Rolf

Hi, couple of comments, the best loosener I have ever found is diesel fuel, preferably immerse the whole block in the stuff in a suitable container, like a 50 gallon steel drum, and the results are fantastic, can often loosen a froze up engine this way, and it will work to make the valves removable, and not hurt anything, and it cleans the engine really well too, there are some tricks used by the flathead V-8 guys that work well to remove the valve assemblys, and a few special tools available that many swear by, I can offer sources of explicit advice. As to the value, it is worth the most running, not smoking or leaking, with decent oil pressure and not heating up, everything from there down is also downhill in value, good engineless cars are available for reasonable prices, especially postwar sedans, hope that helps, good luck

Hi Willie, I wonder if this fellow Earle Brown in Pennsylvania can help you?? I don't know him, but it seems like he might sell you a bare case, his number is (724) 941-4567 Good luck

Hi, keep looking in here to see what is happening, and it appears to be nothing, I am in the midst of a major revival of a '41 Zephyr club coupe, in need of many parts, and much mechanical rejuvenation, and looking forward to this site as being an aid to that aim, would like to correspond with anyone of like interests, on this site, or online at rolf@sasquatch.com thanks, Rolf

Hi Dano, a common and perplexing problem on old Ford products, I would highly recommend going to a tool rental place, and getting a good heavy duty drum puller, the kind that bolts to 3 lug nuts and has a large screw pushing against the end of the axle, turn the axle nut out flush with the end of the axle, so when you apply a lot of pressure on the puller it will not distort the axle threads, heat is not the best idea, and should only be used in extreme cases, as the heat can make the axle weaker, and lead to breaking, good luck-

An interesting metodology to use, making inquiries on a completely different web-site than what that popular old mid-thirties taxicab, but who am I to say what is effective in this modern age, good luck

Hi, the problems are really centered in the condition of the car, rust and the engine are paramount, especially in the older pre-war cars. Are you looking at any specific cars now?? I know of one '37 Fordor that is very rough but mostly complete, here in Central California, and they are always popping up in all kinds of condition, and all kind of prices, I think it best to let it be known what you prefer, and see if we can help you locate it, Good luck-

BOY, Bill, you don't usually throw such soft-balls, no question that a 6 volt starter will turn faster with a 6 volt battery than a 12 volt, and a good 6 v starter is capable of being jumped repeatedly with a 12 v battery with no problems, and will spin 90 MPH, and start so quick you can't believe it, just don't leave 12 v on the coil very long, or you will regret it, good luck-

Hi Bob, seems to me there are a number of factors you will have to consider in taking on this project, first, how much "sweat equity" are you capable and willing to put in to it, the more of the work you can do yourself, the more reasonable will be the final cost, I would start with the registration, apply for a lost title, find the VIN number on the car and have it verified, you can usually get a non operational title that way, in your name, and after it is running you can licence it and finish the process, Next you should determine if the engine is "froze up" or not, after 35 years, I can almost guarantee it is, and there are some tricks to freeing them up, after that, the main consideration is the extent of rust, just looked at a '37 4 door here locally, and the front floor boards are completely rusted out, this is quite expensive to restore, after that, it is body work and and paint, glass, and upholstery, and even after the engine is free, it's condition is a major factor, hope that gives you a general overview of what you are up against, Good luck!!

Good tip, Bill, for a very perplexing problem, will file it away for future reference, thank you.

Hi Gary, glad to hear you are going to get that magnificent '40 club coupe running at last, I am ashamed to admit that I do not rememember the oil capacity of a V-12, I think it was 5 quarts, but can't remember if it took another quart for an oil filter or not, I suggest that you buy 6 quarts of oil, preferably non-detergent 30 weight, put in 4 quarts, watch your oil gauge, if it shows full, and you have an oil filter, add another, and go for it, the purists used to clean out the oil filter cannister first with a suction gun, and wipe it clean, so the old oil did not contaminate the clean, really hope it runs as great as you remember it did long ago, V-12's are mystical, good luck

Hi Bob, I am trying this just to see if I can do it, the undercoat is a sort of gun metal blue gray

I had a 1941 Continental original Darien Blue color, and the dash was not that bright red color, it was a subdued reddish brown woodgrain, as best I can remember, any one else remember them??

