1979 Ford Pinto Base Sedan 2-Door 2.3L

Ford Other 1979 Description

I ordered this Pinto from Johnnie Harper Motors in Wheatridge, olorado in early 1979, nd took delivery in late April of that year. I specified it to be a light Chamois sedan with matching two-tone Chamois interior. Although 99 % of the Pintos were hatchbacks during this period, wanted a trunk, nd practically had to fight the dealer to order it this way. It is the basic 2.3/ 4 speed combination, ith the interior and exterior decor package, M/FM stereo, ports mirrors, ight group, nd the rare 4 way manual drivers seat added to the option list. This car was driven just over 62,000 miles before I retired it to secure inside storage in 1988. It was last registered in 1990.From a mechanical standpoint, t has received a new timing belt and periodic oil changes since then. I have started it occasionally, bottle fed, ince the gas tank was drained when it went into storage). It does not smoke, he brakes are still up, lutch is fine, nd the steering and suspension feels very tight. The car runs, hifts, rives, nd stops when I drive it around my rural property. It needs a battery, but I have a loaner to drive it on the transporter), nd the carburetor probably needs to be worked on, s it does not idle very well with your foot off the accelerator. It has a leak at the rear transmission seal, robably one at the rear engine seal, nd the front pinion seal is a little weepy. Three of the tires are original to the car, .F. Goodrich Zetas! All of the lights, nstruments, nd accessories work, lthough the rear window defroster works intermittently, s I recall from the past. It goes without saying that this car has been off the road for over 37 years, nd I would recommend that the car be inspected by a qualified mechanic prior to any road trips.The body and paint is 100% original: No body work or touch ups anywhere. The car has one less-than dime-sized rust hole area directly behind the right rear wheel trim. This is the ONLY rust through area that I have found after a close inspection inside, ut, nd underneath the car. (The left side in photos is surface rust only) The body has a scrape and dent on the left rear fender, ncluding the wheel well trim, nd the left side of the rear bumper is bent in. (I have an extra NOS piece of wheel well opening trim and a near perfect rear bumper that will go with the car auction). The hood has a few dings where a cat knocked some metal castors from a shelf above the car. There are a few additional dings that I could not photograph, ut overall, he body is in pretty remarkable condition for being totally original. The anodized aluminum trim (except as mentioned, nd one ding in the right rear wheel opening trim) is in excellent condition. The front grille, eadlamp doors, nd front bumper are nearly perfect. Wheel covers are very good, and try to find these in nice condition)! The plastic valence panel underneath the grille broke off on one side and was repaired with a carriage bolt. All of the car's glass is original and in excellent condition. As stated, have carefully inspected the Pinto's undercarriage for damage and rust. Most of the original paint on the sub frame rails is intact. The wheel wells and floor pans are completely solid beyond surface rust and some flaking paint when you scratch it with your fingers. The rocker panels are very clean and not crushed or dented. On the right rear quarter (behind the door, efer to photo #6), he paint flaked off and I painted it with a rust inhibitor that looks like a black streak. Rest assured, he metal is completely solid on both sides of that seam. Inside the trunk, he floor pan and welded seams are completely rust free. The spare tire is unused, nd the jack mechanism is original and in place.The highlight of this car is the interior, hich is completely original, ith two exceptions; I recently installed a correct color, OS Ford dash pad that I purchased in 1980 and was stored in it's original box until now. ( I have the original 1980 receipt to document this). Additionally, installed an aftermarket AM/FM cassette back in the day. The original Ford radio was saved and will go with the car.The headliner is very nice; clean, o rips or stitching separation. Door panels and armrests are clean and not marred. The rear seat area is like new, ecause I don't recall any passengers being in the back seats. The rear seat panels and package shelf (usually chalky and deteriorated, r painted to hide this fact) are excellent. The carpet is original and very clean. (Some of the photos make the carpet look dark, t is just shadowing). The dash panel is fine and looks great with the new dash pad. The steering wheel has one very thin crack in it. I removed the vinyl horn bar and cleaned all of the grime off the edges. It looks like new. The front seats and seat backs show almost no wear, ith the exception of the driver's seat bottom cushion, which is beginning to show some minor cracks in the vinyl). But here again you are covered, s I have a near-new seat bottom with the same vinyl upholstery that I obtained from a "new" wrecked Pinto in 1980. You know the story: they are only original once. Not many Pintos out there with completely original paint and bodies, nd interiors that are this nice. This car is not perfect: it has a few nicks, ruises, nd scratches. To prepare this car for auction, did change the oil, ash the car, nd install the new dash pad. I also vacuumed the carpet, nd cleaned the horn pad. Beyond that, he car has not been detailed, axed, r armoraled to make it look like something it is not: What you see is pretty much what it looked like in 1988 when I took it off the road. I have tried to accurately present both the virtues and the flaws in my description and photos. I hope they show the pride of ownership that I had in what was my first new car. I have always enjoyed and taken special care for this Pinto. But I have been downsizing lately, nd have decided to let someone else enjoy this rare little survivor. This auction will include all of the original sales paperwork, nvoice,window sticker, ales brochure, hop manual, une up parts, xtra belts and hoses, nd of course the original Colorado title. I also have two extra 4 lug rims if the new owner wants them. Also for the buyers consideration, recently purchased a perfect NOS set of four correct Pinto/ Mustang wire wheel covers that I was considering putting on the car. I will sell this set at my cost of $140.00 if the buyer is interested. No warranties expressed or implied. I reserve the right to end this auction early for any reason. I am happy to answer any of your questions, nd can be contacted at 303-654-1255. You are welcome to come and inspect the car. A Paypal deposit of $500.00 is required at auction's end, ith full payment due 72 hours after auction's end. Bidders with low or negative feedback please contact me prior to bidding. Shipping is obviously your responsibility, ut I will work with you on this. Good luck, nd thanks for your interest!

On Oct-23-15 at 15:06:56 PDT, eller added the following information:

Due to several inquiries about the wire wheel covers, have posted them in ebay auction # 181911345924. Rest assured, will honor the above commitment if the Pinto buyer is interested. Also, nbsp;(regarding the mechanical condition), want to stress that the fluid leaks that I have described are all minor. Two folks that inquired about the car wanted to know why I would even mention the minor oil leaks. As they said, t is an original 1970's vehicle. And unless it was just rebuilt, t would be ridiculous to presume that it would NOT leak. I see their point, ut wanted to mention every flaw I was aware of in the interest of full disclosure.