Is it possible to add ac and power steering to a pinto 1980?
I'm buying an 1980 pinto and being as old as it is
apparently it has no AC or power steering I don't
know if it has a heater either, isn't here any way to
customize it to have these things if so how?
Forget it.
Seriously, save your $$. This car was garbage back in the 80's and the cost of trying to add that stuff in the car would be more than the value of the car itself. Keep looking for a newer, more reliable ride!
It's not worth the money
Oh my, I get to be the shining light for a change- I like the Pintos- heck, I like ANYTHING old- you can add AC to your car, of course- but not power steering- that little thing should be easy enough to steer- if it is not, check that your steering mechanism is functional and well lubricated and that your tires have lots of air in them- that should make the steering easier- and it must have a heater, and that heater should work well- if it doesn't, again, just repair it- you will have a cool car on a budget- it should get comments wherever you drive it- good and bad, as you can see! lol
I love old cars too! And I got the chance to buy the little guy at a really good price and most of it is completely original and in great shape. I'm glad to have someone with the same appreciation for the more unpopular oldies. The heater works and really the power steering was only a comodity. The AC is a must thought sinuous know what parts or how I can get that installed?
I will be checking tires and if the steering wheel mechanism is well lubricated thanks.
There are many aftermarket AC packages- find somebody good who can do it right, and they may be able to find the perfect set-up- it would be "cool" to get the old school under the dash unit- i bet you can find one if you try-
Ha your punny lol. I've looked for the old school AC unit can't seem to find it I shall keep looking though thanks.
anything is posible if you have deep pockets . But why not spend your money or a newer ride that has what you require .
I love the pintos too, I have had 3 of them and wish I never sold them now, I am looking for one to restore, a/c is easy to install, it 8s just expensive, but like others have said, get someone who knows what he is doing, brackets have to be aligned correctly si you dont tear up belts and they need to be adjustable, good luck
I'm having a flashback...My high school graduation present was 2 year old 1980 Ford Pinto Pony. In case you're wondering, Pony = stripped down = standard MINUS(AM radio, tinted glass, rear window defroster, molding around the windows, decorative trim pieces, and color keyed steering wheel and dashboard trim). Centroplex Ford in Killeen, TX, added a dealer installed AC package that did have a Ford logo on the controls, so I assume it was a retrofit kit from the factory. There were significant differences between a Pinto with AC and one without. See Pic - (1) Dual center vents vs Heater/Defrost Controls; (2) Console with climate control vs smaller empty bin (note the different shape); (3) Side vents with tilt up/down with left/right vanes adjustments vs vents with tilt up/down only (vertical "vanes" are actually a spiral, so rotating up/down positions the spiral vanes in a different direction (i.e. not very adjustable); (4) Vents on the No AC models had no fan and were connected to duct tubes that led to the outside of the car - there were two ways to stop and control the speed of the air flow (A) Pull knob #4 to allow more air to flow and push to close a flapper to the duct tube or (B) Drive faster to force more air to flow and stop the car to stop air flow. The AC retro fit added a single off center vent, re-routed the barely adjustable side vents to the added AC duct work that terminated to the added air handler that hung below the glove box. The retro fit neither eliminate the heat/defrost control nor added "conditioned" air to the defroster; it added another panel to the top lip of the empty bin below the radio. This allowed me to have both cool AC coming out of the vents while having heater core temperature air to the floor and windshield - a completely useless "feature". It was loud, and the rubber evaporator drain tube that was routed through a hole drilled into the passenger side carpet and floor board would occasionally fall off when a passenger kicked it by mistake; however, it did halfway cool off the car in South Carolina summers and the mildew smell caused by the leaky evaporator drain did help mask the scent of burning oil that entered the car through the legacy vent ducts were never capped off. Hmm, I started this answer with a little nostalgia of my first car, but in retrospect, it really was a piece of crap and being T-boned at an intersection 4 years later put both the Pinto and me out of our misery.
Vintage air produces add on AC for many older classic cars. I believe that they also produce a HVAC system for the Pintos. Don't let naysayers ruin your enjoyment of Pintos. I recently purchased a 1980 Ford Pinto Squire Wagon as a pandemic project, and loving every minute of it...it's similar to my first car in 1981 when I purchased a year old 1980 Wagon from my father's colleague.
What kind of bracket did you use. Vintage air doesn't have a bracket for the 2.3 enging
I bought an 1972 ford Pinto in 1976 but don't remember if it came with A/C
Mine was a factory unit, but a friend had the vintage air. He used an bracket from another Pinto and modified it. Vintage air can modify your dash hvac switch panel. Sorry about my long delay in answering as I haven’t checked back to this website in a while, Happy Motoring! Dan
