Assembly thread, 1942 Lincoln Zephyr Club Coupe

In the meantime, the Zephyr sat for a week while Dan recovered from a bug and then took to getting a bunch done on the V-16 Cadillac he's making a top and side curtains for. While waiting for parts to finish the Caddy he's jumping back into my car. He fit me in, I'm willing to wait.

In the meantime I took the opportunity to clean up and organize my workspace. I own a 5000 square foot building that started off as a '40s car repair facility. It had a single post lift that was removed ages ago.The original building is about 1500 square feet with about 3500 square feet in two additions. There was a waiting room with a window where people could watch their car being worked on. In later years it became a carpet store that just happened to be next door to the building I ran my business out of. The partition cut my work space to 22 feet. The limo wouldn't fit.

I decided to remove the shelving and cut into the 18-foot showroom space with a 10-foot wide arch.

While that made for a nice extension of the space the wall section on the left really restricted the space.

The only way to get rid of it was to take out the ceiling and the whole wall.

I discovered that the original waiting room had only been bumped out 6 feet.

When I got back to the original rafters I found they were 3" x 5" clear tongue and groove cedar roof boards 16" apart. They are incredibly strong and straight as an arrow. I've decided to leave them and attach some lighting to them.

The demolition material filled an E-350 cargo van, floor to ceiling. To the right is a green Masonite wall. That will be removed and a new wall built out even with the end of the ceiling. That will be a handicap-access bathroom. I'll deck the top of the rafters with plywood and use it for storage or a John Malcovich visit. That space looks like a perfect spot to work on the Steyr.

Another Dan detail dump.

The stitching and fit is SUPER DUPER NICE.....

Yep, that plastic door covering is a MUST.

I remember as a kid cars would come into dads dealership for service, and when you closed the door you could hear WATER. Dad would take a wire, reach up and under the door and open the drain holes, water would pour out, and customer would be shocked.

Looking so good, NICE PROFESSIONAL JOB, for sure.

Dale in Indy

All I can say about those last photos is WOWIEEEEEEEEEEE!

I must say that earlier on in your posts when you loaded the car up and sent it out of town to be upholstered I wondered why you would do that. I thought they must be upholsterers in your local area who could do a suitable job.

I can see now why you did it. An absolutely first class job. Getting people capable of work like that nowdays is nearly impossible.

Suitable being the operative word. The prices I got locally were just slightly higher, when I could get one at all. Upholsterers are a odd breed from what I've found. Very few will estimate a job and only work T & M. I'm in a contracting business and find that people are really uncomfortable with T & M. It can sometimes be impossible to quote repair work as troubleshooting is part of the process, but people that have been doing interiors their whole lives know how much time things take to do, and they pretty much know their material costs, too. Dan was able to come up with a price I was comfortable with.

Long before I was even thinking about the interior Dan contacted me and offered to guide me through the process, cautioning me that if I planned on showing it this year I'd better get moving. How right he was as time flew by. Dan was kind enough to send me pages and pages of material samples he deemed appropriate for the time and cost of the car. I was incredulous that he would do this for me, and told him so. I really had no intention of sending the car to Oklahoma, but thanked him, repeatedly. That almost sounds absurd that I would send a car 950 miles away, but Scotty's sending me his Steyrs from California.

I started following Dan's Facebook posts and was continually astounded at the number of iconic legends he's had a hand in. Visiting his web site, http://www.dankirkpatrickinteriors.com, and looking at his interior progress shots I found myself looking at art, not upholstery. In further research of his site I found that many of his interiors have been on the 18th green of Pebble Beach, which is some pretty rarified air.

Dan made it very easy to pull the trigger once I knew that a slot had opened up. Dan was holding a spot open for Scotty's Ruxton to have the interior redone, but there wasn't time. I jumped at the chance to have Dan do the interior. It's been nothing short of an absolute pleasure dealing with him. He communicates well and takes lots of pictures allowing me to continue the thread. His level of craftsmanship is exactly what he represents on his site. My best suit (of 3) doesn't have stitching as nice.

Now that our streets are clear of salt I can't wait to get it back to drive it. Dan's driven it 100 times further than I have.

Today I got a lesson in rebuilding seat spring assemblies. The springs in the seat are individually wrapped in burlap and then linked together with hog rings. They are "C"-shaped clamping devices meant to pierce cloth and hold two springs or the springs and frame together. A tool crimps them into a circle.

I'm sure you've all sat on a spring in a car or on an old couch or restaurant booth. The reason you feel them is that the spring has escaped from its individual pouch.

