Restored Retro: 1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon
When you have a sporty vehicle like this 1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon, you also need stylish, sporty clothing. This cool cruiser is listed on eBay with a current bid price of just under $5,000 and it’s located in Swanton, Ohio. Thanks to Geo G. for submitting this one!
This is one fantastic looking Cruiser Wagon. The seller has restored it back to original spec. No, really, I kid you not! “I bought the car 2 years ago from his son and restored the car.” The current owner and restorer is friends with the first owner’s son and after they got the car they “striped all the paint repaired all dents and little rust refinished the car back to the correct color and stripe scheme.”
By the way, there is no reserve on this car. This example will test the market, which I personally think is on the way up for cars like the Pinto. The cars that most people like to make fun of, the inexpensive cars like this, and the Vega, Gremlin, Pacer, Maverick, etc. The ones that all of us noticed and then we didn’t notice them because they were everywhere. Now we notice them again because they went away for a couple of decades but they’re slowly creeping back. Examples like this one, while not original, are desirable to collectors. You can see that the interior looks fantastic. It’s an automatic but the “interior is completely new with the correct apholstery [sic] that was ordered from legendary auto interiors has new dash pad, carpet and nos sill plates a lot of this car has nos parts”.
I’m surprised at how non-detailed and non-clean the engine is given how perfect everything else on this car looks. I’m guessing that it will clean up just fine but it would have been great to see it in the same condition that the rest of this gem is in. This is Ford’s 2.3L inline-four with around 90 hp. The seller has quite a list of things that have been done to this car, including “we replaced the valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket did total tune up also replaced the timing belt all fluids we changed in car the rear end was inspected and has fresh fluid and gaskets”. Also, they “replaced all the brake line and has new pads,rotors and calipers up front rear drums has had new shoes wheel cylinders and the drums were turned. the rimes were sand blasted repainted detailed with nos center caps from the ford box we also installed new white letter tires.” I can’t imagine that this car even in this restored condition will get much higher than the current bid price, will it?
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Comments
Had one that was a V6 with a 4 speed, closet screamer it was
You couldn’t get a 4-speed with a V6 in a Pinto.
I would love to have this car Automatic or not.
It’ll be interesting to see what it sells for, Scotty.
Wow….just wow. This is another model that we never received in Australia. There will be people who decry this car, but they need to remember that nostalgia runs in cycles. For those of us who lived through the mid to late 70s, there was a strong emphasis on nostalgia and icons from the 1950s (which was only winding the clock back 20 years). This little car winds the clock back 40 years, so its appeal makes sense from that perspective. It appears to be a first class restoration, but I agree with you Scotty about the engine bay. The majority of what is under the bonnet appears to be the normal dust that you would get from rubbing down paint, etc. for a respray. A quick squirt with a pressure cleaner would make a huge difference to the appearance.
One thing that I do notice is that the back seat does not appear to be the most pleasant place to spend a long journey. It looks distinctly claustrophobic back there. Has anyone sat in the back of one of these? Am I right?
I know that the Pinto didn’t enjoy the greatest of reputations, but I really like this a lot. The great thing about cars like this is that almost anyone in the US knows what the weak points of the car are. These can be monitored and addressed quickly to maintain vehicle reliability. I think that it’s just a fun little car that doesn’t take things too seriously.
Adam, you Aussies had Holden, Ford and Chrysler panelvans, some of which were offered with similar restyling, e.g. GM’s Sandman.
Someone in our part of the world could take a Mk II Escort van and put an RS2000 nose on it – It’s already been done, many times, over the last four decades or so.
You’re right Beatnik. The three manufacturers offered their own take on the van scene. A lot of people did their own customising however, the same as this Ford Falcon van. The graphics on the sides were hand-painted by someone with an air-brush, and they were hugely popular in the 70s. Unfortunately I was too young to appreciate them in their heyday. Now I’m just too old and people would think that I’m some sort of pervert!
Every car I see from Australia reminds me of the movie Mad Max. :)
Reminds me of the story about a young couple parked on a taxiway at a small airport. It was night, a Helio Super Courier landed and turned off the runway and onto the dark taxiway.
