SidecarFlip wrote:
otrfun wrote:
Lantley wrote:
.....What is the Pinto notorious for? . . .
Exploding rear-mounted gas tanks (when rear-ended). It was big news back in the early 70's. If I remember correctly, the fix action was placing some extra sheet metal between the gas tank and the muffler. The muffler was mounted parallel with the side of the gas tank and was only an inch or two away.
Had a Pinto when I was a kid. It never blew up but it did beat (blew) the pants off a lot of cars on the street and at the track.
Tubbed it and dropped in a 350 Turbocharged small block with a 400 high stall box with a 9" Ford rear out back on ladder bars.
High 11's at the track with wrinkle wall MT's if you could keep it straight and off the wheelie bars.
Great high school car. Wish I had it today. What a hoot.
I learned to drive with a Pinto that was rear ended by a Galaxie 500. It did not blow up or leak fuel. It was hard enough to shorten the frame - The doors popped open at impact, the seat back latches broke and the transmission tunnel crumpled between the front and back seats. Due to the damage the car slightly crabbed when driven, but I learned how to drive clutch on it and we still sold it for about $500 running (even after I had learned to drive with it).
I have the pre-emission 5-gallon plastic gas cans I haul in my enclosed trailer to fuel my toys. They are strapped to a side wall but sit on the floor. I'm hoping they will become valuable enough that I can flip them for Rotopax replacements (doubtful). Until then I will keep using these unless they start to fail.
Polaris off-road vehicles have been the latest to be caught up in fire fodder due to leaks in the fuel system over hot components (no collision required). Jeep also had something similar to the Pinto and the solution was to add the tow receiver option for additional protection and rigidity...
