Took away his Pinto, .......back in the 70's, wasn't that already a fire hazard.

If it had been a Dodge, Chrysler, or Plymouth from the Fergus Falls area of Minnesota I probably would have known exactly who owned it and he would have called me and complained about getting it taken away being it was his best car he had!

He has about 30 or so vehicles like that or worse now and a number of them are still licensed and out on the road.

That's not tweaking, that's picking the nose of fate.

I don't see how someone who is down on their luck, poor, or just does not see a need to get a newer vehicle can constitute being called a dirt bag.

No, but putting other peoples safety at risk is.

So who's safety other than his own is he putting at risk?

I read every link I could find relating to the car and not one mentions anything about it not having working brakes or turn signals which would be considered a direct danger to others.

Unless a major part falls off it and hits someone the driver is the only person who's personal safety is truly and directly at risk.

As far as stuff falling off his car, how many vehicles are there that are in perfect shape that drop cargo or worse on roads all day every day that pose far greater safety risks to others that never get a second look?

As far as putting ones own self at risk thats his business right up until his seat falls through the floor with him!

OK. You are sitting in a parked car when this vehicle arrives in the space next to you and promptly catches fire. You say to yourself "That fire is in the next car, not mine" and carry on eating your sandwiches. Good luck.

The only two replies I can come up with for as to why would you continue sitting in a your car next a burning one eating sandwich's are these.

One. The primary objective to driving defensively is to protect you and your vehicle from the rest of the morons on the road not be another one of them. If something next to you catches on fire and you don't move you're a bigger idiot and moron than he is. His car catching fire and burning down was a unfortunate accident where as yours was totally avoidable had you bothered yourself or had enough common sense to move away from the other guys car that was on fire.

Or two. Thats just stupid. Did you really honestly think about that before you wrote it?

I for one have enough basic sense to move away from the fire and enough basic decency to then go help the guy once my vehicle is safe.

That post was a direct reply to your own posting #6 "So who's safety other than his own is he putting at risk?"
Of course it puts other peoples' safety at risk; it presents a danger to every other road user in the near vicinity. Sorry if the sarcasm made the point less clear.

it presents a danger to every other road user in the near vicinity.

How so?

Aesthetic danger?

would you feel okay if a vehicle with an unsecured gas container accidentally slammed into your car?

A vehicle like a motorbike? I'd feel fine.

Yes, because the motorcycle tank is designed for the application.

That is a world of difference than an unsecured plastic tank sitting on an unsecured rubber tire in the passenger compartment. I will not even get into the details of the fuel line.

Do you see a difference?

People are focusing on one item or justifying this by, "There are a lot worse things out there". Which is ridiculous. This is not a relative issue.

Just the tire alone, I have heard reports of an unsecure tire...... which a quick search was easy enough.

Curious though, the people that try to justify this act, what are their views of the having the pinto recall due to the poor design of the fuel tank.

If they are that far down on their luck as you defend them. If they are foolish enough to store a vented fuel cell on a tire in the passenger seat, it is very unlikely they keep the vehicle serviced properly.

Accidents happen, and this ass doesn't even make an attempt to lessen the impact. Yes he endanger others,

I am reading a lot of name calling, but I dont see anyone suggesting a viable alternative to the way the gas can is in the vehicle. Is there a better spot? To simply abandon the vehicle and start hitch hiking could be even more dangerous. Should they hang the gas can out the window? Put it on the roof? As long as this person drives in a safe manner I dont see why anyone would complain at all.

Yes, get a working gas tank from a salvage yard.

Everything is speculation, but if you could analyze all the possible choices this guy could have made, chances are there was a number of better alternatives.

The preponderance of proof in that statement is the fact that this adopted solution is one that is virtually unique in the news and in folk lore.

Going back even further in this guy's life I am sure you could find any number of bad choices he made that ultimately leads to his current circumstances. I suspect that this latest decision point is just one more bad decision in a string of habitually long bad decisions.

