was completely designed out of the '65 and '66 models and they were terrific cars. My '65 Beetle was every bit the twitchy, oversteering "death trap" he labeled the early Corvairs. Any one who was paying attention soon learned not to provoke it into misbehaving and a really cheap modification kit called a "camber compensator" was a great upgrade for my model. Nader got a lot of safety legislation going but on the corvair, he blew it!
My dad gave me my first parking lot driving lesson in a Pinto runabout when I was 9 years old. Later I drove that same Pinto to high school. Pretty much every 1970s small car was a deathtrap and you would have still been better off in an accident with a Pinto than with a 1970s VW Beetle, Honda, or Toyota.
I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for the Pinto - even after the controversy started. Cute car and fun to drive! I honed my clutch skills in a friend’s green hatchback in H.S. I’m glad to hear the real story!
I also learned to drive stick in a Pinto during High School. Excellent memory, good times.
Yes, the reason the fuel tank lost it's integrity in a rear-end collision was that the fuel tank could be pushed forward and get smashed into the trear differential, which would puncture the tank as it was pushed forward. I owned a 1980 Pinto (living in Hawaii at the time) I purchased around 1986, and the first thing I did was check underneath it to see what was changed. I found a thick, curved plastic shield had been installed (as part of the recall) that was supposed to deflect the fuel tank downward, away from the differential. I also was taking a class in Business Ethics at the time, and for my term paper I chose the Ford Pinto. Did you know Ford Motor Company became the first American corporation to be criminally prosecuted when it was charged with reckless homicide? Although it was acquitted of the criminal charges, Ford paid damages totaling well over $100 million in civil suits arising from explosions of Pinto fuel tanks; recalled 1.5 million Pintos; and ceased production of the car. But, living in Hawii as I did at the time, it was a GREAT "island car" and got good mpg. It was maligned - I loved it. BUT one thing I learned was that if you were being tailgated. just hit the brakes and watch the driver's eyes behind you expand into huge white pancakes when they see the ass-end of a Pinto coming at them at 60 mph....oh those were the days.
Ex from Detroit. Ford is company (to keep it in the family), not a corporation.
@@noneofurbusiness5223 It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Delaware in 1919. It has been in continuous family control for over 100 years and is one of the largest family-controlled companies in the world. SO we both are right. It HAS to be a corporation to protect the FORD family from litigation and lawsuits.
I drove a "Drive-Away" Pinto wagon in '78 from DC to Newhall, CA. Not a peep of trouble, plenty of room for my belongings that I dropped off in Phoenix. Hit a pretty wild bug storm outside Tucumcari, NM. Great memories and from my experience a great little car.
Thank you for an honest analysis on the Pinto. My Dad traded in his 1970 GTO Judge for a Pinto when the fuel crisis hit and more children arrived in the family.