Hello, here is a bunch of info on my 1972 Green Pinto – it started out life purchased new by Pearl E. Read, of Los Altos Hills California. When Pearl passed her Estate was settled and a man named Carl J. Bergh of Menlo Park California bought the Pinto at the estate sale. I never met Pearl, but Carl was a remarkable man. Carl was 94 years old in 2000 which is the year I purchased my Green Pinto from him. If Carl is still alive today he is 102 years old. Carl moved around pretty well. I would not doubt that he is still taking photos like he did for 50 years professionally.

I originally found my Green Pinto in a trader magazine. Carl was nice enough to take a roll of 36 photos of his Pinto and send them to me. Each night after work for about 2 months I stared at the photos while I ate my supper. I had one of those glass-top coffee tables where I slid the photos and could look through the glass and not worry about spilling my dinner on them. The glass actually magnified the photos somewhat... I got the photos in January and finally made the deal in late March.

Carl and I agreed on... $1500.00 for the pinto and a ride from the airport. If the Pinto was not as good as the photos he would take me back to the airport and I would fly home. I did not have Internet back then so I found a travel agency and purchased my ticket. My flight was $148.00 round trip and 2 weeks away on April 10th, 2000. I flew for the second time in my life to get another Pinto.

A Friend of Carl's picked me up at the San Jose International Airport and drove me to Menlo Park, a suburb of San Francisco. I had packed lots of tools and many extra parts Belts, Hoses, duck tape... Almost a 2nd Pinto was stuffed into my suitcases. Try to get away with that now!!! We arrived at our destination and I met Carl, in person, for the first time. I asked about how he got the Pinto and lots of other questions. I was guided to the garage to get my first look at the Pinto. WOW!! Was all I could say...

I had planned to do some work on the Pinto before I left but was rushed off to the DMV as I wanted to get the California Plates swapped into my name. After 2 hours at the DMV I wanted to meet another Pinto owner Jim I had talked with on the phone that lived just north of San Francisco. I had driven 2-3 miles to the DMV and about 5 miles into my trip to meet with JIM I was headed down hill and the timing belt broke.

The down hill was the beginning of the San Mateo bridge. It is the longest bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area and the 25th longest in the world by length. So there I am at 3:50 p.m. in the fast lane with rush hour traffic that will mot let me get over into the slow lane while coasting. I finally come to a stop! Now on this bridge there are these side notches. I guess for guys that fly to California and buy Pintos so they can change broken timing belts???? Anyway I get out and look under the hood with 18 wheelers screaming only a few feet away across the middle of the bridge.

About that time, I hear this voice... NO!.. It is not GOD telling me what a dumb ass I am but the CHP he says "Get Back Into the PINTO!!!!" Well I had gotten something from the hatch and guess where my keys were??? The CHP officer tells me he will push me with his cruiser. BUT I can not steer my Pinto because the steering wheel has locked. I get closer and closer to the wall and finally I have to stop the cruiser with my Pinto before he pushes me off the bridge. I was trying to wave him off but he could not understand what I was doing.

NOW I am pinned so close to the wall I can not get out. Remember that all these California traffic is piling up behind this circus... I crawl thought he pass door and retrieve my key from the hatch hop back into my Pinto and wave the cop forward. He pushes me to one of those Notches and tells me he is calling a tow truck. I wave and start to work. I have the timing cover off and this tow truck pulls up and the driver gets out. asks me what I am doing. I say something stupid like Overhauling my Pinto in the middle of this bridge. He says I can not change my Belt here. At that time a Mustang come along this the complete exhaust dragging the ground. The driver walks away and I continue to work.

When the drivers returns he asks "Where do I want to be towed?" I say "your not towing me anyplace" and point to the a now turning camshaft gear. The driver says WOW!!! you really did change that belt and I said yes BUT I did not plan to change It on this bridge. On a side note I left the DMV it was 80+ degree day. In the middle of that damn bridge it was about 40 or at least it felt 40 with the wind off the bay and me being wet with sweat. I asked the driver to open my hatch so I did not get grease on my NEW Pinto. I took a clean T shirt from my bag and wiped the dirt from my hands and said thanks to the tow truck driver.

I drove about 10 more miles and the upper radiator hose busted. So out with the tools again and a NOS upper hose and NEW clamps were installed. At least this time I made it to a gas station.... I finally met up with Jim about midnight. I stayed there until 2:00 AM or so and then continued to make my way east for a few hours. I stopped at a rest stop and got a few hours sleep and then began again the trek eastwards. Later that day I was in Reno Nevada and hit a few Pick-N-Pulls. I got a few items I needed and drove around for several hours and then began eastwards again.

30 miles west of Lovelock Nevada the Green Pinto lurched and then the engine light came on. I coasted again to the side of the road. I thought this was the end of my trip! I opened the hood to find all the oil and water was gone from my engine. It was all over the engine bay, a real mess! I walked around looking and thinking about what I could do for about 20 minuets in the HOT Nevada desert.

Finally a car load of guys saw me and stopped. They asked me if they could help? I said where are you headed? They said Vegas... I said well you are screwed! You missed your turn 70 miles back. I showed them where they were and they showed me where they thought they were on an atlas map I had. I told them that they were too lost to help me!! I thanked them anyway but I would wait until a local driver stopped. They drove through the median and headed back west to hit 95 south to Las Vegas.

5 minuets later a father and son from Lovelock stopped and drove me to town where I bought a case of oil and then to the grocery to get 5 gallons of water. The son drove me back and I put 4 qts. of oil and 1 1/2 gallons of water in my Pinto. The only thing I can think???... Is that the head had gotten so hot it warped and the fluids spewed from the gap?? Anyway my little green Pinto fired right up and I nursed it to town. Once in town I went to the parts store and asked about a head gasket.

I felt like the guy you see in all the movies where he is in the middle of NOWHERE and the mechanic says he can have it fixed in 3-4 days. Then all sorts of bad stuff happens to him!! I flushed the radiator and bought a new cap and installed an overflow bottle. By now it was about dark so I started home again. My Pinto drove fine at night, but during the day it would over heat spewing the coolant into the over-flow jug that I installed. So I slept during the day and drove at night. It took 6 nights of driving for me and the Pinto to finally make it home to Staunton, IL