Hello - I'm new here and am looking for some good advice.

I have always wanted to get myself a nice pre- or immediate post-war car for touring. The two cars I like most are the '41 Cadillac and the '47 Lincoln Continental with the V12 with the Lincoln being my first choice by a wide margin (love that engine).

Well anyway - I found my first choice - a 1947 Continental in very good condition and at a reasonable price that's within my budget. The car has been restored and maintained to a very high standard.

My question is this... I am looking for a car that I can clock 7,000 - 10,000 miles per year. I am planning a road trip from Chicago to Southern California on Route 66 and would love to do it in this car. I have an outstanding mechanic, upholsterer, chrome man and paint man so upkeep and maintenance will be no problem. But when it comes time to drive, I'll often be by myself so I need a certain degree of reliability.

My question is, can that V12 with the overdrive handle highway speeds for hours at a time. Can it do 500-600 miles in a weekend? Or is it going to give me problems no matter how well it's maintained and lovingly serviced. I'm not looking for something to take to Pebble Beach. I want something that I can get in and just go enjoy the open road over a long weekend.

Thanks for any and all advice that anyone can offer.

Harley.

As one who made the very trip you contemplate to Detroit from LA in a '41 Connie cabriolet in 1956, see pic, without the OD hooked up, I ran the car at 60-70 MPH on Route 66 both ways, the only breakdown I had was the right hand water pump cashed in as we hit the ridge route going in to LA on the way back, for you, a pair of Skips water pumps will circumvent that event, and just a spare distributor and coil for insurance, and of course a fresh rodded out radiator and new tires, and a reliable, low mileage V-12 should make the trip with ease, other here will probally disagree, but they have never done it-

I love that pic of Mr Burdette....way cool...cheers
Rolfe !!

A Lincoln Continental v-12 is like any other fine
marquis, a proper v12 od works effortlessly, the engine
is virtually silent at an idle..u should find yourself
tapping the gas to be sure it is running... pwr window
quick and consistant.....

take it on the xpressway....go 80 ..it should be easy

if it smokes and gets noisey..figure 10 grand..otherwise
i say reliable as any car.....
there are a couple articles in twotz about long distance tourers...

Thanks Rolf and Jeff. I put the deposit down on my '47 yesterday and she comes home in a few weeks. I appreciate your help.

Make sure about all the fluids, because that trannie can cost $ $ $ to fix! and make sure that the timing gear is ok, mine sheared off because it was archaic and some of the teeth were missing (of course mine is a Merc. V-8 from that time not the 12, but, maybe ford had the same kind of timing gear in the lincolns too?

MERCURY V-8??? OH COME ON NOW

WAS THAT A SPECIAL ORDER??

Yes Jeff, Ford Mercury and Lincoln V-12, 44 teeth bolt on type, the earlier ones pressed on. It is advised to use an aluminum gear in the Lincoln V-12, as there is a great deal more load on it than the V-8's, the Ford part # is 7RA-6256-B, try to get a gennie, Dennis Carpenter is said to be good for stuff like that. The aluminum gears wear very little, so a used one will be good to use-

What do you mean by that? It has a 1948 Merc. engine, that has been in there forever. Could you order it with a V-8?

Rolf,
Could you order it with a Merc. V-8 if you wanted?

No Wes, that was not a factory option. Most were changed when the V-12 went south and a replacement was necessary, the Ford and Merc flatheads were available from wrecked cars in the wrecking yards, and the owner or someone he hired installed it, some say that dealers used to install other engines in L's, but I have never confirmed that, crate engines are a recent phenomonen-

Fascinating! All I know about mine is that it has been in there along time, the odometer claims 90,000 something (if they reset it) and my grandpa bought it in '74 or '75, some of the stuff such as the heater was not plugged back in. Have to replace the heater hoses now, all the ones have detiorated to both the back and front heaters. Any idea where to get them? It is finally sunny here in CA got to get the '48 out and about, Just waxed it last night! Got some of the oxidation off of the ancient paint job too.