Ray500

I had my redone some time ago, but yes you have to pull out the rear end in order to remove the transmission & overdrive. You might as well go through both of them since it's such a pain to get it out. There are parts out there from the listed sources on the club website. You have to be careful with the transmission as there are different gears (different number of teeth) in the transmission should you need to replace it due to wear. OD is pretty standard, there are places you can get a rebuilt OD solenoid which is very different than the old Ford units as it has a longer shaft. Also good time when it's apart to change the clutch/throwout bearing and any other part that needs replacing. Clutch plate is also different from the Fords with a different spline setup. I also had my flywheel removed and resurfaced/balanced so no clutch chatter. Lots of old flywheels get warped and like a brake lining to the drum it doesn't make good contact. Good luck with it!

Check with Merv Atkins out in Pomona, Ca. He's listed in the club's website as a vendor. Other vendors listed might also have what you need.

We have lost some of the pioneers in the restoration process. We have only their thoughts and ideas written in this on line blog to refer to in times of frustration in doing repairs and restoration of these vehicles. Documentation on most of these cars from the mid 30's onward is limited at best. Back in the day a lot of the mechanics were self taught, gaining experiences by working in garages on these cars with limited literature or information. If a person who was interested in working or restoring these cars got lucky, they would have a mentor somewhere that could teach and guide them along the way. Most of the vehicles are pretty simple to repair but somethings do require guidance understanding. Flat head engines are pretty much the same in any vehicle, Lincoln with their strange distributors setup for 12 cylinders and similar ones in Ford could have been better engineered as were later cars. The V12 had a bad reputation as to performance with low horsepower. Even Henry's first V8's left a lot tot be desired in many aspects. There was a struggle to get some power out of engines which took a few more years through a big war in order to achieve those goals. Given the fact that most of these cars are over 80 years old with parts being scarce, it can be challenging to decide to take on projects like proper restorations. Ford Motor Company hasn't been the best source when it comes to supporting old car repairs and restoration of their previous offerings. They are market driven and expect people to trash old cars for new ones without regard to the classics and the desire to bring them back through hobbies that could certainly use some valid parts and restoration support. It is also obvious that a lot of the younger people don't seem to have a burning desire to restore a lot of these old ones with more attention to technologies of other persuasions that might offer more support. We do owe a gratitude of appreciation to those who still support this hobby with parts available even on a limited basis. And yes, there is a hoard of parts in people's garages and collections that slowly make their way to the open market having been saved for future use. Now that the most of the 'hot rod culture' has passed perhaps more attention can be paid to the restoration of the classics!

Most any muffler shop can install a muffler/exhaust system on most any vehicle. There are offers on line for a full stainless steel exhaust system for Lincolns you can purchase and then have installed so you can forget the rusty issues of ordinary mufflers and pipes! If you look in Hemmings monthly publication you can find some. Some of the old muffler systems leak and the carbon monoxide can leak into the vehicle, hardly worth the risk!

You might find some original bolts, I think one of the Ford sites might have old bolts. I would take one down to a good nut/bolt shop or hardware store and get matching bolts/washers. I prefer stainless steel bolts, other have argued that it's not original unless you put the exact bolts back on your vehicle. I don't like the rust most of them have, and I don't know if it makes any difference. Most of our vehicles will never be formally judged for such things anyway. Most automotive bolts are SAE fine threads, but easily obtainable.

I'm in the process of doing mine on my 41 Zephyr Coupe. I am changing all the parts.....master cylinder.....wheel cylinders....new brake lines.....hoses....brake shoes...the whole thing! Now it might seem like a big investment, but it's not! Your life can depend on your brakes, a small price to pay for solid stopping power. I had intended to put on a duel master cylinder, vacuum booster also, but left that stuff in the box and am proceeding with rebuilding the brakes to original specs to keep everything original. I've done all the wheel and master cylinder rebuilding in the past, but not all of that works out with worn parts. When you hone a wheel cylinder sometimes it's not really true and can leak. Those things are inexpensive so why hassle it? Gather up all the parts and take your time in rebuilding unless you have a race tomorrow!

I did hear a story by someone in the Lincoln history of V12's that said in the later 1940's a bunch of new engines that were sent to the scrap heap as no one seem to have wanted them from some supplier. But then a lot of the world's auto history has been destroyed by unthinking individuals who seemed mostly interested in things not yet invented denying us the legacies of our history!

And you need to clean up the rust and corrosion in the horn button parts so you get good clean connections once you put it back together. Good clean electrical connections are important! Insulators need replacing also. Good luck!

