Model A compared to a Pinto

[Michael M]

What do you think of the comparison? Fair or not?

[2manycars]

Apples and oranges. A closer comparison is a model A and a Shay (still a pinto).

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

It would be OK, IF it had 200.5 Cubic Inches.
Ted put one in his Coupe, with a Mitchel Overdrive turned around ASSBACKWARDS, as an UNDERDRIVE, so he could git up the HILLS!---AND, I'm NOT JOKING!!
BUT, they are a tough motor & will hold up to SCREAMING HIGH RPMs, on FLATLANDS. At least, they're a FORD Engine! A 2800 Mustang V-6 would have been a better choice. I put one in my '68 Datsun Pickup & it'd SCREAM & lay rubber for 1/2 a block! I outran several Nissan 280-ZX-Turbos, with automatic. I was running a C-4 Automatic.
KDad Serious

[Mitch]

Considering the average life span of the A compared to the Pinto yea i would say it's

[plyfor]

No contest, though here 's a photo with both , an A + 2.0 pinto engine. The car would do 60 mph without straining.

[DaWizard]

But with what brakes and suspension?

[plyfor]

Car was all stock except engine, air conditioning and added gauges. The brakes were perfect and 100% stock A.
The A tranny was a bad choice to keep up with the engine, though 3:54 rear end. Should have been the Pinto manual box .

[Grit Kid]

How many Pintos are on the road today?

[DaWizard]

Way too many!!

[Sunnybrook Farm]

The Pinto is now more rare than a Model A.

[Mitch]

The Model A gas tank was safer in a collision. Remember the recall to add shields

[Paul K.]

Any one want a Pinto engine with Model A conversion? Just pulled it out of a Vicky. engine runs. Hydraulic brakes also available.

[CM2]

My mentor turbocharged a '71 runabout,ran it on propane...Farmer John Lindquist read service manuals prior to hitting the rack,he was (or is still) a mechanics mechanic...we would be playing cards in his hootch while he read International Harvester manuals...yep,that hardcore..his pinto was a red light bandit, he ran hard boost with that cheap fuel,had a home made spoiler on the back of that shitbox,he used to claim stock camaros..

[CarlG]

I “married” a Pinto waggon 39 years ago. We kept it for a couple of years until we replaced it with a Granada.

[CM2]

Had a Monarch,a Granada with a mercury badge...302,C4 and a 9" rear...that was a nice car,it ran well.Cam in block Pinto motor was a runner..

[Mitch]

I worked on those under warranty at my first Ford dealer job. They had the two tail light bulbs on each side. There was always one blowing out, bad design

It's pretty bad that i remember that

[1931 Flamingo]

I had two of them, wife's was a sta wgn, mine was a sedan, ran both of them over 100K, guy at garage couldn't understand, said they were a 50K car. Changed oil every 3K. Both were standards
Paul in CT

[Jeff/Illinois]

The Pinto got rushed into production too fast, and we've all heard about the Ford engineers knowing of the fuel tank danger and how they figured the resulting law suits would be cheaper than fixing the problem.

I don't know if that was really true or not but the story really made the rounds.

The 2.3 Litre four they had wasn't too bad of an engine if I recall. The Ford dealership I worked at in the mid 70's, were selling Ford LTD's and Mercury Marquis as fast as they could get them in. But I recall the owner one day fuming because Ford sent the dealership a directive, that they had to take a Pinto or a Bobcat with every 5 full size cars they ordered and sold, problem was nobody wanted the Pinto/Bobcat they had to practically give them away. Then they had that Mustang II MPG model, that 'didn't get no better MPG' there were several customers real mad over buying one of them and the car didn't deliver!

In response to your first question (sorry for the sidestepping) I do recall that ad in 1971-'72. I liked the one where they showed the family in 1929 getting a new 1929 Ford Model A Station Wagon, then they fast -forwarded to '71 (may have been '72) and the aged couple was then taking delivery of a brand new Pinto Country Squire Station Wagon. It was a cool commercial.

Also running about then was a Ford commercial showing a time lapse of a 1930 Ford Coupe, a 1936 Ford three window Coupe, and then the new Pinto I believe it was.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Also speaking of Pinto's and the fuel tank problem.... Ford used the drop in fuel tank in the '65-'70 Mustang, '66-71 Fairlane/Torino, '70-72 Maverick------- pretty poor design that is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Pretty dangerous. They knew they screwed up because the full frame '72 Torino came out with a separate gas tank as well as the '71 Mustang and the '73 Maverick.

Today a manufacturer couldn't get away with doing something that dumb--------------------------

[Michael M]

Here’s the commercial that Jeff was mentioning:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA99GsXC3wI

[Jeff/Illinois]

That's the one! Thanks!

[Mitch]

I'll fix the video link

[DennyC]

My only experience with a Pinto was my first year college roommate had one. On the way home from a party one night with me as an innocent really, I swear I was innocent, back seat passenger, he decided to take a tour of the local golf course. I think we even did a donut on a green...in 4 inches of fresh snow! Amazingly, we never got stuck.

[Ed H]

Pinto engines were a PIA when changing the timing belt. I still have the tool sitting in my box for that.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Ed I had an '86 Ford EXP that I forgot to change the timing belt, it broke one day at about 125,000 miles and the piston came up and smacked the valve into the head and cracked the head. Not good. A new head was $850 at that time, an entire engine was something like $1100.

I am reading American Icon: How Alan Mullally Saved the Ford Motor Company it is an excellent book. Anyway, he noted that Ford (and GM and Chrysler) had been 'going out of business' for about 30 years when 2006 rolled in, with quality control lacking, poor management decisions, overbearing UAW rules, and an anti-American auto mfg. Congress that despised the US auto industry. Ford historically would come out best when they were pushed against the ropes (the Taurus in 1989, became the best selling car in America) but then after about 8 years they screwed the car up, they didn't keep pushing ahead to improve.

Very good book if you get the chance to read it.