bwanapete

I have trouble getting the skirts on my '41 Continental back on. I hook the forward hook, then struggle to get the 2 studs into their slots, then try to turn the rear hook. I know which way to turn the hook. The problem is getting both studs into their slots at the same time, and then getting the rear hook lined up with its slot so that when I turn the skirt nut the proper counter-intuitive direction, the hook finds its slot while the studs remain in their slots. I just spent an hour failing at this. even with a rubber mallet. I bet no member of Henry's extended family ever had to do this. Are there some hints?

K. R. Wilson is out of business. So what should I look for in a puller for my 1941 Continental?

Is there a cleanup hatch cover on the top of the tank? There is a filter in-line between the tank and the electric pump and it does not look groody. And obviously one can't just use a shop vac to clean out the tank. Maybe best to drop the tank and take it to a shop.

My '41 Continental used to start and run 1/3 mile with the regular fuel pump before bucking. Then it would run forever if I toggled on the electric pump. Now it won't either start or run even with the electric pump on. The engine fuel pump has a glass bowl, and I don't think that is normal for a '41 but my engine does have aluminum, not iron so looks right for a '41. There is fuel to about 5/8" from the top of the fuel pump bowl. I'd like opinions on whether it matters whether I first get a working engine fuel pump or simply get a new electric pump, and if the latter, what pressure pump would be best. And does this have anything to do with windshield wipers not working more than spasmodically?

I have a 1941 Continental. The engine does not burn oil and puff blue at the bottom of a long hill but it does leak too much, and oil gets on the clutch too. I believe it was rebuilt not that long before I bought it because the mechanic who put in a new oil pump last year told me there was no sludge, and everything looked very clean. I don't know how much it leaked before the new oil pump. Had that put in after just a short drive because the oil pressure was very low. Now it is fine. I want to try to stop the leak without going to a new rear main bearing. In my Lincoln Chassis Parts catalogue, I find an oil pan gasket kit Part #96H6781 consisting of H-6700 (packing), 96H-6701 (packing), 96H6710 (right side gasket) and H96H6711 (left side gasket) Also rear oil seal (2 parts) 86H6335 (upper) and 96H6366 (lower). Are these the parts that I should obtain before the attempt to tackle the oil leak, using the hints above in this thread? And any suggestions of sources would be appreciated. I find the mention of the slinger(s) and rope in grooves confusing because I am very green at all this. And someone else suggested use of silicone gaskets instead of cork gaskets. Do I just let my mechanic cut gaskets, or what?

I greased my '41 Continental yesterday, but the chart shows some spots that I could not find. There are no zerks at either end of the spindle connecting rod and I did not find any on the clutch release shaft, clutch pedal shaft fittings or the brake pedal, all as shown on the owner's manual diagram. I have not had the car long, and am wondering whether a previous owner may have modified things. But there are no bolts at the ends of the spindle connecting rod where zerks might once have been. Also, I just purchased a Lock n Lube nozzle for my compressed air grease gun. I really really like how it works. Grease does not come out past its jaws, and it is really easy to attach and detach.

Update: I installed the new overdrive cable, and it slides very nicely. A real PITA dealing with that bracket on the transmission. Hard to get the old clip off and hard to tighten the two nuts on the threaded stock for the new cable, but if I didn't get it tight enough, at least nothing will fall off. Now I need to put the cover plate over the overdrive unit back in place. Question: is there a preferred way to seal around the edges? It looks as if tar or pine tar or something had been used before. I guess this cover has to come off for other things too, so I would only want water and dust resistance.

The PB Blaster didn't take care of the sticking cable. So I bought the lube from Harbor Freight and tried to remove the cable. I unfastened the turnbuckle from the cable at the overdrive unit and the handle bracket from the dashboard. Nothing moves. Am I supposed to undo the bracket on the overdrive unit, and is there anything else to unattach. Unfortunately although I have a little mechanical aptitude, I have little experience with old cars and don't want to screw mine up.

Because the cable will move relatively freely but only for an inch or so, and then there is immense resistance, the broken strand theory suggested by 38ShortopConv makes sense to me. I am surprised though because there are no short-radius curves between knob and overdrive unit. Tomorrow is another day. In the end, I will report back telling of the fix.