As for why anyone would complain at all, you might want to visit a burn unit at a hospital for a day. Even a gallon of fuel spread around from a collision can be a huge and deadly issue. There are reasons gas tanks are made the way they are and mounted where they are.

I don't see how someone who is down on their luck, poor, or just does not see a need to get a newer vehicle can constitute being called a dirt bag.

+1 tcmtech, thank you. That was my first thought at that characterization as well.

There are people who simply don't know any better. Ignorant is not scum.

Do you not have a system of vehicle exams for road worthiness? Over here in England we have to have a vehicle tested every year, If it doesn't pass you cant get a road fund licence & if you drive it without an MOT certificate it invalidates the insurance, and if the police catch you the vehicle is confiscated and crushed! So there aren't so many old rusty cars over here anymore. The same goes for all trucks & trailers.

Bazzer

Most states do not. It seems to more a north eastern US thing and it tends to be more of a revenue stream for the state than actually being useful.

Mot of the states that I have lived do not have inspections and it really just isn't an issue. However, if your vehicle really is unsafe, police usually have the authority to ticket you.

Is that before or after they've killed someone? We thought the same about revenue in the early years but after a few years you suddenly realise that you haven't seen a Smokey vehicle for a while and the accident rate attributed to faulty vehicles was down to a minimum and the horrific accidents involving heavy vehicles were also down by a huge amount and at the end of the day the government don't get that much out of it except in fines if people do not comply, the other side of it is that it gave the garages a big boost in revenue which was a good thing. I'm by no means a lover of our government, past or present, but this is one thing that I did support.

Bazzer

No, they will pick you off on the road before you explode.

The idea that state inspections reduce vehicle explosions is totally unfounded here as most state never had inspections from the beginning and there is no statistical difference in injuries or deaths from vehicle related defects that would fail an inspection.

The biggest problem we have is drunk driving. MADD has been a lightning rod for enacting powerful laws to curb that.

In Florida it is particularly harsh. Police will arrest you if found walking drunk with car keys in your pocket (you do not have to be in a car) and charge you with drunk driving and not being intoxicated in public. [p[] The theory is, you still have the potential to drive. It's a little like being arrested and charged with bank robbery if you happen to have a ski mask on you.

When I first moved down here a colleague warned me that if I was ever drunk and the Police were close by, throw my car keys as far away as I could. It is cheaper to get new keys than all the attorney fees, fines, loss of driver's license, and impoundment of your car.

Despite the harsh laws on the books we still get drunk drivers and riders (motorcycles). You simply can't legislate morality, but they keep trying.

According to that theory you could also be arrested for rape.

I have an 82 Bronco I have been driving for 15 years. After the first 3 or 4 years the gas tank started leaking. I did not have the money for another tank at the time so I put a metal 5 gallon can on the passenger side and ran a line with an inline electric pump and drove it that way for 5 years. So I guess Im a serious dirtbag. I have been called worse, the names roll off like water off a ducks back. Fact is some people (like me) try to keep the ball rolling by whatever means are necessary. I have also run the same Bronco without registration or insurance for 3 years without getting any citations because even though Im a dirtbag and an idiot I dont drive like one. People who look down their noses and judge others have faults of their own. People who live in glass houses.....

We all been down on our uick, i also had a Fuel tank leak, while You go to the expense and rig Fuel cell, I had gone to a salvage yard and pick up a used tank for less.

You operated without insurance, you have to realize, if you think you get respect for you being clever, your wrong, as far as lack of insurance..... For you I could care less, but accidents happen, be grateful.

it's usually the innocent that usually has to pay for it ones arrogance.

Looks like a good candidate for "Caption This"

The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.

