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Author
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Topic: Hey Kent aka 89 Coupe
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steve'66
Gearhead Posts: 9489
From: Sonoma,CA,USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 01-09-2005 12:38 AM
   
How fast is your Pinto?
My buddie is building a 289 Pinto (or should I say rebuilding) What are you using for rear suspension? Tell us all about it, please.....  SteveW
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89_coupe
Gearhead Posts: 248
From: Ontario (Upstate), NY
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-09-2005 01:19 AM
I don't know how fast it is since I just got it running again in the fall but I have no trailer and the local track 3 miles from here closes early in the season. I tried for over a month and a half to get a trailer but U-Haul won't rent one to me since I have an Explorer(company policy) and Penske/Budget/Ryder won't rent a tow dolly or car hauler without renting their truck too. I finally found someone to rent a trailer from(private rental) and the last 3 weekends of the race season were rained out. That drove me nuts, all I wanted was one full pass before winter. I'm looking for solid 9s off the bottle and I just sold my Pro Shot Fogger so I won't be trying it out. I might try a Big Shot plate again since I still have 2 nitrous bottles left. It has run 9.50 at 143MPH with a 175 horse shot when it was a 12.5:1 351W with hogged out Winsdor Sr heads (my favorite cheap heads since the early '90s ). It had consistent 1.32 60ft times even on hot slippery tracks or cold tracks. Rather strange that the more power I throw at it on launch the better the suspension/chassis works. It is essentially a completely stock suspension. Since it was originally a V6 auto with air Pinto wagon, it came from the factory with V8 Mustang II front springs and an 8" rear with staggered rear shocks(very important). I added spacers between 3 of the coils on each front spring to raise the front for a higher center of gravity and a quicker more effective weight transfer. The front is level with the rear and I am using 215/75/14 front tires. Ther rear is a 9" housing narrowed to the exact width of the 8" that came out which allowed me to use the stock 8" axles for a while until I could afford some aftermarket race axles yet I could continue using the 4 lug Centerline 8.5X15 wheels with a special offset for the rear. soon after I put a completely aftermarket Strange centersection with spool and 31 spline 4 lug race axles in and clamped the leaf spings solid in 5 places on both leaf springs. Using 28/10.5/15 ET Drags and stock gas shocks front and rear. When I launch there is about 1" of front suspension travel before the tires come off the ground which also helps keep the front end from coming up too high. Basically the front suspension is nearly topped out without the 1" shock spacer and the spacer gives an extra 1" of travel. The front sits level with the rear with the car at rest. The rear sits over the slicks and has the stock low ride height which is raised up from the tires being 28" tall. When I launch the passenger side slick goes way up in the wheel well while the left front goes for the sky. Maximum roll rotation but it drives straight and people love how it launches (crowd pleaser) which is why I won't change it. In cunclusion, it is a stock suspension with new stock gas shocks front and rear with about $30 in leaf spring clamps and coil spring wedge spacers. Simple yet effective. I also had a super clean 75 Pinto wagon with a 302 which the air cleaner fit under the stock hood. It originally had a V6/C4 so the stock V6 single exhaust was used(grafted to the 302) so it was perfectly quiet still using the catalitic converter. It also had an 8" rear but it had factory 3.55 gears. It was red with perfect black interior and was a sleeper from hell. The engine looked like a factory installation. I used '87 Mustang GT rims on it with 1/2" spacers on all 4 so they would clear the upper A-arms and leaf springs. I really miss that car. It was beautiful and ran like a top. That was a serious rubber layng machine. I'm working on aquiring a red '71 Pinto with a 302. Has been in the garage for over 12 years and is just beautiful(which is why I want it). Stock wheels and tires and no hole or scoop in the hood. It looks completely stock and it uses a single exhaust too. The only thing it has is a small "V8" emblem on the tail light panel in back. It sure is a sweet little thing. A perfect daily driver for the summer. Rice bait ------------------
Kent '68 Falcon wagon stock 289
'65 Fairlane 500 wagon 10.5:1 351W
'78 Fairmont wagon 10.5:1 302
'76 Pinto wagon 392 stroke
'01 Focus SE DOHC 2.0L
'04 Explorer XLT 4.6 3.73 trac lock Pinto 392W 15:1, Iron Pro Topline 64/215s ported to 237cc, angle milled .115" to 52.5cc chambers with 2.08/1.6 valves, ported Super Victor, 1.72 rockers, Isky solid roller (290/300 adv, 256/266 at .050", .650" net lift, 108LSA/108 ICL), Crane Pro Series solid roller lifters, 9375 1050 Dominator, Victor water pump, billet 9 key timing set, custom 1 7/8"-2" step headers, 3.5" H-pipe and Hooker Aero Chamber mufflers, C4 w/9" 5000 stall, 4.30 gears, 28/10.5/15 MT ET Drags, 3200#s w/o driver.
