The Pinto was Ford’s entry in the subcompact space, designed to do battle with the VW Beetle, Japanese imports, and the domestic competition that was brewing in 1971. More than three million copies were built before and including 1980, and a large percentage of them were wagons like this one. As a 1972 model, this Pinto gave up its engine and transmission years ago, as the owner was planning on a V8 upgrade that has yet to happen. Located in Tacoma, Washington, this rough roller is available here on craigslist for $400. Thanks for the tip, “Curvette”!
Most Pinto’s were built with an inline-4 and a 4-speed manual transmission. That’s likely the pairing this 1972 Pinto once shared, but it’s long gone, giving way to a gaping hole. This vehicle has been garaged for at least 20 years, so rust has been held to a minimum. However, some frontal damage must have occurred, witness the blue fender where the rest of the wagon is yellow in color.
Perhaps the seller was planning to drop in a tweaked 302 V8 with a shifter that had more guts than the standard Pinto offering. Whatever the case, the seller lost interest in the project and is no doubt trying to free up space that this stalled project has been eating up for years. The interior photo shows it full of this and that, the seller says the interior is all there, but its condition is in question.
Somewhere in the mix are the front bumper and two grilles for the buyer to choose from. But if you decided you didn’t want to follow through on the seller’s V8 plan, would you bother restoring this wagon as a 4-banger Pinto from 54 years ago? Or maybe you can go one step further and turn it into some sort of track car for Friday nights?
Looks like a great parts car for another pinto wagon.
Scrap metal, needs to be taken to the crusher.
If it’s in good enough shape body wise, it might make a good candidate for finishing the V8 conversion. The price is right, someone that is industrious could finish the build for not much money.
Steve R