Project X-treme Bean 78 Ford Pinto Squire Wagon

[draggindrew]

Hey guys, Im Drew. Im not new to the forum, been reading them for months now, but it is my first post. So why not start with a project thread? So I just picked up a 78 Pinto Squire wagon Saturday. It only cost me a whopping $400 w/ v6 still running. Its a little rough looking but for the most part it is a really solid car. I guess I should start off by explaining my odd choice in project lol. My dad has been working on/ racing/ building cars since he was about 15. When I was 2 he started building a 77 pinto drag car. I would spend evenings out in shop with him and his friends watching him build it. Then spent the next few years of my life out at the track every weekend watching him race. When I turned 8 he sold the Pinto so that he could afford to buy me a jr. dragster. Then I spent the next few years winning rounds, races, and championships (had to brag a little lol). Then before I turned 16 we built an 81 Z28 Camaro drag car that we raced for a few years then an opportunity to buy the Pinto back came up, so we immediately jumped on it. It was a little rough but we were able to clean it up and race it that way for a few years but then about 3 years ago we tore the car down to do some much needed updating and remodeling. For one I am 6'9" and close to 400lbs and my big self was getting a little cramp in there, so we redid the rollcage so that I sit about 3 inches from the back tire and sunk the seat into the floor only an inch above the bottom of the frame rail. I did alot of custom sheet metal work inside and outside of the car and am in the middle of rebuilding the engine for it. Anyways with that out of the way I now have a huge passion for the cars that most people hate on or joke about. I love station wagons and I love pintos so naturally I thought to myself I bet noone has ever thought of doing a full on custom pinto wagon build, and I came across this deal and couldnt pass it up. Now I wont be able to start on this project until the racecar is done but I want to get everyones input and opinions about the project before I get started. I plan on doing a complete chassis build then just have the shell bolt to it. Id like to have an ls1 powerplant with a t56 and 9" ford rearend. It is gonna be on a really slim budget but I hope that with some of my skills and some of my contacts I can do this in under $5k. Anyways onto the pictures and onto the opinions. I cant wait to hear everyones responses.





this is a quick rendering I threw together in my free time at work today




here is the racecar a few years ago


here is what it looks like right now, itll sit alot lower when everything is in the car.
the car is light enough right now I can pick up the front end and wheelbarrow it all around the shop


here is one of my jr. dragster back in 2000 at the nationals in denver


this is the camaro we built 8 years ago

[CruizinKev]

welcome aboard Drew! cool project! can't wait to see progress pics!

[Twentyover]

Saw a Pinto wagon @ Ford Carlisle last summer- had an interesting modification that changed the look. Rather than two chunks of glass behind the rear door, it was combined into a single piece. Really smoothed the car out.

[56pickup]

Welcome and cool project although it needs to have a ford!

[SRD art]

Woohoo! Another wagon! Welcome aboard...

[cobragt]

Gotta tell you I have a 78 Cobra Mustang II with a nearly stock 85 302, 5spd and 3.55 posi and it's very hard to keep the rear wheels hooked up. 302 or 351 would be killer in that wagon.

[Kenova]

Welcome aboard.
It's always nice to see the misfit and discarded cars get some attention.

Ken

[ProMav71]

Alight another crazy Pinto owner on the board! Hopefully your project moves along quicker than mine. I like your ideas. Check mine out when you get a chance.

[draggindrew]

Thanks guys for all the compliments and input. I just rebuilt the old carb on the v6 and got it running really good and did a lot of cruising in her this weekend. I probably put about 200-300 miles on her cruising the country sides and around town. This car of all things has been such a joy to be able to just hop in and go driving even though it looks like a huge hunk of junk right now. Everyone that has stopped and talked to me had a little chuckle and then had some story of them or their friends doing something crazy in a pinto back in the day. The biggest question I get is "What in the world is a 24 yr old guy doing with an old pinto wagon?" They just cant understand that I like the misfitness that is the pinto.

[nekkidhillbilly]

keep the wood

[motorntv]

If you make it cool the rest does not matter.

frank from Motor'n TV

[draggindrew]

So here are a few project updates. I have been driving the car pretty much everyday for the past month. I put a glasspack on it for giggles since there was huge exhaust leaks with the rusted out cat and muffler and it was driving me insane. But good news. I picked up an explorer 8.8 rearend with 3.73 gears and a posi for $50 and an LS 5.3L engine for $100 thanks to a 50% off coupon at my local pick and yank scrapyard. The motor had water in the cylinders so there was rust but I plan to bore it out to a 5.7 anyways so that was really no big deal to me. I tore down the engine the same night and with a light ball hone job the cylinders and everything else looks great. The intake, throttle body, coils, and oil pan are all junk but I didnt plan on using them anyways.

[Protour_Pinto]

Ill be keeping an eye on this one! Pintos are a hoot because nothing is expected! I too went the Ford Body GM engine. I had a Caddy 500 in mine.

[TurboBu]

get anything done on this?