Going out on a limb here: finding two project cars that are both reasonably close to driver level machines for $1800 in a package deal is a pretty decent find, especially when you are talking about desert sheetmetal here. Or, you could select one and pay a thousand bucks to haul it off. The two cars aren’t really anybody’s first, second or fourth picks, but they each have their merits and honestly, there is a small chance that both cars could be built together for under the entire $5,000 Rough Start budget. So, on that plan, let’s look at the two 1970s Fords and see what we can make happen here:

What we have is a 1972 Ford Pinto, a four-cylinder, four-speed small-bumper car that hasn’t moved under it’s own power in over twenty years, and a 1977 Ford Mustang II three-door with a 302 and automatic. Told you these would be low on the pick list, but if you’re going to go for a Pinto or a MII, at least you get the best body shape for each model. The Pinto looks to be just about ready to drive, while the Deuce looks rougher…but both of these cars are deep in the Arizona desert. For all we know, the only thing the Mustang will need are seats, tires and a battery. That’s the roll of the dice.

The Pinto looks closest to street-ready. After changing the oil out and replacing the usual soft parts on the engine (and maybe the plugs too, to be safe) we’d hit the carb with some gas and see if it’d fire. If it did, the decision would be easy: get the four-banger in tune, find a grille and some good wheels, and wash it enough that the car is livable. Oh, one other thing: bolt a mudflap between the fuel tank and the rear pumpkin. Pintos might have made for good jokes, but for a classic daily driver, a four-speed Pinto just might be the ticket. The four can be turbocharged and there are parts out there that will make this little beast handle. Plus, you get the charm of owning a classic Pinto…for whatever that’s worth.

The Mustang II is a bit worse for the wear…or maybe that’s just what heat-rust over cream yellow does in the mind. The same basic once-over will be needed…making sure the 302 isn’t a wasted lump of an engine being a high priority. If the engine and transmission check out as useable, we’d load up the nearest paint gun with just about any other color and re-coat the Deuce on the cheap. Even a flat-black rattlecan paint job would be a welcome sight over that color combination. The Mustang has the promise that works for any V8 Mustang II: a thrasher car. You won’t feel guilty about ragging this thing around, will you? I doubt it. Since it’s the same small-block Ford that was in Mustangs of both older and newer, build as you wish: go old-school with a snotty cam and carb, or go digging through the 5.0 pile. As long as you’re making it fast, go for it.

So, do you pick both, start a YouTube channel and try to save two more-or-less unloved 1970s Ford compacts, or do you choose one and make a go of it?

Craigslist Link: 1972 Ford Pinto and 1977 Ford Mustang II hatchback