1947 Lincoln Club Coupe Restoration

I am in the process of restoring a 1947 Lincoln Club Coupe (Zephyr) and wondered if anyone had a good manual or book for getting all the paint items and reconstruction back to original as it was first delivered to the show room. Items I am questioning include, for example, was the body placed on the frame and both painted together. Mine appears to be spot welded together with little or any bolts holding the body to the frame. In doing a rotisserie restoration, it looks as if I have to have both blasted and painted together. Is this correct?

Thanks for the help. I really want to put it back to original, but am finding limited information on the web to do so.

Snakewill,

If you're not a member of the Lincoln Zephyr Owners Club, you might want to consider joining. There's a LOT of technical expertise in the club that you could access. Check out http://lzoc.org/home/LZOC_Application.pdf.

The club used to publish an Authenticity Manual, which is currently under re-editing. However, I believe Earle Brown has copies available. His contact info is:

Earle O. Brown, Jr.

229 Robinhood Lane

McMurray, PA 15317

(724) 941-4567

FAX (724) 942-1940

Items I am questioning include, for example, was the body placed on the frame and both painted together. Mine appears to be spot welded together with little or any bolts holding the body to the frame. In doing a rotisserie restoration, it looks as if I have to have both blasted and painted together. Is this correct?

.

Join the LZOC. You won't find better info anywhere. BTW, your car is one of the first 'unibodies' Frame and body are one. Makes it a bit more 'challenging'.

It has been a challenge and a surprise. Did they paint the frame and body at the same time?

It has been a challenge and a surprise. Did they paint the frame and body at the same time?

Good question. Logic would say yes, but that doesn't always follow with these. Maybe someone else can help here. My car was sitting in a field for years before I got her and in pretty bad shape, so hard to tell.

Good question. Logic would say yes, but that doesn't always follow with these. Maybe someone else can help here. My car was sitting in a field for years before I got her and in pretty bad shape, so hard to tell.

Thanks for the response. Logic would say it would. My car is rust free, but difficult to tell underneath. I really need a good photo log of an original unmolested car.

Thanks for the response. Logic would say it would. My car is rust free, but difficult to tell underneath. I really need a good photo log of an original unmolested car.

That is going to be tough. Molestation has been rampant, if not the rule.

It is important to be a correct as possible so I will look the recommended reference.

Thanks

look at this amazing job, he is doing a real nice job with car and photo essay, and although it is different year, is mostly the same car..

chk it ..call him, email him..go go go

http://forums.aaca.org/showthread.php?t=381379&page=6

Body was welded/bolted to frame and the body was painted. The engine compartment and exposed frame was painted body color. The front and rear wheel wells and frame in that area was painted body color. The frame in the area of the rocker panels got heavy over spray. Before the body color was applied, the underneath area (floor and frame) was painted with chassis black. The areas of the frame that were painted were only heavy over spray. For real minutia, there were four 2" square areas that the frame and body sat on that received no paint at all. There were 2 at the cowl area and 2 just before the frame kick up. For "as left the factory" these areas should be raw steel.

Body was welded/bolted to frame and the body was painted. The engine compartment and exposed frame was painted body color. The front and rear wheel wells and frame in that area was painted body color. The frame in the area of the rocker panels got heavy over spray. Before the body color was applied, the underneath area (floor and frame) was painted with chassis black. The areas of the frame that were painted were only heavy over spray. For real minutia, there were four 2" square areas that the frame and body sat on that received no paint at all. There were 2 at the cowl area and 2 just before the frame kick up. For "as left the factory" these areas should be raw steel.

Thanks for the response. This is rexactly as mine appears, with the exception mine has heavy undercoating on the underbody and in the engine compartment. It actually looked factory.

Some say that undercoating was applied at the factory and some say the dealer. I have seen many Lincolns with undercoating and there seems to be a variety of areas that were undercoated. Some undercoated the rear axle, some undercoated under the hood others the firewall and inner fenders. It would seem to me that the dealers got carried away with the undercoating , whereas the factory would have a method to the application that did not waste the material (rear axle housings) or possible cause problems in the future (undercoat regulator, OD relay and wires).

