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1941 Lincoln Continental Cabriolet convertible V12 restoration project


Guest Mike Lombard

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Guest Mike Lombard

The car has only 48,000 miles on it. All the parts that look like they are missing, were inside the body, buried underneath old seat padding. Even the braces for the convertible top were there.

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Guest Mike Lombard

Hi Mssr.,

Yes, I can't say how excited I am about this car!

I'm not surprised that you were first to greet me. I had already seen the two beauties in your profile pics. :)

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Hi Mike,

Wow does that ever look familiar. Ton of work but well worth the effort.

One hint, On those yokes that are on the screws for the top motors and gear box, don't send them out for chrome unless you remove the die cast course threaded nuts inside. I did and the nuts disappeared and they are impossible to find.

Tom

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Guest Mike Lombard

Nice tip, Tom. Thanks.

The car is much more complete than I could have ever hoped. Yes, it will be a lot of work ... I do my own welding, metal fabrication and painting. I love it.

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Guest Mike Lombard

Tom,

I saw the new albums you added to your profile... she turned out awesome! ... 35 years ... you are one determined SOB.

I was looking at your metal work ... Niiiii...ice.

Body #18 ... that's incredible. Can you tell me how I can identify mine?

My computer guy found the car.

I thought it was worth taking a look and ... found the car even has the original paperwork and manuals :)

Mike

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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Hi Mike,

In the engine bay on the firewall to the left as you are looking into the bay, you should find a small metal tag with some embossed letters. That plate will read 16H 56 #### The last digits will be the body number. There were only 400 Continental Cabriolets built in 41.

The VIN number can be found in two locations, one on the drivers side towards the front of the car. It is stamped on the front cross member. The other location is on the drivers side of the rear frame,,,just about where the gas filler pipe is I think, but that will get you close.

You can send the serial number and body number to the Lincoln Archives in Detroit along with 20 bucks I think it is now, and they will send you a copy of the original production slip for your car. It looks like a time card and will have the information as to the date the car was built, color, top color, interior color and type, whitewalls or not, heater or not, radio or not, and if anything special was added to the car such as a special color. It will also tell you where the car was shipped. My car was restored back to original down to the Firestone Tires.

I have a ton of photos of the car as the restoration was going on, however I dont have many from the very beginning as it was a pain to take the photos and get them developed. With the digital age upon us,,,,I take photos of everything.

If you look in the sources section of the web site, you will find vendors that can help you with parts you will need. Rockers panels are available and expensive but if you want to do a total restoration, I would suggest highly you buy them from a vendor.. as I remember, Herrell-Boos has them and they are correct. They are two piece boxed rockers and run from under the front fender all the way back to the rear fender. They also are made to fill in the rusted area you may have between the rear of the door to the front edge of the rear fender.

As you get into the restoration, you will learn many interesting things about the Continentals. One is the fenders, skirts and hood were all Zephyr parts that were cut apart and pieces welded in to lower and lengthen. You will find pounds and pounds of lead in the body especially around the rear body area over where the rear fenders bolt. Also across the back of the trunk just about there the spare tire carrier bolts, left to right there is a bunch of lead there covering a really rough seam. I did the sheet metal repair on my car, then used lead to get the body back to shape. I used a skim coat of filler to cover the filing marks. Lots eaiser to do that rather than chase warped panels all over the place.

A couple of other areas rust may have gotten to your car is naturally the floor boards, under the front inner fenders to the rear, and the inner front fender areas to the front just about where the grills fit on both sides. My car was rusted also on the curved area in the rear under where the spare tire bolts. What a royal pain to make that piece. The nose piece under the grills may be hard to locate, but Merv Adkins in California may have one. That piece is spotwelded on the car between the grills about half way up the skinny center section as well as where the radiator bolts etc. Once you get into it you will find how it is attached.

There is a fiberglass reproduction available, but I cannot tell you anything more about it as I have never seen one.

All of the wiring is avalabile through Narraganset Restoration. They are listed in the vendor section and I have used them for years,,,,very reliable and easy to deal with.

Thats enough for now,,,I'll put up some more photos of repaired areas today.

Tom

Edited by Tom Overfield (see edit history)
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Guest Mike Lombard

"Thats enough for now,,,"

I agree, Tom ... LOL

I'm barely into it, and you gave me enough info to last me several months without an update :)

My favorite pic is the early one of you, sitting in the car's driver seat, in front of the garage. Looking like its perfectly normal to be driving around in a car that's half rotted away. :D

Everything I've read says 400 made. But my factory manual gives a production number of something like 338 cabriolets ... and I believe there were about 31 of them produced in 1942. I don't recall the exact numbers at the moment.

