X3 Pinto

[Ron S]

I grew up on Long Island and spent many a Saturday night at Islip and Riverhead speedways watching the modifieds. Here's my build of "Gentleman Jim" Hendrickson's Pinto.

It's the reissue kit. I shortened front frame rails some to make it more of short track bullring car.

[sam]

Nice job! I think the shorter wheelbase looks better also.

[afx]

Very nice Ron. Did you make the decals?

[Ron S]

Mar 17, 2019 4:22:40 GMT -8 afx said:

Very nice Ron. Did you make the decals?

Thanks. Sort of. They started as a set that I bought but the number color wasn't right so I scanned them and redid them with a closer color.

[Rob Spires]

Very nice! I’m working on the Vega now, and may get a Pinto to do a Richie Evans car in the future.

[robhart]

Excellent build! For all of their shortcomings as road cars, Pintos sure saw a lot of service as race cars on oval tracks.

[4wheels]

Nice build, never got to see a race at Islip or Riverhead but I always liked the look of the cars that raced there! Saw some of those guys race at Pocono or Shangri-La in extra distance races.

Mar 17, 2019 11:47:09 GMT -8 robhart said:

...Pintos sure saw a lot of service as race cars on oval tracks.

More properly, Pintos made good race car BODIES on oval tracks! I would bet that there were no other Pinto parts on the real X3. All those early 1970's compact cars were popular oval track bodies, Gremlins, Vegas, Pintos and a few oddball Capris or even 1960's Corvairs and Falcons. Since all the rules I've ever read for modifieds have always specified American manufactured sheetmetal (until fabricated bodies were allowed), these types of cars saved the few remaining coups and sedans in the junkyards!

Brian

[garydavis]

Man Ron...this is spot on bud!!! A great looking ford I might say....

[2lapsdown]

Beautiful build of a neat car

John

[Joel_W]

Ron,
That's one great build for sure.

Anything posted from another Long Islander really grabs my eye. I never went to either oval, but almost lived at Bridgehampton for every race they had there from 67-70.

Joel

[Ron S]

Mar 24, 2019 5:08:09 GMT -8 Joel_W said:

Ron,
That's one great build for sure.

Anything posted from another Long Islander really grabs my eye. I never went to either oval, but almost lived at Bridgehampton for every race they had there from 67-70.

Joel

Outstanding Joel! You're an east ender then? I live in FL. now but was born in Port Jefferson and grew up in Centereach and spent a lot of time in Queens with my mother's family when i was young.

[Ron S]

Thanks all! I appreciate all the good words on this build!

[Joel_W]

Apr 6, 2019 13:29:54 GMT -8 Ron S said:

Mar 24, 2019 5:08:09 GMT -8 Joel_W said:

Ron,
That's one great build for sure.

Anything posted from another Long Islander really grabs my eye. I never went to either oval, but almost lived at Bridgehampton for every race they had there from 67-70.

Joel

Outstanding Joel! You're an east ender then? I live in FL. now but was born in Port Jefferson and grew up in Centereach and spent a lot of time in Queens with my mother's family when i was young.

Ron,  
  My family moved from Manhattan to Syosset in Nassau county in 1957. 41 years ago I married my wife, and we bought a home in Selden, been here ever since. So the odds are we were neighbors while you lived in Centereach as it's just west of Nichols Rd, and I'm just East of it. 

  I use to drive my MGB to The Bridge for every race back then from SCCA Regionals, SCCA Nationals, the USRRC, Can Am, & Trans AM. I started racing there in my modified B doing Time Trials, and the 1st flying timed lap I scared myself silly.   All the professional teams hated the long drive from JKF airport on then was a single lane road especially in Sunday night traffic from the Hamptons. And to be honest about it, they also hated the accommodations at the track. Graham Hill wouldn't even change in the bathroom let alone take a shower there!  The Bridge is long gone now as the powers to be hated the noise as it echoed all the way down hill to Peconic Bay. Today, it's a golf course, but part of the track is still there. I guess that was part of the deal to keep it as a piece of history. 

Joel

[Ron S]

Apr 6, 2019 13:42:07 GMT -8 Joel_W said:

Apr 6, 2019 13:29:54 GMT -8 Ron S said:

Outstanding Joel! You're an east ender then? I live in FL. now but was born in Port Jefferson and grew up in Centereach and spent a lot of time in Queens with my mother's family when i was young.

Ron,  
  My family moved from Manhattan to Syosset in Nassau county in 1957. 41 years ago I married my wife, and we bought a home in Selden, been here ever since. So the odds are we were neighbors while you lived in Centereach as it's just west of Nichols Rd, and I'm just East of it. 

  I use to drive my MGB to The Bridge for every race back then from SCCA Regionals, SCCA Nationals, the USRRC, Can Am, & Trans AM. I started racing there in my modified B doing Time Trials, and the 1st flying timed lap I scared myself silly.   All the professional teams hated the long drive from JKF airport on then was a single lane road especially in Sunday night traffic from the Hamptons. And to be honest about it, they also hated the accommodations at the track. Graham Hill wouldn't even change in the bathroom let alone take a shower there!  The Bridge is long gone now as the powers to be hated the noise as it echoed all the way down hill to Peconic Bay. Today, it's a golf course, but part of the track is still there. I guess that was part of the deal to keep it as a piece of history. 

Joel

Cool we probably were neighbors at the time . I went to Newfield H.S. for 10th grade. Oddly never went out to Bridgehampton but I did go to National quite a few times.