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  #1  
Old 06-04-2013, 01:35 AM
Jim B.'s Avatar
Who's flying this thing ?
 
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Smile 1971 Ford Pinto! <---- Irony alert (pic)

Or else he is well prepared for trouble!

Saw this at a stoplight in Auburn California on my trip today to the dentist in San Francisco.



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  #2  
Old 06-04-2013, 05:01 AM
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Pintos have their plusses, though I'd be hard pressed to think of one at the moment. A guy in my neighborhood still has one. I've never seen it move.
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  #3  
Old 06-04-2013, 06:33 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Back in the day they were a nice nimble handling car with excellent fuel economy. Too bad they also were deathtrap rustboxes.
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  #4  
Old 06-04-2013, 06:53 AM
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Remember them in their context--their competition. They weren't as bad as they look in hindsight. Many, many, many cars had the same sort of gas tank design--where the tank formed the trunk floor. The problem was the small size of the Pinto moved the tack closer to the axle. Well, that, and Ford recognized the safety issue--and proposed a solution--and discarded it because of cost....
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  #5  
Old 06-04-2013, 06:58 AM
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They're coming out of the wood work!! I spotted this one last week at our local car show:


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  #6  
Old 06-04-2013, 07:21 AM
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Tom, they weren't the deathtraps you claim them to be. Read the paper written for the Rutgers Law Review titled "The Myth of the Ford Pinto Case" by Gary T. Schwartz. It was written in 1991. According to the paper, out of roughly 3 million cars built, the number of rear impact fires was roughly 27 cars.

When you look at the percentage of fires of completed and sold cars, the Chevy Volt has a higher percentage of fires. Heck, when you look at the percentage of fires of the cars built back in those days, it still wasn't the worst of the bunch...it was nothing more than a target during the beginning of the lawsuit happy lawyer growth.

I had one years ago when I was younger, and got rid of it because the now ex wife whined about it, claiming it to be a fire risk. I've been looking for another one for years. There's one local, turd brown wagon with the opera window and aluminum wheels...but they won't sell...I've tried twice.
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  #7  
Old 06-04-2013, 08:14 AM
waterboarding w/medmech
 
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I dig the one in the OP link. Pintos were ok little cars. I never saw or actually heard of one catching fire. Sort of maligned, like the Corvair, because of safety zealots and lawyers...
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  #8  
Old 06-04-2013, 08:18 AM
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I remember the bumper stickers they used to have..

"WARNING - UNEXPLODED PINTO"
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  #9  
Old 06-04-2013, 08:30 AM
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i always wanted to buy one and put a flame job on it..from the back forward.
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  #10  
Old 06-04-2013, 08:35 AM
t walgamuth's Avatar
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MS Fowler View Post
Remember them in their context--their competition. They weren't as bad as they look in hindsight. Many, many, many cars had the same sort of gas tank design--where the tank formed the trunk floor. The problem was the small size of the Pinto moved the tack closer to the axle. Well, that, and Ford recognized the safety issue--and proposed a solution--and discarded it because of cost....
Well, there is a little more to it than that.....their bean counters calculated the total cost of adding a $.75 reinforcing plate over the expected run of production and decided it would be cheaper to fight the lawsuits and let people continue to die.

How many people have died in Chevy volts?
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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.
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  #11  
Old 06-04-2013, 08:47 AM
A Talent for Obfuscation
 
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Hey, Kate Jackson drove a Pinto in Charlie's Angels. Enough said!:

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  #12  
Old 06-04-2013, 09:51 AM
waterboarding w/medmech
 
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The 1600 cc engine was a great engine that Mr. Walgamuth should know of....
History :: The KENT Engine :: thekentlives.com
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  #13  
Old 06-04-2013, 09:53 AM
waterboarding w/medmech
 
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And, it has been reborn....

REBORN! :: The KENT Engine :: thekentlives.com
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  #14  
Old 06-04-2013, 09:58 AM
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  #15  
Old 06-04-2013, 10:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTI View Post
Long projection to protect from rear collision?

I also saw a Pinto the other day. Hadn't seen one in years. Liked the wagons. Better engines than the Vega.

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