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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  • 9 months later...
  • 7 months later...
Guest Mike Lombard

Thank you, Douglas.

I haven't been to the board for a while. The car is coming together, and I'm struggling to find front and rear seat frames, now. The springs in the old ones are shot.

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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Mike, it appears that the carb is mounted in reverse and may be a post war one if it has 4 mounting holes . Needs turning around. Also if the intake manifold has 4 bolts to mount the carb will be a 26H for 42-48 Lincolns. And, if the fuel pump has a glass bowl attached to it then it is for a 42-48 Lincoln.

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Guest Mike Lombard
Mike, it appears that the carb is mounted in reverse and may be a post war one if it has 4 mounting holes . Needs turning around. Also if the intake manifold has 4 bolts to mount the carb will be a 26H for 42-48 Lincolns. And, if the fuel pump has a glass bowl attached to it then it is for a 42-48 Lincoln.

Thanks, John. The carb is not mounted. It's just sitting on top for the photos.

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Guest Mike Lombard
Mike,

I commend you for saving a car that many would have deemed too far gone.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the '40-'41 Continentals, because my late Father restored a '40 Continental Cabriolet back in the 80's.

:)

That's great to hear, Sweepspear.

I plan to have the car finished by the Fall and put it up for sale then.

I'm struggling with a decision on the paint, seat upholstery, and top colors. Suggestions are appreciated from any and all. And if someone wants to buy the car, they can pick the colors. ;)

I've got a line on the front seat frames. I'm still researching on the back seat frame.

Here's a pic of the floor work so far ...

7_jpg.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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Guest zazothex

Wow Mike, those pics are great. If you have a moment, could you send me any more you have of those floors, especially what you did to the trunk and top well area? I'm in exactly that place in my '47 LCC. Mine's hacked to pieces, and I'd love something to work towards.

christcwr@yahoo.com

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Guest Killerbunny

Keep on good work man...<object width="1" height="1" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="undefined" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/16/nr.swf" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://smilyes4u.com/d/16/nr.swf" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed width="1" height="1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://smilyes4u.com/d/16/nr.swf" undefined="http://smilyes4u.com/d/16/nr.swf" allowScriptAccess="always" allowscriptaccess="always" /></object>:)

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Guest Mike Lombard
Wow Mike, those pics are great. If you have a moment, could you send me any more you have of those floors, especially what you did to the trunk and top well area? I'm in exactly that place in my '47 LCC. Mine's hacked to pieces, and I'd love something to work towards.

christcwr@yahoo.com

Zazo, that one was the best pic of the trunk area I have.

I have more pics, but not of that area. Scroll to the bottom of the link page.

Mike Lombard's Home Page

Thanks, Killerbunny!

Here's one more floor pic ...

6_jpg.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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Guest Mike Lombard

There was no floor when I got the car. All the car had was about the first 2-3 ft. of the front tunnel. I had to purchase a bead roller to make that floor right.

We are rolling Now!

4_jpg.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Mike Lombard

Thanks to one of our board members, I now have original front seats and rear seats.

Here's a couple of progress pics from the album posted on 7/10/12 ...

1_jpg.jpg

post-72467-143139093109_thumb.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Mike Lombard

So I've been working hard trying to get all the chrome work finished and I've discovered I'm missing the L & R door rocker panel, long trim pieces. And the little 4 inch or so long, half horseshoe shaped trim pieces that go on the bottom front of the rear fenders.

If you have any of those pieces for sale, please call Mike Lombard 304 754 9448

A couple more pics ...

post-72467-143139106048_thumb.jpg

post-72467-143139106041_thumb.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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  • 1 month later...
Guest Mike Lombard
Hi Mike,

Who did your gauges? Mine are in lousy shape and I would like to get them restored/repaired. I also have a 41 cont. cab. Thanks,

Scott

Hi Scott,

I asked Mike and he said he buffed them out himself, and ordered new stickers from a speedometer shop.

-Scott

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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Guest Mike Lombard

We need help with the radiator. We need someone to recore it, or we need to find a replacement. But we're a little leary about replacing it with another 70 year old radiator. Any suggestions???

