I don’t think it’s a gas tank. More likely, it’s a water tank to keep the driver hydrated. It ain’t easy propelling a car with Pressed Stone Feet.
Good old Ford. They name a car after a bean, and then wonder why the rear end always blows up.
Back when I was an auto shop teacher, I had a summer job working for the local Ford dealer as a mechanic. This was 36, 37, and 38 years ago. Yes, my Snap-on tool box is an antique. The shop had about 14 stalls, give or take a pair. One day I came back from lunch and surveyed the scene. There were six Pintos and four Lincoln Town Car/Mark whatevers in the shop. The other stalls were a mixture of Ford offerings. That alone told me what a dud the Pinto was. Considering the low production numbers of the Lincoln line, you can bet they had more than their share of issues too. Fussy owners as well. I was the Pinto timing belt specialist. No one else seemed to be able to time them up correctly. My record, from hood pop to hood close, was 24 minutes. Seemed like there were a couple every week.
Today I see a couple of Pintos parked around the city. PARKED is a key word. Both look like they’d run. Maybe they need timing belts. But I digress.