There’s something special about the memories of your very first car that makes many of us want to try to go back and find it – or at least something very much like it – later in life. That’s exactly what set Dan Mix of Grove City, Ohio, off on a journey to replace a much-beloved Ford Pinto Wagon that he drove back in high school. We met up with Dan, and his cool, orange 1980 Pinto Squire Wagon, during the Pinto Stampede to Dearborn this summer. While you can look for a full report in the Enthusiasts section of FordPerformance.com on how we helped a group of Pinto owners celebrate the little Ford’s 50^th anniversary this past June, we’ll let Dan tell you his story of trying to replace that long lost Pinto Wagon of his youth – and the joys of driving a Ford Pinto once again:

“Hi Ford Performance. My name is Dan Mix, and it was great having Ford Performance support the Pinto Stampede for the car’s 50^th anniversary and to ask me to share the story of my car in your Ford Fan Spotlight. While looking through a photo album I have on my car’s ‘refreshing project, I wanted to see if I could get pictures of the dealership where the car was purchased new. The dealership is now defunct. I contacted the historical society in Hartville, Ohio, and they collected articles and pictures to share with me. One item was an article about the dealership that was published in the first week of November of 1980. That's the same week when my Pinto was purchased!

“You can see a Pinto Squire Wagon in that picture; I am not sure if this is my car or not, so I will try to get my hands on the actual copy of the article or ask the paper if they have the photo in their archives to attempt verification. Wouldn't that be awesome if it turns out to be the same car? Anyway, back to the history of my car. Allow me to try to summarize it in a few words . . . heck, let me cut and paste the introduction from my blog, and I'll give you the blog address so all can see the rest, along with some more pictures.

“The work mentioned in my first blog has all been completed and pictured, as I had pushed up the timetable to have the wagon ready for the Pinto Stampede. It was worth the effort, as Ford Performance recognized my car for an award! It also won Best Of Show the following day at the Pinto Stampede event held at the  Ford-Mercury Restorers Club of America’s All-Ford Show and Swap! Check out my first blog entry below, see the rest at www.fordpinto.com. (Once on the home page, click ‘Forums,’ scroll down until you see ‘Your Projects,’ click on that, and find ‘My Pandemic Project,’ which is my blog about the car and my restoration efforts. It has some more pictures there as well:”

I purchased my first Pinto as a high school senior, a 1979 station wagon with the Exterior Decor Group (not a ‘woody’) with a 2.3 liter 4-banger and a stick shift. It had the paint option of Medium Red Glow. I purchased it from my dad's colleague at Hancock AFB when it was a year old, as he got himself a bigger car. It proved to be a fantastic car for a kid going away to college! It carried all of my worldly goods back and forth between home and the university every summer recess. Not to mention all the road trips up and down the coast to visit college chums, girlfriends, and road trips on spring break! 

I ended up trading it in for newer car . . . but that's another story for a different day! Since then, I regretted selling the Pinto as it was my first car -- just like your first love! I have kept in touch with my friends over the years, and without fail, they would bring up my Pinto! We all had great times and memories with it!

Two years ago, I started looking for my first car and was not surprised that it was no longer around, as it was a car that was used in the salt-using state of New York. Therefore, I did a national search using many websites and search engines of reputable car clubs and magazines. My first car color was nowhere to be found! I did come across two. One was a basket case Runabout, and the other was a hot-rodded Wagon with blank Cruising Wagon panels. I have nothing against resto-mods and hot rods as they are unique and primarily well-crafted, but I wanted a stock wagon just like my first car. I finally expanded my search to include all colors, and inquired on two: a red wagon in Michigan and a brown one in Palm Beach, Florida, and had both inspected by a classic car appraisal firm.

When both inspections passed my standards, things became rather challenging! The red one was priced at $6,000, and it was restored as new. As I made an offer, I learned that the owner decided to consign the car with a classic car dealer – and the price doubled. As I attempted to meet them halfway between the old and new price, another classic car dealer in Sarasota brought it just as I called to finalize the deal. That car’s price is now nearly $16,000 and remains for sale there. A nice car, but I bowed out.

I moved on to a Hemmings Motor News ad in Palm Beach. Nice guy, but he was firm with his $15k asking price, and the inspection has shown that I would need to do additional work (weatherstripping, tank draining, minor mechanical work like a tune-up, etc.). Although the asking price was insane, I decided to bite the bullet and said that I would do the deal, but he would not do an escrow that I wanted to set up to protect both sides. He may be honest, but after hearing so many horror stories, I withdrew. I am glad that I did, as later I found the car that I have now.