The factory applied undercoat is heavy tar substance mainly under floor pans, inside wheel wells..Continentals had tar paper, textured under hood

Dealerships then and now, can do whatever they damn well please...but why bother, y'all aren't driving it in the salty winter..the undercoat is more for sound deadener under large panels.

Look at the pictures from Mr Barry and his maroon 42...it is correct...

Thanks for the response. I like. The color of the car on the underside to accent the suspension.

Mr Barry's car looks great.

Barry Wolks car looks very nice and will impress a lot of judges on the show field. However, he should have picked up an Authenticity Manual before he painted the bottom side of his Zephyr. When the body and frame came together, the next step was to spray the under side of the combined assembly with chassis black.Probably with a wand from the sides and not a spray gun. This was more of a thin tar base coating than a paint. The gas tank has a terne coating to protect the metal from rust. When the car was given its color coat, no effort was made to mask off the frame or tank and if color got on the frame and floor, so be it. The rear and sides of the gas tank got over spray and the floor behind the tank got painted. The frame from the cowl forward was painted in the engine compartment and on outside of the inner fender wells. The car was on a cart and pulled through the paint section. There was no one under the car and there was no need to paint the bottom side body color. Check new 2015 cars in the dealer showroom and you will see basically the same thing. The bottom of the car will be a gray primer color or E coat. Mr. Wolk also has another error in his restoration that is more easily fixed. Cast iron heads did not have washers under the nuts holding the heads on. Only the aluminum heads had washers to keep the nuts from gouging the soft metal. I don't mean to be overly critical, but I would hate to see some one use these pictures as gospel.

Barry Wolks car looks very nice and will impress a lot of judges on the show field. However, he should have picked up an Authenticity Manual before he painted the bottom side of his Zephyr. When the body and frame came together, the next step was to spray the under side of the combined assembly with chassis black.Probably with a wand from the sides and not a spray gun. This was more of a thin tar base coating than a paint. The gas tank has a terne coating to protect the metal from rust. When the car was given its color coat, no effort was made to mask off the frame or tank and if color got on the frame and floor, so be it. The rear and sides of the gas tank got over spray and the floor behind the tank got painted. The frame from the cowl forward was painted in the engine compartment and on outside of the inner fender wells. The car was on a cart and pulled through the paint section. There was no one under the car and there was no need to paint the bottom side body color. Check new 2015 cars in the dealer showroom and you will see basically the same thing. The bottom of the car will be a gray primer color or E coat. Mr. Wolk also has another error in his restoration that is more easily fixed. Cast iron heads did not have washers under the nuts holding the heads on. Only the aluminum heads had washers to keep the nuts from gouging the soft metal. I don't mean to be overly critical, but I would hate to see some one use these pictures as gospel.

How I wish you lived next door to me!

How I wish you lived next door to me!

I will try to keep it as original as possible. I need to get the book to help me through the process, but want to thank you again for the assistance. I actually do the restorations for winter projects and the love of cars. Rarely sell and never show.

thanks again.

Wait for the new authenticity manual, I have the old one and restored my 48 conv coupe by the book and was then told a lot of that book was incorrect, so Idont go to shows anymore just drive my car as much as possible and enjoy it.

if you still need the old manual let me know I will let you barrow it.

by the way the frame was not painted except for what was exposed when body was painted, my car was a survivor 2 owner car, my wife's uncle being the second owner who bought it in 48.

When I stRted the restoration the underside had about 1/2" of undercoating on everything they could spray it on. I was told this was optional for east coast cars, mine came from Pensilvania, sorry if that spelling is wrong, still have the original key fob from the car lot it was sold from.

I ordered a manual from Earl and should receive it soon. My car is from California, fortunately rust free and the bottom is heavily covered as yours. It almost looks as if the car was never painted underneath with the exception of the thick undercoat.