Albert Einstien

Hello. Yes the vehicle is unsafe.Actually the Pinto was unsafe the day it left the assembly line.I was actively working in the automotive industry during the 70's and have personal experience with the Pinto and the 78 NHTSA's recall.A personal friend was horribly disfigured in a fire caused by a rear end collision and subsequent gas tank rupture. He spent a long time in the hospital having skin graphs.My friends experience and many others are not listed in the numbers cited in most texts for the recall because they did not die. Fords repair for the problem which was accepted by the NHTSA was to put plastic liners between the gas tank and the differential and the right rear shock absorber. The gas filler neck was also extended deeper into the gas tank to give more resistance to breakage. Compared to the the known problems, moving the gas tank from its original position to where it is may not be any more unsafe than original. It may seem odd now but for years gas tanks were placed in the passenger compartment by the manufacturers. Ask an old Ford Truck owner that is still driving down the highway. Chevrolet Trucks also had problems with fires during collisions when they located their gas tanks outside the frame rail many also still on the road. I would like to hear more details concerning the person driving the Pinto. Is he one of the many out of work people who are down on their luck and just trying to survive ? What choices were available to him to get from point a to b. Just wondering.

That fuel tank installation is done reasonably well.

Good quality hoses and clips.

Pump securely mounted.

Proper boat fuel tank. (a car is a land yacht)

The wiring could do with some cable ties.

The car probably wouldn't do to well in a crash from a structural perspective due to rust issues. That's the only unsafe issue I can pick from the photos.

The improvised (beautifully crafted) fuel system doesn't make it intrinsically dangerous. Probably safer in a rear end collision.

Calling the guy a dirt bag is too much. Some people get a bit funny when they see somebody else getting more out of their dollar than they are just for being resourceful. They reckon that just because they are threatened by their own ignorance and live in fear because of that then nobody else can enjoy a smug "can do" mindset. Jealousy.

I would not call him a dirt bag, but he surely isn't the brightest bulb in the box.

That won't stop him from lighting up if something goes wrong.

Hmm, that begs the question; I wonder if he is a smoker, too?

"that begs the question; I wonder if he is a smoker, too?"
That starts a different hare. If you look at the firefighting literature you will see that it is nigh on impossible to start a petrol fire with a cigarette. Strange but true.

http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/mythbusters/440/petrol_and_cigarettes.html

The chances of an explosive or flammable atmosphere developing in that car are next to zero.

The gaping hole in the floor would keep the cab nicely ventilated.....

Anyway,

This photo is being taken completely out of context.

It is not an example of a morally bankrupt car owner putting an entire continent at risk, as some here have rabidly frothed. It is a proof of concept arrangement for a new removable fuel cell idea. The rusty Pinto was perfect for the job.

The original placement of the fuel tank on this vehicle was faulty from design. Ford in the sixties placed the fuel tank behind the seat of pick up trucks so the cab installation is not new. Anyone who still drives a Pinto is not likely a fortune 500 owner and is probably down on his luck. The only person at risk here is the driver of this vehicle. Hopefully no one sits in the rear seats. I'd like to see some anchor straps but if this gets the guy to work and keeps him off welfare, go for it.

I bought a Rusty old '50 Studebaker truck with A Metal Boat tank similar to that one in the Floor board for a tank and NO brakes.... in 1987...

Fast forward to 2007.... 3rd place at South Bend Studebaker show after a 5 year restoration...

If the Pinto Survives that long, who knows?

They don't all deserve to be made into Chinese cars, just properly repaired...

While this definitely looks like something that could happen in Michigan (where I live) it is actually listed as having happened in Minnesota.

Location could be any where. I have a friend in Colorado springs, where a large percentage of the people run on bald tires, and I mean that literally. A light rain or a dusting of snow, no matter how safe a driver you are, you risk your safety to be on the road with (for the hypersensitive) people of that caliber.

Well I've seen a few like this. Usually as a junk yard work vehicle or a farm vehicle. Used to run parts and tools around. None were ever intended to be used on the road. I just wonder if the guy got caught running to the store in one. It happens.

He did, Michigan State Patrol pulled him over........

Well from the original post sound more like the owner was using it as his only means of transportation. Not someone that took it off the junk yard lot. For trip to the convenience store to get cup of java.

That would just make him stupid not a dirtbag!

I agree, and I don't believe intelligence was not in question here.