1964 Lincoln Continental Convertible

[kvisser]

As some of you may know, I've hiding my 64 Lincoln convertible for the past few years in my buddy's garage. I keep it off site for 2 reasons: 1- I only have a carport and this Lincoln really needs a garage. 2- Every time my wife sees the car she immediately says "You gotta sell that thing!" I respond by not responding, endure the uncomfortable silence, and get on to the next subject. With the car offsite, I have to endure fewer of these conversations. The real stinger is, she gave me the car for my 40th birthday. I think that's the reason she really doesn't push the subject.

So I get a call from my friend last week, I sold the house, you need to move the Lincoln. I hadn't had much time the past year and I never started it in that period. I was worried about the quality of the gas and all sorts of issues. I got some automotive advice from guys about all the hardship I was going to go thru and the things I needed to do.

So I go over to the garage, check my fluids (this is very important because the car really marks its spots. This car is as ungreen as you can get.) I install a new battery (there is a constant voltage leak somewhere) I contemplate all the issues that I was told to address, promptly trash those ideas, crank on the starter for a good minute and she fires to life! It took a while to get her up to temperature. Its not a car you can just start up and drive away. it has to be in the mood to go.

I brought it to work, had some guys do a quick detail and the beast came out looking pretty good.

I got some good news/bad news that same night. The deal fell thru which was bad for my friend but good for me, at least temporarily. I can continue to avoid the conversation since the beast still lives offsite.

I took the car out that same night and it was so beautiful, I decided to do some moonlight photography. I had no idea of my results since I screwed up my lcd screen on the camera. Everything here was a stab in the dark, literally.

I tried playing with long exposures and a little flashlight which gave some interesting results. I also installed my cheap tripod in the back seat for some fisheye motion shots which had an interesting effect.

[cmcpokey]

thats a hell of a hat...

seriously though, some great shots of a truely awesome car. i have always loved those, and its nice to see them being taken care of. i even dabbled in the idea of buying one before i got my car the wife wants me to get rid of.

[NSXType-R]

thats a hell of a hat...

seriously though, some great shots of a truely awesome car. i have always loved those, and its nice to see them being taken care of. i even dabbled in the idea of buying one before i got my car the wife wants me to get rid of.

What, the G35?

[cmcpokey]

What, the G35?

the RX-7... she hates it. not really sure why.

[coolieman1220]

the RX-7... she hates it. not really sure why.

do you have pics and specs of it?

[baddabang]

do you have pics and specs of it?

The car or his wife?

[NSXType-R]

the RX-7... she hates it. not really sure why.

Only seats two and is small?

[cmcpokey]

do you have pics and specs of it?

the thread is here: http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum...okeys-rex.html, its a 1981 RX-7 S (the base model) with the 12a engine in it. and it is NOT for sale.

The car or his wife?

lol

Only seats two and is small?

i think its something more fundamental than that. she sees it as an unnecessary expense and something that is occupying a space in the garage. plus, as it belonged to my grandmother, i think she sees it as a symbol of my family, of whom she isn't very fond of.

[henk4]

Let's talk about the Lincoln, shall we?
Looks great in white, the black one will always be associated with November 1963 (and yes I still remember where I was when I heard the news).
What is really needed for a complete makeover? I thought such cars are virtually bullet proof, if having received normal maintenance?

[Fleet 500]

One of my Cadillac friends used to own a '64 Lincoln Continental Convertible. But he sold it before I met him so I never saw it nor was able to ride in it.
A Motor Trend test of a '64 Lincoln Convertible listed a curb weight at an incredible 5,700 lbs!

[Ferrer]

That's probably one of my very favourite american cars from the 60's.

[kvisser]

Let's talk about the Lincoln, shall we?
Looks great in white, the black one will always be associated with November 1963 (and yes I still remember where I was when I heard the news).
What is really needed for a complete makeover? I thought such cars are virtually bullet proof, if having received normal maintenance?

The convertibles were virtually handbuilt from the factory. I think they lost money on each one sold. The most complex part is the top. There are 21 motors and solenoids that operate the top.

My top mecanism is still working but the top itself needs to be replaced. There is a guy traveling the US in a Winnebago rebuilding 61-67 lincoln tops for 3 grand. He does an outstanding job. I just don't have the cash for that solution.

My motor/tranny needs work. I found a 430 lincoln motor some years back that had been totally rebuilt. I want to yank the motor and have the tranny rebuilt. But that all take time and money, both of which are in short supply.

Right now the car is running. It looks pretty good. It sound like a Mercury outboard motor. I replaced the one muffler with a Cherry bomb. I like the sound.

I have rebuilt the brakes but need to figure out why she is pulling to the right. I have rebuilt all the window switches (there are 10 of them and sell for 80 bucks NOS) I bought a couple at auction to replace the really bad ones.

I need to really have the paint detailed. It will look pretty good with the paint revived.

I'll keep on running the car for now on sunny days. I brought her to work last week with the temps starting in the low 40's. With the top down, it gets kinda cold but man does it look good. Spring is here, just need to get a little warmer to make cruising more comfortable.

regards

ken

[henk4]

as you say from the outside it looks quite decent, but the zillion nigthmares underneath might turn this into a long project. How's the spare part situation? (new and second hand?) Getting a roof replaced for 3 grand sounds actually rather attractive, compared to what I think would be charged in Europe.

[kvisser]

as you say from the outside it looks quite decent, but the zillion nigthmares underneath might turn this into a long project. How's the spare part situation? (new and second hand?) Getting a roof replaced for 3 grand sounds actually rather attractive, compared to what I think would be charged in Europe.

There are some great resources out there for working on Lincolns. One is the Lincoln Forum (The Lincoln Forum.Net: Where Lincoln Lovers Come to Chat) There are guys with 50 years experience working on Lincolns, willing to share their knowledge. As far as parts, some are harder then others. My steering pump will be $400 bucks, if I have a good core to trade in. There are some good parts places around. You can find virtually anything.

I was able to use a starter solenoid from a Ford F150 on my motor. So there are some newer pieces that will still work.

But cumulatively, its almost better to get one that has been restored or is in very good condition. The little stuff will nickel and dime you to the poor house.

I'm not by any means trying to restore my car. I just want to keep it running and somewhat safe. I could never afford to get it done right. If I do want to sell it, I'll throw a set of 22" rims on it, install some subwoofers and such and it will be gone in a heartbeat. But that would make me sad on a number of levels.

This also would not be a very good car to restore or drive in Europe. Its freaking huge and consumes massive quantities of dinosaur blood.

regards

ken

[kvisser]

I took the beast out last week. Got her up to triple digits. She floated like a dream. She also marked the very clean driveway I parked in with fluids.

Here are a couple more photos taken this past Sunday. I can't believe that I've owned this car for 7 years, taken tens of thousands of photos of other cars but never concentrated on my own ride.

regards

ken