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steve'66
Gearhead Posts: 9489
From: Sonoma,CA,USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 01-09-2005 11:27 AM
Kent,That's one hell of a Pinto! Is the chassis certified for 9's? What roll bar kit was used, or was it custom? Bummer about the trailer last Fall, keep your eyes open for a used flat bed trailer. You should be able to pick up one for $500 or so. Spencer and Sam's Pinto is a '70 that was backyard (hillbilly) engineered. Original springs with hole drilled through them and bolts. Home made sub frame connectors that don't attach to the subframes. Holes in firewall and trans tunnel for easy servicing. (covered with carpet). Rear innerfenders cut, but not tubbed. Must get real smokey in there during the burn-out. Sam's got it stripped down and thinking about ladder bars, roll cage, fuel cell, etc. SteveW
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Fastymz
Moderator Posts: 20708
From: Reno Nv USA M&M#1240
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 01-09-2005 01:31 PM
Kent, sounds like your race pinto kicks butt. I like the sleeper your thinking of building.Single quite exhaust and all stock looking. I'd love to see the look on their faces.
I've always wanted a V8 pinto wagon. Your old 75 must have been a blast to drive.I've been looking for a trailer to rent too. At least I know others have had the same problem getting one. ------------------
SCOOP
oddly obsessed with big scoops on little Mustangs 65 coupe 351w C4 Big Boss 429 hood scoop,8" 3.40 TracLoc. My Pics
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72Qsam
Gearhead Posts: 123
From: Petaluma, Ca, USA
Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 01-09-2005 11:01 PM
Hey Kent,My son and I are rebuilding a 71 pinto that ran a Super Gas class at least eight years ago...ie, sitting outside in the snow/weather. It ran 12's with the secondaries unhooked...289,c4 3000 stall?,4.30's...we are going through it back to front.
As Steve mentioned we have the rear dropped and are debating what direction to go with the suspension leaf vs. ladder not 4 link as the budget is limited  ....
You are using leafs, with traction bars or??
Where did you get your leafs or are they original or monos?
This is will be race only
Let's Talk!
Sam
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89_coupe
Gearhead Posts: 248
From: Ontario (Upstate), NY
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-10-2005 03:48 PM
quote:
Originally posted by steve'66:
Kent,That's one hell of a Pinto! Is the chassis certified for 9's? What roll bar kit was used, or was it custom? Bummer about the trailer last Fall, keep your eyes open for a used flat bed trailer. You should be able to pick up one for $500 or so. Spencer and Sam's Pinto is a '70 that was backyard (hillbilly) engineered. Original springs with hole drilled through them and bolts. Home made sub frame connectors that don't attach to the subframes. Holes in firewall and trans tunnel for easy servicing. (covered with carpet). Rear innerfenders cut, but not tubbed. Must get real smokey in there during the burn-out. Sam's got it stripped down and thinking about ladder bars, roll cage, fuel cell, etc. SteveW
Thanks Steve but it's not that cool. It is overweight and being a Pinto it will never really be "cool" or worth any money. I am torn between sinking more money into the car itself or pulling the drive train out and putting it in something truely cool (Falcon wagon). The Pinto has the original Competition Orange paint (very rare color, normally they were a lighter shade of orange if they were orange) but the sheet metal is wavy from the "misshaps" over the years. The left wheel and drum came off in the early '90s when I hit 2nd and sheared the lug studs off. The tire/wheel rolled under the quarter before the car finally rolled completely over it. I pulled that quarter back out. Then in the mid '90s I was doing a big 7000RPM 3rd gear burnout on the street an the cap came off the right rear tire fold the bottom of that quarter under. I pulled it out so now I had matching quarters. The this past fall I was taking it to a drag strip here in NY north of Syracuse on a tow dolly pulling it backwards and the right front tire cap came off and took out my right front fender but even worse was the big trans cooler and fan assembly I had hidden inside the front of the wheel well. It was -6AN line to/from the trans to the cooler so I looped the line once at the track bypassing the cooler then I put on the spare I brought in case I got a flat. Needless to say the track was sweating since it had been very cold all week and that day was warm and humid. The track was literally sweating and stayed wet. About the rollbar and chassis setup, the 8pt cage with hoop is custom as to be user friendly for street use and so it isn't such a pain to get in and out of. The visors are still usable since I had the hoop installed right at theedge of the visor when the visor is folded up. The side bars in front off the hoop are positioned so I can roll up and down the windows without the handle hitting the down bar and the headlight switch. The cage is out of my line of sight as much as possible all around including when I look through the rear view mirror. Front and rear subs are tied together and the rockers are tied to the subs also. The rear wheel wells are not cut or trimmed. The 28/10.5/15s fit with the stock ride height and they fit insie the wheel wells although it is a very tight fit with little clearance inside and out. I used a port-a-power on the inner wheel wells to make the inner wheel wells large enough to clear the slicks. The lips are rolled and the flairs are pushed out slightly on both sides so they would drape over the slicks on the sides otherwise I would have had to use slapper bars(will never use them) or skinny 9" slicks. The chassis is not certified for 9s but with a SFI bellhousing and a trans shield it will pass. All else is legal. When I first built the car, I removed a little around the trans hump/firewall area so I could have access to the trans bolts so I could just remove the trans or engine when needed. Originally for the first 6-7 years I built it just for street racing. Pull a wheelie through the intersection at a stop light and get all kinds of attention or race faster cars on the street that couldn't hook. It still looks like a 12 second car maybe high 11s but one look under the hood or look at the cage and you know it's faster especially if you under the hood. Drives straight and basically drives itself down the track. I shift twice and that's it. It doesn't pull to one side or the other. Rather boring sometimes but has a stable and safe feeling. I'll post some picture links maybe tomorrow.