The springs in this car were in excellent shape with only a little surface rust. That an indicator that the interior never got wet. The springs are tied together and to the seat base. A top frame also attaches to maintain the shape of the seat and additional bars get installed that spread a person's weight out over a larger area. Good thing.

The seat rebuilding starts with cleaning and painting the seat frame. Then pouches are sewn into folded strips of burlap.

The length of strip is determined by the size of the springs and the length of the row.

The springs are slid into the pocket compressed so that the opening can be sewn shut, trapping the spring.

The springs are all trapped, but are turned the wrong way inside the pouch.

Once they are turned they are allowed to expand, but have limited travel due to the bag. That way the springs are always in tension.

The springs are lined up and either 2, 3 or 4 hog rings tie the springs together. This is done on both sides making the springs act on each other, helping them support the weight.

The completed mattress-like assembly is then attached to the seat frame, ready for modern foam instead of the original cotton.

Now, this is where it gets tricky as there are different length springs used in different parts of the seat. This is the spring set for just one of the folding seat backs. They have to be removed from the frame, position kept track of, bagged and reinstalled in the proper position or the seat will not have the proper shape. Thankfully the car has never been reupholstered so the seats will be perfectly duplicated. the original seat stuffing is cotton batting that was built up in layers. It didn't hold its shape over time so it will be replaced with modern foam shaped to fit the contour of the original cushions.

These are the replacement springs for the driver's side seat bottom. I'm a tad larger than the average bear so additional support was necessary. Dan used the "mass of the ass" as part of the quotient for the new spring size. It will just be a little firmer for the average-size person but tailor-made for my butt.

Very good work, super pictures.

I as a kid I helped my father do that process back in the late 40's, he had never used a sewing machine. He found a BLACK singer, and taught himself. He wasn't afraid of failure, he always kept trying, and became good at interior work. NOT THIS GOOD THOUGH....

Dale in Indy

Very nice, it will be ready for another 70+ years! I did the rebuilding on the seats in my '41 Roadmaster, and I know how much work it is.

Keith

The driver's door window was a pain. It looked like a new gear drive and it worked perfectly, ecept the window would want to drop on its own. Dan spent time on it and finally took it to a friend that diagnosed that siomeone weded a square shaft extension on the shaft without taking it apar and melted the spring that is supposed to offer resistance to movement. That done, he was able to finish the last do the side panels.

326 individually wrapped coil springs. Looks comfy.

Nice primer on seat construction Barry.

I had a concept of what was involved, but I'm really glad I left it to a pro. Really glad.

Credit to Dan for all the upholstery pictures.

Dan is done. I could not be more pleased. This is exactly as you would have seen it sitting on the showroom floor in November of 1941. We took very few liberties as Dan worked off of the original interior bits. The seating surfaces are Bedford Cord. The side panels are English Broadcloth. The pile of the carpet is even the same as the original. The original would have had darker carpet, but Dan made mats to protect the carpets for show. The originals had vinyl binding for the carpets, but I don't thing anyone will notice they're leather. The front kick panels look like they are a different color carpet, but it is the same.

The design of the interior is elegant and befitting a Lincoln Zephyr, but Dan's craftsmanship shines through all of that.

I see a number of "Best Interior" awards in this car's future.

Bravo, Dan Kirkpatrick.:beer:

It doesn't get any better than this. What a fantastic upholstery job!

Wow! That is certainly worth the time, effort, and dollars it took to get it done. Even the seat belts really don't look out of place.

Congrats!

Keith

Very nice, it's really compliments the total look of the car. To bad the dealers aren't stocking these today...

That has to be the nicest cloth interior restoration I have ever seen. Thanks for sharing this, Barry!

Yes, the interior is super, it has to be considered a AAAA+ work of art, not to take anything away from the installer, have you noticed that there are more and more excellent interior shops around the country coming to light.

I love this build, great detail.

Dale in Indy

The interior is absolutely gorgeous and very inviting. I've followed the thread since the beginning and this is another gem.

Great work Barry.

Outside for the first time in months. Now you can see the true color scheme.

Where it all began in 2004.

Rich looking, elegant! A "plain Jane" Zephyr - NOT!!! High praise to you, Barry and to everyone who helped you complete this beauty. And again thank you for the wonderful detailed posts. There's something in them for all of us.

Barry, congratulations on this absolutely beautiful Zephyr. You should be most proud of the work you and Dave did. A couple of comments, if I may. Were wheel trim rings available as an accessory? If so, you may want to consider installing a set. I think they would give just the right look to the wheels and black wall tires. And secondly, you may want to consider petitioning the CCCA for "Full Classic" status. This Lincoln is more elegant than many other full classics such as the Cadillac 60 Specials. Just some thoughts. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. John

Hi John,

Thank you for the compliments.

