Ron K.

Very nice Keith, I bought one awhile back and now wish I had waited for yours. I guess that I will have to buy the "real deal" from you and trash the one I now have.

Thank you Sir, I do have a porta-power and have been warned to be very careful of that spring, I have never used a porta-power before so this will be a new experience. I noticed that you took out the spring, I was told that it is easier to just leave the spring attached to the car and drop the rear axle. I was going to disconnect the drive shaft from the transmission but I noticed that you disconnected it from the differential, recommendations? I sure appreciate you sharing your experience and pictures. Ron

Thank you Sir, I will do it. Ron

That is what I thought looking at the depiction in the parts manual. Did you have to remove the floor board access plate to disconnect and reinstall the drive shaft? Ron

I have finally started the removal of the rear axle of my '40 Cabriolet so that it can go to John Connelly for repair and revitalization. Can I remove the drive shaft tube from the transmission without removing the floorboard plate above it? I assume from looking at the drawings that once it and the spring are all unbolted, that the whole rear axle assembly will just slide aft from the transmission, is that correct? There is not some type of retainer on the drive shaft spline attaching it to the transmission is there? Ron

Thank you very much, I have heard a lot of good things about Bend Pak and am looking into which one to buy. I prefer the two post asymmetrical but have not made a final decision. Ron

Thank you very much Mike, I sure appreciate the pictures. I have talked to John Connelly at Columbia Two Speed Axle a couple of times and my rear axle is going over to visit him next month for a complete rebuild, really a nice guy that knows his stuff.

Thank you for the pictures, Confucious was certainly correct about pictures and words. When convenient, a shot of the speedometer switch mounted on the firewall would be appreciated. Snow not a problem here today, 85 and sunny. Thanks again.

I have the manual with the installation diagram, thanks. I think that I have the correct Vacuum Switch but do not have the correct speedometer switch or the clutch valve. As mentioned, mine has the post war electrical stuff, one reason might be that he may not have been able to leave the Vacuum Switch mounted to the steering box because of the '53 Y Block that was inserted in place of the V-12. It sounds like I may have a problem finding the original parts. I hope that the clutch valve and speedometer shifter are the ones also used in the Ford, which would make them a little easier to find.

I am getting too old to be crawling around on the floor working on my '40 Cabriolet and want to buy a two post lift. Can any of you make recommends as to what to look for and manufacturers? Thanks.

Years ago the previous owner installed a late model Columbia Two Speed ('46 - '48) with the updated toggle switch and clutch switch. The build sheet shows that my '40 LC came from the factory with a Columbia and I want to put the original system back in the car. If you have the correct '40 valve and speedometer transmission under the hood could you please send a couple of pictures so that I know what equipment to buy and how it should be correctly installed? Thanks.

Wow that is good stuff to know, thank you very much for taking the time to explain the process and sharing your pictures. Do you mind if I contact you with any further questions?

Do any of you know of a step by step guide/checklist to remove the Synchro-clutch from the Columbia Two Speed rear axle in my '40 Continental? Surely over the years somebody has compiled the correct process and written it down for all of the Ford owners that are running this option. I have been advised by an expert to not try to shift from Standard to Overdrive with out removing and inspecting the assembly as bad things could happen.

I just bought reproduction knobs for my '40 Lincoln from Keith Lee at Knobsoup and as many of you already know, he does a fantastic job. I needed a glove box and got that from Ron Carpenter and it is perfect. They are both great guys to deal with and it was a pleasure doing business with them. Ron

Thanks for the additional information, I appreciate it.

Thanks Peecher, that is what I am going to do for now. John Connelly at Columbia believes that the electrical system did not make it's debut until 1942 but even he is not sure because a lot of the records have been lost or destroyed. The build sheet shows that my car came from the factory with a two speed rear axle so it is correct for my car and was probably later modified. I have a box of parts that came with the car and there are vacuum parts in there so I may have all of the original stuff which, if I become ambitious like John Murphy, I can restore it to correct original. Do you know if the Columbia Rear Axle was a popular and oft ordered option on the 1940 Lincoln, and Continental in particular?

Good question, this system which includes a toggle switch and a switch connected to the clutch pedal is shown in the '46 - '48 Ford & Mercury. Keith Lee at knobsoup shows a overdrive knob under the dash to the left of the steering wheel. I wonder if the previous owner upgraded this system to my '40 Continental. If it is indeed a retrofit, should I reinstall the original system of Columbia engagement?

I am sorry sir, that is what I was referring to, the rubber lines. One of my shifting problems was not knowing the procedure of how to operate the electrical toggle switch, found the instructions yesterday and will try doing it by the book (sure was nice of Lincoln Motor Company to offer them from the factory but not to put how to operate them in the Owners Manual). I also talked to John Connelly at Columbia Two Speed Parts and got a wealth of information and warnings about the cleaning up the can and other things.

Thanks Peecher, I assume that it is a fairly straight forward job to get to them and will crawl under there this afternoon. Do you think that the 5/16 fuel line will do the trick for vacuum lines?

I am new to the Lincoln, have never driven a vehicle with a Columbia and have recently succeeded in starting and driving my Cabriolet that had been in storage since 1958. I replaced the vacuum lines to and from the electrical actuated switch on the firewall and when activated, the speedometer needle momentarily drops to zero and I hear a "thunk" sound in the rear end. Sometimes lately, I hear a grinding sound and the car is momentarily in neutral but goes back into low (I did get it into high one time). The vacuum lines under the car look okay but I am sure that they are in need of replacement and wonder if this could be the problem. The other possibility is faulty seals (if there are any) on the actuating piston on the rear end. I am using 5/16" Fuel Line for vacuum lines, will that work? I would appreciate any advice as to the solution and recommendations of a repair manual for the Columbia. Ron

Thank you Peecher, I will give it a try. Just in case, are there replacement temperature gauges available?

It does go way past "Hot" with the ignition off and it is going to be lots of fun trying to adjust it. Thank you Peecher, I will give it a try.

When the ignition key is turned on, the needle drops down from off scale high (hot) to approximately mid-range normal. As the engine heats up while running it gradually climbs to full hot on the gauge (the engine is not overheating). It is as the needle's starting position needs to be adjusted to Cold as a starting point, I assume that it would then climb into the normal range when the engine has warmed up. That is why I asked if there is an adjusting screw for the needle, I cannot see one but it could be there.

When I first start the car the temperature needle comes off of the peg and stops in the normal range, after it is running the needle gradually moves toward the full hot marker. I replaced the sensor on the engine with a spare and the second one reacts exactly the same as the original. Has anybody experienced this and is the gauge adjustable?

Interesting thread. As you can tell by my join date, I am a new guy with only one years experience with a Lincoln Continental, this site and LZOC. Granted participation is not stellar but there are some great guys, I won't mention names because I would forget somebody, that have given me invaluable help. We have a fairly low production vehicle audience unlike G503 (WW2 Jeeps) and so have much fewer experts to comment. As mentioned earlier, I would rather have somebody comment that really knows than somebody giving out bogus information. I thank all of you for your participation and will rely on you as my project continues. Ron