Well, I disconnected the cable from the overdrive, and the cable does indeed bind. For 2 days I have been spraying, and I used lithium grease on the shaft at the knob. There is no improvement. I can pull the knob out maybe 2 inches. I don't know why the knob hasn't come off. I'm thinking of trying to pull the cable completely out of the sheath, but will I be able to get it back in, or should I be more patient, or should I try to buy a new cable and sheath? I wonder how much Blaster can get through the spiral sheath to where it will do some good. I certainly hope for more advice.

Thanks both of you. I removed the access panel from the inside floor of the car. The lever of the overdrive does move, easily. The knob now moves the lever too. In the off position, it now pulls out maybe 2 inches. Question: how far does this lever need to move? Is horizontal back to vertical good enough? And when overdrive is off, how far out does the knob protrude out? Mine was out maybe 5 or 6 inches. I don't want to put things back together until I know that things are right.

I suspect you are kidding me. This and every other car I have ever been underneath has a threaded plug and drain hole.

The Borg Warner overdrive on my 1941 Continental is stuck in the off position. I mean that the knob is pulled out, and can not be pushed in, not even a little bit. The cable route from the knob through the firewall and down to the overdrive looks like a simple pathway not likely to cause trouble. From underneath there seems to be no way to reach or even see where the cable attaches so I guess I need to take the floor inspection plate off. But is there some procedure (I'm thinking of how it is possible to unfreeze a clutch by popping it) that would be a shortcut? I don't think rust or lack of lubrication is going to be the problem anyway, and don't think I have the skill to disassemble, reassemble, and reinstall the unit, if the gears inside it are jammed plus I suppose that would not happen except if parts are worn. Looking for advice and suggestions.

While under my 1941 Continental, I noticed that there is a small hole in the oil pan, and what might be the two arms of a cotter pin go through the hole and are each bent 90 degrees so they are snug against the pan. The hole is only large enough for these arms of the cotter pin. The parts book does not give me any idea why. There's plenty of oil down under the engine but I don't think this hole is the source. Can anyone explain?

The 41 Continental sounds like it is the same as yoursThe 41 is like yours, a tube running down on theback of the radiator on the left side of the car.

Thanks to both of you. Today I drove a fair amount, without adding coolant. The temperature stayed in the middle of the gauge. Must be it had been overfilled by the seller’s agent. Also I was not aware that it is not a pressurized system. I have much to learn. Thanks, both of you.

How is the choke rod supposed to attach to the fitting that gets screwed onto the tang that is attached to the dashboard choke knob? The rod does have threads so I got a nut that fits, and ground it down as much as possible, so it would fit the above-described fitting. This did not work because the rod needs something very slender so that it fits in the hollow of the fitting. So I tried friction tape, didn't work. Then I tried a sleeve of rubber from an electric cord. That didn't work either. The rod pulled out. In the first place, when I took it apart, hard pieces of black substance, maybe plastic, fell out. Is that a clue? What should I use to attach the rod to the fitting that gets screwed to the tang that is attached to the dashboard knob. I suppose the throttle uses the same mystery stuff where it attaches to the tang on the dashboard knob for the hand throttle.

I'm new to this '41 Continental. Today was a 25 mile drive, first since my acquisition. Got home and the car leaked coolant in a puddle 3' diameter on the concrete garage floor but seems not to have leaked on the way into the garage. Gauge had been about 3/4 to hot. 1. With aluminum heads, what antifreeze to use? 2. If the leak came from the overflow pipe, as I suspect, does this mean I need a new cap, and if so, I'd need advice on selection. Since there is also leaked antifreeze on the panel in front of the bottom of the radiator, maybe the overflow pipe is not the source, but there is also a little antifreeze behind the radiator. The lower hose does not look as new as the upper hoses but I don't think that if it leaked, there would be the mess in front of the radiator. 3. Maybe it was simply overfilled by the seller. After it cooled down, I looked and could see liquid about 4 or 5 inches down. Is that considered full?