I was in despair, thinking that I would never find a Pinto Wagon and I was ready to throw in the towel. But I decided to look again, and to my surprise I found an ad for a private sale of a 1980 Pinto Squire Wagon in Venice, Florida, several miles from my dad's house. I called my brother and sister-in-law to take a look at it. It was priced quite reasonably, leaving lots of room for any additional work it may have needed. Long story short, the seller lived an hour from me here in Ohio, and the car is her Florida car in Venice.

It is in very good condition as I purchased it from an 86-year-old lady who inherited it from a 91-year-old friend, who died. It spent its life in Florida as a snowbird's winter car after the first year in Ohio. The body is amazingly rust-free, and the interior is nearly immaculate other than the faded carpet. I plan to either re-dye or replace the carpet and the vinyl sidewalls in the cargo bay, as they are faded too. The color is Vaquero (H2), a reddish-brown, and I was told it’s impossible to find new carpet in that color. I was able to locate the carpet with SMS Auto Fabrics in Canby, Oregon.

I was amazed that I also found NOS woodgrain vinyl for the bodysides at Green Sales in Cincinnati. I plan to strip the faded siding and replace it with the new vinyl. The paint is in really good condition, so I plan to leave it as is (Bright Bittersweet 2G). Mechanically, it runs well when warmed up -- but when started cold, it sounds like an old geezer with COPD! I think I am spoiled by fuel injection these days, so it was like a shock at first! I had to retrain myself in starting procedures as, unlike a fuel injection engine, I have to turn the key on, not start it, and pump slowly three or four times and then twist the key fully to start. Its starts right up, and you don't have to do the steps to start the car again until the next day, as it’ll start fine as a warmed engine.

I completed a tune-up, replaced all the fluids, gaskets, filters, PCV, and the like. Hopefully, that will improve the cold starts. The previous owner's mechanic bypassed the heater core as it was a Florida car, as they don't need heat. I plan to reinstall it, and hopefully, there is no problem with the heater box as there must be a reason for bypassing it? I plan to replace both if need be in next spring while doing the A/C recharge/conversion.

As the auto-shipping firm had damaged the lower front valance panel while loading/unloading the car, I faced the task of seeking a replacement. I was unsuccessful in dismantling yards, eBay, NOS parts retailers, and the like. It was quite frustrating, as the panel was in perfect condition, but now with the bolt holes on one side broken off. I saw on this Pinto website about Showcars Unlimited in Foxboro, Ontario. I contacted him, and he sells spoilers but had no valance panels as he was unable to find one that was not damaged to create a mold. I explained about mine, and he was excited as he wanted one from which he could create a mold; he said that he could try to repair the bolt bracket piece and then create a new mold. I agreed, and shipped him the panel. If successful, it might become a source for replacing damaged or missing valance panels of 1979 or 1980 cars. Fingers crossed!

Another area in need of my attention is the powered rack-and-pinion steering rack, as it leaks from the boots. It seems to steer just fine, so I wonder if it could be rebuilt, or should I replace it with a new unit? That'll be my summer project in 2021. Then there’s the tires -- OMG! I thought that would be one of the easiest items to locate, but 165/80-13 WSW’s are rarer than hens' teeth! I have a set on backorder with Coker Tire. Such is the life of a Pinto owner!

Happy motoring!

Here’s How YOU Can Get In The Spotlight: For nearly 15 years now, one of the most popular features on FordPerformance.com and in our weekly Fast News e-newsletter continues to be "Ford Fan Spotlight," where readers can send in their own reasons why they're fans of Ford Motor Company and its vehicles. You know who they are: Ford "superfans;" grassroots Ford racers; unique Ford vehicle owners; loyal Ford enthusiasts; notable Ford club people; special Ford families; and/or any avid supporter of Ford, Ford vehicles, Ford motorsports or Ford Performance who deserves a little bit of special recognition.

All you need to do to get you, your car or candidate considered is to send in a brief description (200-500 words or less) and a few photos (in .jpeg format, preferably around 1 mb in size) with the owner’s full name and hometown, please. Just tell us about the vehicle(s) and why you think Ford Performance should feature it (them) in the "Ford Fan Spotlight" for an upcoming installment of Fast News as well as for posting on FordPerformance.com. Then email it to: ClubHub@Ford.com with your contact info. Should you wish to send a video, you simply need to post it on www.YouTube.com (preferably 1-2 minutes long) and send in the link, along with a brief description, to that same ClubHub@Ford.com email address. Your submission allows us the rights to use your words and images (along with any edits) for editorial purposes; we’ll choose one submission in random order each week to post online. We hope to see YOU and your Ford in our Spotlight soon!