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89_coupe
Gearhead Posts: 248
From: Ontario (Upstate), NY
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-10-2005 03:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Fastymz:
Kent, sounds like your race pinto kicks butt. I like the sleeper your thinking of building.Single quite exhaust and all stock looking. I'd love to see the look on their faces.
I've always wanted a V8 pinto wagon. Your old 75 must have been a blast to drive.I've been looking for a trailer to rent too. At least I know others have had the same problem getting one.
I'm not really thinking of building another one, just interrested in a nice red '71 already done and has the '74-up rack and crossmember installed. Completely done and ready to drive The '75 wagon was a blast to drive. I really miss that car and it was truely nice. Easy to build also and 70-72 front/rear bumbers and valance panels bolt on with just a little fab work.
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89_coupe
Gearhead Posts: 248
From: Ontario (Upstate), NY
Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 01-10-2005 04:17 PM
quote:
Originally posted by 72Qsam:
Hey Kent,My son and I are rebuilding a 71 pinto that ran a Super Gas class at least eight years ago...ie, sitting outside in the snow/weather. It ran 12's with the secondaries unhooked...289,c4 3000 stall?,4.30's...we are going through it back to front.
As Steve mentioned we have the rear dropped and are debating what direction to go with the suspension leaf vs. ladder not 4 link as the budget is limited ....
You are using leafs, with traction bars or??
Where did you get your leafs or are they original or monos?
This is will be race only
Let's Talk!
Sam
Hi Sam, I am not using any traction devices at all. I built it like the old stockers and super stocks of the day were. I used the staggered rear shocks to my advantage which prevents wheel hop which eliminates the need for traction bars. I clamped the 6cyl wagon (fairly stiff)leaf springs from the housing foreward to the spring eye trying to make the spring solid in front while having a little "give" on the back section. I wound up putting a healper leaf on the driver side since it had soo much roll rotation on launch. I seriously doubt my suspension could handle a trans brake or a full throttle 2 step lauch. It need the footbrake so the chassis has enough time to react to the power and plant the rear tires before they start spinning. The front end has about 1" of travel before the tires come off the ground which puts the weight on the rear tires quicker apon launch. I will try a trans brake out this summer out of curiosity. The front end is stiff and the rear is stiff. The car launches and ETs best with 16-18PSI air in the 28/10.5/15 ET Drags. Any less and the sidewalls wrinkle up and rotates/slips on the pavement while wadding up under the rim. Any more and just the center 2/3rds of the tires make contact causing slippage again (not blowing the tires away or smoking them but rather they make some revolutions(turn faster than the car is actually going) apon lauch. I would use a ladder bar setup if you have the means to do it. I don't know how a non wagon shacks are but I seem to remember they don't have staggered shocks. I am completely against traction bars. Cal-Tracs have been on my mind though and I think they might be the hot ticket for your setup also. Tunability and able to use a trans brake. Maybe even a narrower 9" slick for the 12 second look again. I am seriousy considering the Cal-Tracs. Your '71 Pinto would be a great project that is fun and not too expensive to build. I have heard of drilling the leaf springs and using a bolt but what would that accomplish other than making the spring pack solid? If I could get mono leafs for my Pinto wagon I would but I have never seen any made for them. A non wagon Pinto spring might be different dimensions(length/width/thickness) but I do not know. If they interchange, I would say use a wagon spring pack if you plan on hard launches or transbrake/higher rpm 2 step use. Once you get in the mid/upper 1.40 60 foots and quicker, the springs need to be tight/stiff but not solid.
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72Qsam
Gearhead Posts: 123
From: Petaluma, Ca, USA
Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 01-11-2005 12:00 AM
Thanks for the feedback!The PInto is a fastback and the leafs that were on it are approx. 45in from eye to back, 2.5 wide, and 3/4in thick...no telling if original cause all else is 'hillbilly' What are the wagon's dimensions? Thanks Sam
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