It is definitely unboltable in a 1941, because I have acquired a woodgrain vinyl graphic and am getting ready to try to apply it to the stripped and primered dash panel and glove box door in my '41, with some trepidation I admit, paid $55.00 for the decal, and never having tried to stretch it over all the curves and bumps in the dash board, I am a little intimidated for sure. I have a picture of an original '39 dash, would be glad to share it, e-mail me, Rolf

Hi, the Bendix brakes used on '39-'48 Lincolns are state of the art for conventional drum brakes, and are normally trouble-free and reliable. Most of the time when I have experienced a pull problem, it is when the wheel cylinder has developed a small leak or seepage which causes that brake to grab, and then pull, if you do find a leaky LF cylinder, do the other 3 as well when you rebuild them, they tend to go in sets, also if your lining is saturated with brake fluid, it is best to replace the linings too, it is good insurance to replace or rebuild the Master cylinder, and replace the rubber hoses on the front wheels, and your brakes should be OK for a number of years, it is seldom necessary to turn the drums, it just shortens their life, regardless what the brake people tell you.

Sounds like they are going the "rod out" route which requires taking off the tanks and physically running a rod down each tube, you never said why you took it to the shop in the first place, but it may just need a "boil-out" which doesn't require taking off the tanks, depends on what is wrong with it, nothing wrong with a new core, just expensive, my opinion, brittle fins will carry away the heat just as good as non brittle ones.

Hi, would not take the radiator shop's word too quick, what does the radiator do? Does it leak? Heat up? Have obvious repairs and patches? These are the things to look for, and then make the decision to spend up to $500.00 for a quality re-core, it may well be that the rugged old Zephyr radiator will limp along for quite a while yet, just my opinion

Thank you very much, that may be a viable solution, we will see in the fullness of time

Thanks Bill, cheaper is much better, would appreciate it if you can find it. The trim strip around the window in the '41 is not in the rubber seal, but is attached to the edge of the WS opening with some special clips that are going to be tough with all the rust, letting them soak now in penetrating oil, "rust free" California cars huh?? That's a hot one.

HI Gang, just took the broken windshield out of my '41, and was surprised to learn that the glass sits in the rubber, and then the assembly sits in a cavity with no retaining lip around the outside edge, it just squeezes in, and seals to the metal, but I am shocked that after only 60 years, my WS rubber is limp and rotten, was wondering if anyone has found an affordable, quality source for a new one?? Also have discovered that the gas tank sending unit needs to be replaced, any help there?? Thanks a lot, Rolf

Hi Steel, several people have said they have had good luck getting colors matched at Color-rite, their phone is (203) 393-0240, hope that helps-

Sorry David, mis-read your name, forgive me- R

Hi Delson, Once again jumping into my "old curmudgeon" role, I always ask folks how they are going to drive their Zephyr, that makes them think they need an overdrive, if you live in Texas or an equivalent, where you make long frequent trips on relatively level modern highways, at high speeds, yes, a Columbia would definitely be warranted, but if you are just going to use it for an occasional journey, and mostly around town, it is not really worth the high expense. OD's are not a free ride, there is tradeoff on them, they are terrible on hills, make the car notoriously underpowered, causing frequent down shifting of either the transmission or the rearend, passing also requires downshifting, and the supposed benefits of keeping the RPM's down, may in fact promote many of the ills the V-12 is infamous for, the theory is that it is much more beneficial to let the engine "buzz" a little bit at speeds of up to about 70 MPH, will keep it free and loose and operating the way it was designed, just an opinion, certainly would be nice to have the Columbia when you wanted it, but not really necessary, just my opinion, take care-

ALL RIGHT hvs!!! That is exactly what I wanted to know, the fact is that a 1941 has the glass sealed up tight in a metal frame, and without a "magic bullet" type of fix, looks like it is a real problem, thanks very much

Ok, if you are going to advertise on this board, let's see what you can offer to do the dash and reveals for a '41 Lincoln club coupe= Rolf

OK Bill, just came across my Eastwood catalog, and sure enough, they have a product called "auto glass sealant", 10.5 fl. oz, used in a caulking gun, sells for $9.99 #34017ZC, it is a 3M product, may be available elsewhere, but you can order it on line from Eastwood at <A HREF="http://www.eastwoodcompany.com" TARGET=_blank>www.eastwoodcompany.com</A> should do the trick