panteradave

I haven't tested the oil pressure gauge directly as I am unable to access it well enough to even remove the wires. The gauge has worked normally for the last 2 years that I've owned the car, then simply stopped moving. I replaced the sending unit with a new one from Boos-Herrel but that didn't change anything. I also grounded the wire on the sending unit, also without a gauge response. I then inserted a mechanical pressure gauge into the fitting on the sending unit end of the oil line from the engine. The mechanical gauge read a normal cold-engine oil pressure of around 50 psi. Also, all wiring in the car has been replaced front to rear within the last 8-10 years. My conclusion at that point was while I couldn't completely eliminate a wiring problem, I thought it more likely to be a faulty gauge. I have a Boos-Herrel NOS gauge ready to install if I can manage to get the gauge cluster out of the car. Just to clarify the type of gauge cluster that is present in my 1948 Continental, I have included a photo. Please keep the ideas and suggestions coming.... Dave

Thanks again for the info! The wiring and instruments in this Continental (and most of the rest of the car for that matter) have been restored relatively recently and are in near perfect condition, well except for the non-functioning oil pressure gauge. My goal has been to find and finish the leftover 5% of stuff that got missed, forgotten or the money just ran out in the past at some point. The dead oil pressure gauge is one of those items. I would prefer to not just hang on a non-original oil pressure gauge. I found some photos of the '48 Continental gauge cluster on the internet and instantly realized that the instruments must be removed from the back of the dash, not out the drivers side. After poking around in the area between the firewall and back of the dash, as you mentioned, I can see that it is crammed with all kinds of stuff that is in the way - wiper motor, wiper linkage, wiring bundles, steering column, overdrive cable, fan switches, etc. It is VERY tight back there. I definitely don't want to accidentally damage the restored bezels or painted dash surface while removing/reinstalling the gauge cluster. I agree that it would be better to remove the gauge cluster and replace the oil pressure gauge on the bench. Exactly how that happens will be more of an adventure that I had anticipated. Again, any advice/suggestions would be most welcome. Will keep you posted. Dave

Thanks for the info. Does the speedometer need to come out before I can get at the gauge cluster? Dave

I have a '48 Continental Coupe with a non-functioning oil pressure gauge. I have confirmed that the oil pressure sending unit is working and that the engine really does have good oil pressure from the oil pump. I have acquired a NOS oil pressure gauge, but am a loss at how to make the old to new oil gauge change. I assumed that the left side gauge cluster has nuts or bolts on the back side of the dash that when removed will allow the cluster to move out of the dash towards the driver. Unfortunately, the dash wiring and everything else that is behind the dash almost completely obscures access and even any clear vision of the back of the instrument cluster. I have no idea where to begin, and am hoping that the first step is not 'remove the entire dash from the car'. Can anyone provide some pointers on where to start? Any help would be much appreciated. Dave

Thanks for all the advice. I will let you know how it works out. Dave

Just to add a little more info to a very frustrating experience.... As background - I am an experienced mechanic and currently maintain all the mechanicals on my vintage Lola T-342 Formula Ford race car and a couple of other high performance street vehicles. The race engine currently in the Lola FF is one that I built to the exact specifications of my race class. I also have the hand tools (including precision micrometers and dial indicators) required to build and QC an engine. I do all my own mechanical work, other than the machine shop work which I hire out done to my specifications. Having said that I am clearly a novice with the Lincoln's L-head V12 and I am learning on the fly. At time of purchase, the Lincoln included documentation for an engine-out rebuild of the V12 that was done as part of a gradual but complete body-off restoration that was accomplished over roughly a 15 year period. The running gear, body, paint, interior, chrome and stainless trim, electrics, etc. are extremely well done. This Lincoln is beautiful. Unfortunately I've concluded that the engine "rebuild" either didn't really happen at all (in spite of $10k worth of engine rebuild receipts), or the engine was just slapped together by incompetents. I began the Lincoln engine project with a simple plan to merely replace the intake manifold gasket, but every disassembly step has pushed me in a little deeper. To list just a few issues, the intake manifold gasket was torn and hanging out the front of the manifold, at least half of the intake manifold bolts were only finger tight, one valve guide retainer was broken off and laying loose in the intake valley allowing one half of the split valve guide to move up and down with the valve, two of the exhaust valve guides were broken in half horizontally (in 4 pieces instead of the normal 2), all 24 lifter bodies are worn flat on the base (absolutely no crown left), 7 or 8 inches of metal wire was found and removed from the water jacket of one head, etc. Cam lobe height measurements that I made indicate that 5 of the 24 intake and exhaust cam lobes are up to 0.010" too low, suggesting cam lobe wear probably related to the wear patterns present on some of the lifter bodies. The measured variation in cam lift was what sparked my previous question of what is the acceptable range in cam lobe height. On the plus side, It does appear that all 24 hydraulic lifter inserts are in good shape and hold pressure nicely. Also, new aluminum pistons were apparently installed, though the cylinder bore has been greatly enlarged to 3.06", vs the stock 292 cu in 2.875" bore. The condition of the rings and rod and main bearing inserts are unknown at this point. At a minimum the cam now needs to be removed and probably reground. However, given the identified errors and complete lack of attention to detail in the previous rebuild, I am now questioning the rest of the engine assembly as well. So the original plan to change out the intake manifold gasket has somehow seems to be morphing into an engine-out total disassembly and likely rebuild of the rebuild. Does anyone know of a reputable Lincoln V12 cam grinder? Thanks in advance for any advice, Dave

I am a relatively new owner of a 1948 Lincoln Continental Coupe and am currently working though some smoking issues with the supposedly newly rebuilt V12. One thing has led to another and I am now in the midst of complete top-end engine tear down. I have discovered a number of problems, the most serious being what appears to be wear on the base of the lifter bodies (where the lifter and cam lobe touch). A couple of the lifter bodies are wear marked indicating poor rotation within in the lifter bores. I am concerned about the possibility of resulting wear on the cam lobes. So, I have systematically measured cam lobe lift with an accurate dial indicator and have cam lobe heights that vary from 0.292" to 0.285" (the valve lift spec for this engine is 0.292"). There does not seem to be any relationship between the locations of the shorter cam lobes and the non-rotating lifter bodies. My question is - what is the acceptable variation range for cam lobe height? Is the measured range of 0.007" within tolerance or does the cam need to come out for a regrind? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Dave