The horn ring should have small plastic tabs on the 3 points where it contacts the horn ring on the steering wheel. They are probably worn off, and when they 'short' the horn circuit to operate it you're probably getting some inductive sparks that you will feel when you push on the horn ring. You need to look at an exploded view in the parts book that shows you the horn switch assembly and order any bad or missing parts. As to getting the steering wheel off, there's a nut on the end of the steering shaft that holds the wheel on it. Remove the nut and gently tap on the base of the steering wheel to nudge it upward. It is keyed to the shaft. Knobsoup will rebuild your steering wheel with new plastics if it's defective. His name is Keith Lee, and he's a club member. Horn parts should be available from Boos Harrel or other suppliers if you need them.

Shops that rebuild in brass are out there, you might have to send to to another area to get it done. You don't want any aluminum cores like new cars have as they will rot away in time. Also aluminum usually have plastic tanks on them. Mos vintage Lincoln radiators are brass all around and the core can be soldered into the tank/frame and give a long service if you keep coolant in them. Proper radiator caps are also important!

On these old cars, some of them over 80 years old you can't trust anything when it comes to safety equipment like brakes! Spare nothing to get the best brake job with the best parts you can find. I do have an original NOS master cylinder built in the USA, so I think it will work well. I do bench bleed as air can trap in any part of the brake system. You'll eventually get it all out if you keep bleeding. I have a pressure tank I will also use in the bleeding process just as soon as I get all the appropriate fittings to I can bleed without having to have someone stomp on the brake pedal over and over which can also cause more air bubbles. That way all the components that are brake related will be renewed and properly installed so the thing will stop when it's supposed to! What more could one ask for???

Check out www.classictubing.com as the have replacement stainless steel lines already properly bent and ready to install.

I had inquired of Classic Tube where I got my new stainless steel brake lines for my '41 Zephyr as to the availability of new gas lines. They told me they didn't have them in their line of supplies, but they could replicate your old ones if you had them available. Certainly copper tubing isn't what should be used, but if you could locate some original tubing from that period you could renew the lines and hoses. Try some of the suppliers listed in the Club's website. Another important element is the gas tank. It can fill with corrosion and such and create issues with the fuel supply to the engine. Cleaning it out off the vehicle and having a good coating put in it will help. There are aftermarket fuel tanks but expensive. I wanted a stainless steel tank but that's a modification that alters the vehicle and most don't have the baffles in them that keeps the tank noise in check. A good fuel filter is certainly necessary to keep junk out of the carb and intake. I have one just below my fuel pump on the engine. Also the electric fuel pump is needed at times to get the fuel to the engine as those old mechanical pumps has issues. Mine in in line with the fuel line about half way between the tank and engine.

If you can find a good radiator shop they can build you a new core and keep it original. Cores today are aluminum not brass like the 30's & 40's. Mine cost me over $800 some 10 years ago, still works great. I do have the baffles behind the water pumps which helps get the water to the rear of the engine as the ole V12's notoriously run hot. I would never drive it too long at high speeds or on mountain roads to get it too hot. I live in a tropical climate and we don't use thermostats usually with radiators. Mine are installed but I don't drive much so no problem. The Lincoln V12's used thermostat's inside the two top radiator hoses like the old Fords of the day, but it works well without them unless you live in the colder climates and need to get the engine up to temperature faster as the engine builds heat fairly quickly. When Skip Haney rebuilds the water pumps he puts new impellers in the with better bearings and seals to get the best cooling possible including the issues mentioned in the first part of this posting.

Looks like mechanical brakes! No wheel cylinder. Mechanical brakes can be touchy and not easy to balance out. They had juice brakes in '40, not sure what this is!

If you're going to replace the spark plug wires, best to remove the harness from both sides of the engine and lay it out on a table to either sort out a new set properly trimmed, or to take bulk wire and cut to length which is preferable. Make sure you know where each of the 12 wires plugs into each side of the distributor. 6 on each side, but if you get them mixed up it won't run! Draw a diagram of the engine for each plug's position and which wire it connects to on the distributor. Best to use a continuity tester like an OHM meter to verify each wire in the conduits and tape mark it so when you reinstall it you will know where each end goes. Pay attention to which holes in the conduit allows which wires to exit to be connected to the spark plugs. Also once you strip out the old wires from the conduits, good time to repaint the conduits so they look better. Some of the wires which are 7mm can have a rough exterior making them difficult to crowd inside the covering of the wires. Yes, some lube can help but do put in the long ones first and short ones last. Be careful not to nick the cables inside the conduit, they can arc and engine will miss. Ole Henry I suppose wanted to save money and use the smaller conduits as he never had to replace wires in his! Good tight connection of the spark plugs and the distributor places are important and seated properly. Good time also to replace the rotor in the distributor and the plates on each side as they wear down. I have mine clearing about 1/10,000 of an inch as the distributor rotates firing each plug. There are places that rebuild those plates and rotors for the best firing in the engine, giving good firing to each plug. Good Luck!

