Rolf

You guys really eat up all that completely bogus, phoney E-Bay rigamarole don't you? Bet you liked TV wrestling in the late '40's and early '50's too, because it was so "real", sorry no sympathy here-

Well that is indeed good to know Abe, I am sure I wouldn't have been able to drive my L's in the past, all those 100K's of miles as well as if I had had a chrome plated alternator, give me a break!! A good 6 volt battery will run the lights at idle or completely free for 30 minutes plus, and that archaic old generator will charge it back up to full strength in about 10 minutes, I can't believe you guys!!! And street Rodders have been putting the most modern equipment available in their cars for years, does that in anyway really improve them?? I answer, only if you want your early car to perform like a modern car, and that begs the question, WHY??? One could buy a new car cheaper than installing all it's components in an old relic, let it wear out, become a used car, and trade it in for a new improved model, I am sorry, I just don't understand--

Isn't it just plain amazing that the archaic old generator and cutout worked for 70 years without having to be replaced by a general motors masterpiece?? I wonder what a set of generator brushes, and a quick filing of the cut out points would have done?? But we do have to upgrade, right Abe?? So we will never know. You know my good friend has a '94 Dodge Colt, awful little car, a generic rice burner, it has 45K miles on it already in only 13 years, but is considered an antique on the streets of Santa Cruz, and so far it has not had to have one GM part added to it, I guess it is still too new

Glad you passed your last eye test Jeff, I didn't,

Hi Glen, this is one of Jeff's favorite pictures, a fuzzy black and white, but it definitely ain't no '37, they didn't have club coupes, it is a 42-'48, the hood ornament doesn't look right, probally a custom touch

Oh yeah Jeff, I am fine, all the recent comments are so profound, they need no further elaboration from me, but when one need a little clarification, you can depend on me, see ya-

Abe, all Lincolns and zephyrs from '36 to '48 took the same water pump pulley, H-8509, but you might check out the Ford truck 79-8509-2 for your strange modifications, it has 2 pulleys on the water pump and might be able to be bushed up or down to fit the Z water pump, for what it is worth

Just looked through my pile of lift assys, and it seems that one type takes 2 springs about 3/4" thick, and I have one with just one much heavier spring, probally 1 1/2" thick, I have no explanation of why they are different or how and where they are used, I am sure that some of the guys on here who have replaced those troublesome cylinders will know

Hi Ian, those suffix letters on basic Ford parts numbers are seldom very significant, often they are the same exact part, as other suffixes and were just changed as parts lists were revised for the next model years, occasionally there is a very minor difference, but it will not affect the installation or operation of the part, but of course compare the original and the replacement meticulously, you can always send the new part back

I do not know of any paint product that will stand up to the heat that heads generate, so I can't help you there, a clear coat would probally work well on the intake manifold which I trust you are going to do in the future, if that Z emblem does not look much worse than that picture, I agree that you are being "picky-picky", 70 years old already!!! I am almost 73, and have not held up any where near that well, even with a lot of restorative "procedures"

What year, what model??

George, the parts book says that the seal is a part of the torque tube, and not a separate part, sure is strange, but I guess all you could do is remove the torque tube and see if you can improvise a repair

Hey Jeff, as I have said many times, many of the "speed Secrets" used on flathead ford V-8's work very well on V-12's, headers on a built V-8 were said to increase the HP about 15%. The exhaust restrictions going through the block were always a drawback to any Ford flathead, 8 or 12, so anything that will "open them up", is a benefit, those Red's Headers in the post look super, no restrictive crossover pipe, or wimpy 1 3/4" exhaust pipe, the only problem has always been getting a good shot down the left side of a zephyr, and hanging the mufflers so they don't become the lowest point on the car, problems that have faced Z owners for decades. Your 428 Pontiac probally had a pretty efficient exhaust stock, so a mild improvement was a pretty good testimonial, if apples and oranges. I do not know of Les Keaton, wish I did, if you get any info on him, lay it on me, check out my favorite V-12 Picture-Desn't look like it made it, so wierd!!!