I posted the build sheet for this car and trim rings were optional, but not delivered on this car. Personally, I love having a story to tell that squarely places this car in the period of austerity just before (30 days before Pearl Harbor) the US entering WWII. The previous owner was going to doll it up and give it all the options it's missing, but my decision to leave it as it came is what makes the story interesting, at least to the shows that have requested our presence.

As far as a CCCA classic I'd say it really doesn't fit their criteria on a number of different levels. It's a production-level car with nicely finished body and trim sitting on an antiquated platform and powered by an anemic 12-cylinder. It's not even particularly good looking. I think the Continental Mark II fits their parameters far better than this car, but that's not my sandbox. They get to make the rules.

As far as being proud of the work, I am, as this is not my line of work. However, whoever did the body and paint and the interior are the ones that really should be proud, as all I did was nuts and bolts. Yes, it is more challenging putting a car together you didn't take apart, but you really don't need vast knowledge or the level of skill it takes to do body, paint and upholstery. That's artistry and rises to a different level than mechanical aptitude. Now, there's a difference between an assembler and a builder. On this adventure I was just an assembler of a really big jigsaw puzzle.

Sharing the journey is as much for your entertainment as it is for my solidifying the planning aspect of the project. By writing it down it embeds the thought and images in the process. It makes it very easy for me to refer to the thread than it is to sort through hundreds of pictures. Another HUGE benefit are the real experts that offer up their help in resources and technical advice. I post my threads in 4 places, so you can imagine that I have no shortage of willing helpers. I now have Steyr enthusiasts in Europe guiding me in that project. Since I started doing this with the build of my Spartan trailer 12 years ago I've never felt so connected to the outside world as I do now. I've enjoyed the ride.

Everything's been said . So I'll just say WOW!. Pure class. It is gorgeous Barry. Congrats..

The deal is done. Steve, from Tedson Industries, came out to test fit the mock-up CNC'd out of foam. It's an exact replica of the side I have, only inverted digitally. Thankfully, Ford built their cars symmetrically. That was a legitimate concern raised by several people. However, it fit right into the intentionally elongated slots. The tangs that locate the trim also serve to secure it. The finished piece will have sligtly shorter tangs, but will otherwise be the same.

 

"I'd like to thunk the select few that let me know that they had the part, weren't using it, but wouldn't sell it at any price."

 

You will get the last laugh, since now that you have pioneered good-quality reproductions as an option, their "priceless" part s no longer priceless.

 

 

 

 

 

More jewelry.

First impressions are everything. I felt as though I had stepped back in time. There was hardly any cars on the street as this town empties out on a holiday weekend. My route was Grand River Avenue, west off of Beech Daly from Redford to Farmington Hills. What struck me is how little that street has changed since this car was new. I'd say that 98% of the buildings were around when this car plied the road. There wouldn't have been much traffic when this car was new as austerity measure leading up to WWII caused rationing of fuel and tires.

  "I'm still grinning++++".   As well you should. Fantastic.

  Ben

Beautiful restoration

Gorgeous car Barry!

I don't think it's possible to be more pleased than I am with the outcome. The side hood spears have been hewn from blocks of aluminum. They have been metal finished and the driver's side polished to a high luster to remove all scratches from the aluminum before it is copper plated. Many plating shops apply copper like it's Bondo. They apply too much so they can use it as filler. If you don't need to fill a layer of copper only a few molecules thick is necessary to act as a bond coat for the nickel that follows. The object should be to apply as little base as you can for the best finish. Like a good paint job, the work is in the base.

Barry, I can almost feel you happiness. This has got to be one of the most beautiful restorations I have ever seen! Congratulations! Now is the time to enjoy. Let us know about the "bang" it will cause at the big Ford show.

really came out nicely =0)

Love the blackwall tires!   Great work overall!    

Just beautiful! Perfect. A great restoration.

Down to the finishing touches. I sent a message to my wife that I'd be a little late as the striper was coming. She read it as something else, entirely.

BEAUTIFUL!

It's really in those fine details isn't it?

Did I read that you are bringing it to the Ford Employees Only Car Show a week this Friday Barry?

I'll be there with my friends two '59 and '60 Canadian built Monarchs. Would be great to meet you.

Yes, I'll be there with three cars. It's a logistics nightmare, but they've been good to me. I'll have the '77 Town Car, the Mark II convertible and the Zephyr.