Just got my latest copy of Hemmings....on page 331 there is an ad for parts from www,zephyrparts.com that says they 1936-39 running board reproductions. 602-278-4505 is the contact number listed. You might find something that will help you get yours restored! Good Luck!

Basically you are running the car off one of the 6 volt batteries. You are putting the 2 in series is for starting the vehicle. Running 12 volts through the starter too much can overheat it if over utilized. The 2 diodes are for charging both batteries from the 6 volt generator/alternator. The diodes offer isolation from the batteries and still get a full charge to each battery when the engine is running. A new alternator (6 volts) will work best without all the regulators of the old generators. Alternators have built in regulation. I can draw you a simple diagram later on how to hook it up. If your engine is in good tune, easy to start, and you are using 00 gauge cables on the battery and starter with very good grounds, a 6 volt system with a 6 volt alternator as I have on my 41 works well without having to rig up 2 batteries. At 6 volts the starters usually pull some 200 + amps when energized, and that's easy for the Optima as it puts out some 800-1000 amps under full load fully charged. Using 12 volts it should need about 50% of the current, but remember you're using a 6 volt starter so the current will be a bit higher, no real problem with the 12 volt setup other than overheating it. Lots to consider!

I would take a metal saw like a SawzAll and cut away the center section which appears to be cracked leaving the studs. And if you can also cut around the studs to remove as much material as possible leaving only the rusted studs in the manifold. Then it's going to take heating of the old studs to get them out. If you still have issues a good machine shop can do it for you.

Merv is great....got a lot of different parts....has a wrecking your of old Lincolns in the Pomona, California area. Glad you were able to get the part from him! I got some front axles for my '41 from him and had them machined with new king pins ready for installation soon. Things do wear out in time! .

I am in the process of replacing the brakes on my 41 Club Coupe. I have new brake lines (stainless steel) to use, and rebuilt master which will need to be checked carefully. I did buy some aftermarket brake parts earlier that would update the brake system, but it requires a lot of modifications to get it installed and working. You can get vacuum boosters that will fit with some effort too to increase the efficiency of the braking system. And no, originally there were no proportion values to balance the pressures from front to rear. It's always a temptation to put on a more modern dual master cylinder and the valves, but you have to remember you're altering the vehicle even though some will argue that is't safer in modern day traffic which is hard to argue with in some places. And remember as in all of these types of brake jobs your wheel drums have to be machined as perfectly round as possible, and you need to make sure the brake shoes are properly 'arced' to fit the drums for good contact in stopping. Not sure who have brake shoe arcing machines anymore. I will also change all the flexible brake hoses at each wheel too. With all the components replaced with good items and not aftermarket components you should have good working brakes if you remember you're not driving a modern power disc brake system and treat it as such!

Great to find other vendors. with these cars being some 80+ years old parts aren't easy to find. We don't throw anything away as they are scarce. Some parts can be rebuilt too as most know, to keep these special automobiles on the road. After all they are from an era when automobiles were made solid, not out of cheap metal and plastics, and the designs were spectacular to say the least. Even with the issues of the V12's they are still some of the greatest vehicles every made!

Skip Haney in Florida probably has one as he rebuilds them. Those pulleys are made of cast iron, and are very brittle to break easily is hit. Other suppliers like Boos Harrel might also have them. Maybe even the Ford Barn or other old Ford parts house might have one that is the right size in diameter and shaft size. You will need a pully-puller to get it off the shaft. There's probably a small roll pin securing it to the pump shaft. Good Luck with it!

Try to call Merv out in California. He has a large wrecking yard of Lincolns and has a lot of parts! MERV ADKINS 9655 HIDDEN FARM ROAD RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA 91737 (909) 980-1332 1936-1948 LINCOLN-ZEPHYR/CONTINENTAL PARTS * Engines * Transmissions * Skirts * Grilles * Instruments * Rust Free Sheetmetal * Engine Rebuild Kits * Motor Mounts * Frame Mounts * Transmission Mounts * King Pins * Drag Links * Wheels * Bumpers * Carburetors * Generators * Starters Everything from nuts and bolts to complete cars. Too many parts to list; call me for those hard to find parts! © Copyright 2008 - 2020 Lincoln-Zephyr Owners Club

Someone might have changed the rims, not sure if 15's were standard or not. The biggest issue is that with smaller tires the speedometer/odometer don't register the same. The 15 inch ones work as you've experienced with the old tube type tires. But tubeless/radical tires are lot safer from blowouts the old tube type tires were on these cars. You might also try Coker or other tire companies, but most tires are standard sizes. 16 inch rims are hard to find and expensive. Good Luck!