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You should be able to find a radiator shop close by,,,look for one that had been in business awhile. They can remove the top and bottom tanks if necessary and clean out the original core, then solder it all back together, pressure test it for leaks and repair as necessary. I had mine done a couple of years ago and all was well internally. A re-core is also possible but hold onto your wallet for that one.

Tom

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Guest Mike Lombard
You should be able to find a radiator shop close by,,,look for one that had been in business awhile. They can remove the top and bottom tanks if necessary and clean out the original core, then solder it all back together, pressure test it for leaks and repair as necessary. I had mine done a couple of years ago and all was well internally. A re-core is also possible but hold onto your wallet for that one.

Tom

Hi Tom,

I passed your advice on to Mike. He says he couldn't find anyone local, but found a place in Arizona that will re core it for him. Mike plans to go to the Hershey show in Oct. and look around there too.

Azscott, You're welcome!

- Scott

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest Mike Lombard

I need 4 rims for my tires, now. If you have one or more, and they have the balance checked, please let me know. Maybe balance is the wrong word, but I do need them straight and unbent.

Front seat upholstery is finished ... the odd creases are just from stuff that was leaning agaisnt the seats.

post-72467-143139215867_thumb.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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Guest Mike Lombard

I formed the nailing strip for the convertible top out of oak wood that I soaked and bent into shape. It was not an easy task, but I am very happy with the results.

post-72467-143139222951_thumb.jpg

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  • 2 months later...
Guest Rob McDonald

Beautiful work! These factory "chop jobs" really do add more work to a restoration. An old friend had the same experience with a '53 Skylark - the poor thing was full of hidden rough edges and tons of lead. On the other hand, you can take comfort that the work you do on the car is of at least the same standard, sometimes better. I'm really looking forward to the next couple of updates, when everything goes back on.

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Guest 65Starfire
Mike, it appears that the carb is mounted in reverse and may be a post war one if it has 4 mounting holes . Needs turning around. Also if the intake manifold has 4 bolts to mount the carb will be a 26H for 42-48 Lincolns. And, if the fuel pump has a glass bowl attached to it then it is for a 42-48 Lincoln.

Here is an ebay listing for a 3 bolt pre war intake:

1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 Lincoln Intake Manifold 3 Bolt Type | eBay

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  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Mike Lombard

I spoke to Mike and now I see why John Murphy brought up the carb position. After measuring the piston diameters, we've determined that the whole engine is a '46 - '48, and it has 1946 stamped on the intake. The pistons still show the original honing marks.

The grill and bumper have only been prepped for chroming, we still need to send them out. Mike chromed every little bolt and nut that was visible, himself. The really big stuff still has to be sent out. No bolt was untouched during this restoration. All rubber has been replaced. Mike even replaced the rear seal bearings which I understand was a real MFer as he had to press the bearings in through a 3 ft. long neck.

We have a group of businessmen coming to look at the car today and I'm working on a new photo album for the web page. Here are a few teaser pics for now.

- Scott

P.S. We are still trying to find the complete ownership history of the car, Vin H120652 and body is 16H56263.

11.jpg

12.jpg

Edited by Mike Lombard (see edit history)
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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Mike Lombard

At this point, Mike is starting to focus more on the electrical . The back of the radio was filled with crumbled insulation, so Mike is just going to use the face of the radio.

He plans on using an 8 volt battery to power the electric instead of 6V. If anyone thinks that is not a good idea, please let us know.

Thank you, Scott

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What's wrong with the good old 6 volt system use by millions of car in the past? Properly set up...worked fine before. why not now?. Especially since you are not planning on keeping the car. Just get a 6 volt OPTIMA red top battery. Why stick a new owner with a poor sysyem Just my opinion which you asked for.

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Guest Mike Lombard
What's wrong with the good old 6 volt system use by millions of car in the past? Properly set up...worked fine before. why not now?. Especially since you are not planning on keeping the car. Just get a 6 volt OPTIMA red top battery. Why stick a new owner with a poor sysyem Just my opinion which you asked for.

Thanks, John, I appreciate any constructive criticism. Some old timer has been bending his ear and has him sold on the 8V for better cranking power. I have been browsing the forum and 95% of posters agree with you. I think there was only one poster who said eight is great. I will pass your recommendation on to Mike.

Of course now that the car is almost done, Mike is having second thoughts about selling it right away.

- Scott

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  • 2 months later...
Guest Mike Lombard

Mike decided to do the steering wheel in wood ... pictured below in progress.

Mike took the car to the Carlisle show this weekend. The response was awesome. He has promised me more pics soon.

steeringwheel.jpg

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