After hitting the ‘Texas Love Shed’, the prop stopped 6″ short of the back of the young man’s head.
The Pinto was a high school grad present. Less than two days old.The baby girl born 9 months later was named “Helio” . She now flies for a corporation.
I worked with a guy in the early 80’s that had this exact car. It was really a nice ride, plenty of room for hanky-panky in the back. These and the Vega Panel Express,( apparently, you could get just a plain Pinto Panel Wagon) were the last sedan deliveries ever made. Quite a find.
Great looking car. That would be a lot of fun to own. It is custom-made for tailgating at your local college football games. You might even re-do the stripes in your teams’ colors.
So much want!! I can hear ABBA and the Bee Gees playing on the radio now!
I remember these well. My neighbor had one of the vans.Very cool.
I saw this and immediately thought of my friend George who had the Mercury Bobcat version of this wagon; he later gave it to his son- in law. The inside and outside look great but the engine bay lets it down; fix that and you got a winner.
I think the paint job is atrocious. Get rid of the stripes and drive it.
70’s paint/sticker schemes were atrocious. We just didn’t know it back then
Just like my Elephant bell jeans and Huckapoo shirts
It’s still more exciting than the monotone painted jellybeans of today.
I seem to remember my white Cruising Wagon having some flat black paint on it. This one has all shiny paint.
I am not sure if there were two different paint schemes available, flat and shiny.
Mpc the plastic model company made a 1/25 scale model of the exact same car…
That very same model kit is laying on the cargo floor in one of the pics.
I’ve wanted one of these for years,this weekend someone is supposed to come pull the engine in my 73 pinto for me,and take the rest for $500.00.This is near me,but I don’t have the funds for this,a regular panel pinto would be cool too..!
Really nice Pinto find,and really good price,as most I have come across
are $3-5 g for ones not as nice…very cool…!
This guy is obviously trying to hide something. Every picture of the outside is blurry. He says it was “restored” but the engine bay and dash say otherwise. “I pity the fool” who buys this one.
If that was a Cruising Van, I would probably already be on the road to go get it.
My wife says she really likes this and is having me follow the auction. Those actions have led to eBay car purchases (all successful & good ones, I might add) before.
Larry, I’m guessing the paint isn’t perfect…but it’s good enough for me.
There’s a restored one on the classifieds for 6,500$CDN and someone is also selling a Cruising Van. Both sent to BF by the way , both in QC 😉
There’s foot prints on the headliner in the back oh my.
WAY COOL!!! Good to see the much maligned Pinto getting some love. You would definitely get some looks at the local car show. Tho you gotta wear sunglasses just to sit in that ride; that is one busy & bright interior!
Huggy Bear’s back up ride
Neat car – bad typing skills in the eBay ad.
like, but the more ‘business-like’ models i.e.:
the bubble windows (2 have 2, one has 4) & deep frnt valances (the 2 non-pintos) would B gone.
All 3 R the right sz 4 me…
I’d put the D shaped 2.3 head on the Lima motor, a H/W 5200 (also is the same weber 32/36) carb, may B 6lb boost turbo & cam it & create a dedicated ‘carry’ area in back (total 1 or @ most 2 seats…
pro street it :P
Love it though that engine/tranny combo is a dud. The 72 4 speed wagon I previously owned would pull my later owned 76 Runabout slushbox faster on a chain then it would go on it’s own. Even the Mrs. said it was dog compared to her Rabbit diesel pickup. I didn’t keep it long and sold it to a buddy whose dog loved riding under that big back window :) No way the 2300 auto could compare to the 2000cc 4 speed but the dog didn’t care, Buckwheat just liked to ride in the back.
I like this car and bid on it! But bidding at 15k? Wonder if this will be a completed sale or a re-list?
I had this with a 6 cyl engine. Drove it from Chicago to Yellowstone and back pulling a Dodge 1940 cargo trailer. Great car!
I bought a Cruising Van new back in the day. Pulled the boat with it.