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.

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 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y593eqeAuqqwmJc.html

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.

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

My first car was a '75 station wagon with Candy Apple red paint, mag wheels and aluminum spoiler on the hatchback. By the time I was done, every corner had been smashed. Drove it like a mad man. It never blew up. Loved that car!

@@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 ?

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.

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.

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 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 didn't have enough Pinto to bondo.

However I drove my 67 Mustang for 30 years and only, tearfully, sold it when the back seat would not take four child seats. I'm still kicking myself.

Funny thing relating to this is my father won a NY State lottery around that time. That was in the pre-lotto days, so I think he won $2000, and he took the money and bought-no, not a Pinto, but a Maverick.

There is no Pinto worth the price of the Bondo. Cut your losses.

Always thought the Pinto wagons were a cool looking car!!

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

"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 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. 😉😂😉

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 KZfaq yesterday).

I knew that- auto spell- but left it. Good point, but I was using muckraker ironically.

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.

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.

man, thats how you knew you were gonna lock that one down wasn't it? i know for me it would be.

Your comments reads to me as if were a poem. I suggest that you submit everything, except the last line, to a poetry contest or community for feedback.

@@eugenetswong You're right it really does!

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/prRhqLqXl8XYj5s.html

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.

That is pretty fly !

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.

Same here!

Always started, had my 72 til 1985😊... junkyard used it to drive the torch tanks into the 1990s

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Same here...

A far worse Ford disaster was the 'Ford Ka '. How this completely wierd and awful design concept ever got past board approval and actually put into production is a 20th century miracle. That said with Ford producing some of the most iconic designs in automotive history - aside from maybe the Edsel.

@@godfreyberry1599 I had to look up the Ka, I had never heard of it, apparently it was never available in the U.S. (we just had plain ol’ Ford Fiestas). With commercials in the U.K. of the car killing birds and beheading cats, what could possibly go wrong?

"nasal-infection-green"...lmfao! Mine was baby-shit brown...lol.

Text me on telegram ☝️✍️

Did the bug have 4 people in it? That counts, a lot! Because the bug was underpowered as hell.

and the 1932 Ford gas tank was BEHIND the body and frame and just ahead of the bumper. you never hear anyone whining about that one.

Same as Falcons, Fairlanes, Cougars, Cyclones, and so on........

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

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.

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.

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…👎👎

@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 haaaated my parents' maverick. They had that and an Olds Omega. Riding in the Maverick felt like a punishment.

Me Too

Me too also.

My '76 was shit...

Sensationalism sells.

@@jliller and we buy it, too often. It's on us, in a way.

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.

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!

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.

Text me on telegram ☝️☝️✍️

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.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Y593eqeAuqqwmJc.html

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

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.

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 💀

🤦‍♂

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.

Yes they got a bad rap they were tough little cars for a cheap car 3x better than the germin or vega

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.

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 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

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