When I was young my parents had three Pintos, but the one that stood out to me was our Squire Wagon. We would take it on long trips to Florida. They would fold down the back seats and let us kids play, lay down and then sleep the whole trip. It was a different time back then! 

So, I always kept an eye out for a Pinto in good condition to restore. I finally found one in Montana. It had a 6 cylinder, and I went for it. As it turns out, it was located on a very narrow farm road that most car carriers couldn’t or wouldn’t go down. It took a month, but I finally found a small car carrier that was willing to get it.  A few days later it was at my house!

The 6 cylinder was a dog, so a buddy of mine said that we could restore it together and so it started. We pretty much redid everything from top to bottom and when it came time to put in the restored 289, 1960’s Mustang engine, we encountered issues. It just would not fit, no matter what.

Enter Harry Owen, owner of Harry’s Rod Shop. Within days, the engine was in and running! Within days after that, the engine shredded the lifters, and we exchanged it for a 302 crate engine. After some adjustments over the years by Harry, it’s running great!

Of course, a Ford Pinto gets lots of attention at shows, as it’s not your standard car show car. The thought of restoring a Pinto with a V8 brings both smiles and laughs! Most people say they had a Pinto, or a family member did. But the question that I get asked the most is, “are you worried it will explode?”  The wagon did not explode, but the runabout did!