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The Nicest Pinto Ever? This Sucker Is Mint! We Want To Cut It Up!


The Nicest Pinto Ever? This Sucker Is Mint! We Want To Cut It Up!

We have a weakness for Pintos around here. Not sure why, but these little bastards have found a place in our hearts and we can’t stop wanting a really run and fast one. Or in my case, two. I want a Pro Touring Pinto and a Drag Race Pinto. This one is in Roanoke Virginia and has original paint, interior, etc, etc. Says it needs a water pump and a battery, which we’re going to assume have both gone bad from sitting. We dig the Cragars, even if they are tiny 4 lug models. We’d swap a 9 inch out back and 5 lug hubs up front and get it on.

I hate green, and I still love this little car. What is wrong with me!?!?

Since this one is so nice, I’d build it into a drag car or street strip machine, because my pro touring vision includes some fender flares for the Pinto and this one is just too nice.

So, I’d call my guys that Hubers and get some help from them on building a cool 1000 horsepower Turbo 2.3 combo for this thing, and maybe hang a Liberty or G-Force 5-speed off the back and get it on. A shift or two in the air is always fun, so it would have to hang the hides like John Hubers Mustang. Oh, and I would do it on a small tire. True 10.5 or smaller.

And I wouldn’t change any of the exterior, and only as much interior as was required to get the cage in it and stuff. I’d leave all the interior I could cause it’s awesome.

Thanks to Scott Payton with Route2Media for this one. Good find.

What do you think? And what would you do with it?

Perfect Pinto 2 Perfect Pinto 3 Perfect Pinto 4 Perfect Pinto 5 Perfect Pinto 6


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15 thoughts on “The Nicest Pinto Ever? This Sucker Is Mint! We Want To Cut It Up!

  1. Walt Reynolds

    I’d like to buy it and do 2 things to it.
    1. Add a nine inch rear end
    2. Put in a Chevy Z/28 Camaro 302 motor

  2. Gary

    OK, back to reality, after that bizarre remark about putting a GM motor into a perfectly good car (any car other than a GM product)…It just needs the 2 liter beefed up a bit. I had a ’72 Pinto, slightly warmed over, Erson cam, Mallory ignition, shift kit. We’d take out ’67 Hemi/Dana/four speed SS/D GTX to Lebanon Dragway, and essentially have to bracket race it, what with NHRA’s screwed up classes and “factors” (read: system to allow GM products to win). I’d drive my Pinto there Sunday’s as well. I took it to the track the three weeks preceeding my leaving for basic training in the Air Force. I won bracket eliminator with it twice, runer upped the third time. Loved that car!

    1. Gary

      Meant to say, “our ’67 Hemi GTX”, not take “out”. Why don’t you guys have a spell correction feature on this yet?

  3. Bob

    I would drive it as is for a bit. then I would drop in a 302 FORD engine, trans and 9 inch. Drive it for a while like that. Then go whole hog and pro street it to the max. And Walt, you stay away from that car!!!!!

  4. Martin

    The 2.0 engine is a good baseline for some really cool possibilities. I had a 72 Pinto wagon that was pretty much stock, and would spin some nice RPMs. There are quite a few speed parts around for the engine (Esslinger Engineering, and others), and there are still a few turbo manifolds lying around (I have an NOS turbo exhaust manifold in my cabinet as we speak). With some engine modifications, a turbo (carb blow-through system with a Holley 2bbl), this little thing would spin 9 grand and surprise the hell out of a lot of people.

    Keep the 2.0, beef-up the trans, beef-up the diff, and keep it looking stock–find some hub caps, and watch all those snickering fools in your rearview….

    Damn, I want my 72 wagon back!!!

  5. Derek

    Ok all, something about this Pinto that everyone missed which makes it an even bigger want. Even for me as a Vega/Monza guy but have a liking for Pintos and Mustang II’s. This Pinto is a trunk model not a hatch back as most Pintos were. Trunk model Pintos are more rare as the didn’t dell as well due to lack of cargo and load space. This Pinto is clean and would be a great companion to my 76 Special order Factory V-6/Auto trunk model Pinto. As much as i love drag cars and hot rods..please, whoever ends up with this one. Don’t cut it up. This one is way to nice and should be for the purest.

  6. Raul X. Garcia

    For all those wanting to drop a V8 in it. You obviously have no idea how potent a Pinto engine can be. At very reasonable costs. As a former 84′ SVO owner with lots of Esslinger goodies and many easy 140 mph runs. I can tell you how potent the legendary 2.3 turbo Pinto engine is. They are truly a freak when it comes to making horsepower.

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