Oh Abe, we do go around and around, V-8 60's still have a following because they are so nostalgic, pretty, and "cute", but the truth be known is an Offy 4 can blow the '60 away, as many of us Ford guys lamented at the midget tracks long ago, occasionally a really good V-8 60 driver could take up the slack and eke out a win, but not too often Historically the Zephyr was still a contender when the 1942 cars came out, they had increased the CID to 305, and were still a good match for the La Salles and De Sotos and Packard 8's that were their main competition, but speed was not the main consideration then, gas mileage was, as WW2 loomed, and supplies were tighter, and prices soared to near 30 cents a gallon. After the war the early 1946 Lincolns, no longer Zephyrs, used up the remaining 1942 blocks, then reverted to the 292 engine like the '40/'41's, but with larger crank journals, different design crankshaft, and a number of other small upgrades. After the war in '46, you could sell any thing with 4 wheels that was new to a car starved public, and things did not level out until the 1950's, the 1949 8EL 337 CI flathead V-8 was Lincolns entry in 1949, and as Tom Mc Cahill wrote about them in Motor Trend Magazine, "they are fast and thirsty", after that an essentially Y block OHV V-8 came out in 1952, and in '53 won the Mexican Road race, enough already, but there is a heck of a lot of history in those years, and Ford was always right in the forefront, what me prejudiced??? No way Ray, just calling them the way they were

Jake, I take issue with your "lack of power" statement, I bought my 1st Zephyr a 1940 club coupe in 1954, see pic, and it had a sweet rebuilt 12 that was very fast, I put on more carburetion, super tuned it, and street raced the heck out of it. I was 20 years old, the upshot is that my old "boat anchor" Zephyr could out accelerate Olds 88's, the fastest car on the streets of Los Angeles in those days, a guy I knew then built a 332 CI 12, that I saw with my own eyes turn 104 MPH at Pomona drag strip in a 1941 Zephyr 3 window coupe, most of the speed secrets for flathead V-8's can be utilised on the 12, and properly set up, were definitely no slouch, many dirt trackers and sports cars used V-12's too, just trying to set the record straight

There are some items not previously listed, check it out, http://www.lzoc.org/classifieds/partsforsale.htm

Just a thought Dave, but it may not be wise to change to much until you ascertain what caused your transmission to fail in the first place, think maybe???

I agree whole heartedly with Jeff, and will add that you don't have to go first class on everything and spend a fortune, putting a C or any other OHV V-8 will pretty well kill the value of the car, and turn it in to a "used car", an ignoble fate for your stately Connie. The last V-12 I had in my last Lincoln had about the same readings as yours, and it ran decently, had oil pressure, had fair power, did not smoke excessively, and I would have been happy with it like that for years to come, a rod out of the present radiator will probally fix that part of it. The new owner of my old car is going through that engine, and I am sure it will be superb, but for the thousands of $'s involved, I would be glad to settle, and put any extra $'s in to the body and upholstery, just one mans opinion, good luck

Hard to believe they would be getting $80/$90 for that faux gold plating, on anything but a 100 point show car, a quick shot with a gold spray bomb should make them fine, all Connie spare tire caps are at a premium, I would hold out for a trade myself, the Mac drag links are probally the same as the Kanter's, but I would be tempted to go for a repaired original myself, as foreign made replacements are of questionable quality, just heard from my neighbors about my hubcap restorations, they are no where near as enthused about them as I am due to the noise, so it looks like the end of another era

Yes it is a Ford part that fits Fords and '41 Lincolns, look on page 25 of your Lincoln parts catalog at the 11Y3306 A or B. Mac's advertises them in their book for $70 with both ends, probally made in occupied Patagonia though

Hi Abe, those spring clips that hold the hub caps on were also used on Early Fords and trucks, a truck supply might be able to furnish some that could be riveted on, Narragansett in RI advertises those front wheel late '47-'48 hubcap scripts for $10 each, of course you dont need scripts on the rear because of the skirts, so the rear hubcaps are plain

'41 L's did take a Ford truck or passenger car drag link, 11Y3306, the replaceable end is a 8C3290. The permanent end seldom wore enough to have to be replaced for some reason involved in the geometry I suppose, so Ford did not bother to make both ends replaceable, so the option if a new or good one can't be found, is to get another 11A3310 adjustment sleeve like the one on the adjustable side of the link, and another 8C3290 end, cut and thread your old drag link, and by making it the same length, it would be like new, good luck

Just wanted to remind any of you with hubcap problems, V-12 Bill kindly launched me on this new career some years ago, and I now have a few solutions, including '36-'48 L and LZ caps, still not as good at doing them as I want them to be, but on a pretty decent cap I can make them look pretty nice, I have some almost show quality '41's, '46's and '48s, and a smattering of the other years, let me know if I can help

Congratulations Cece, great job!! It's all down hill from here on, right??

That is an excellent point Bill, I was thinking a squirt of slippery down the bores that resulted in faster turning would prove the "too tight" theory, and not really make the oil different, in the old days guys used to pour Bon-Ami down the carburetor while the engine was running, to hasten seating of the rings and break in, I have no personal knowledge this ever worked, and there was something called "break-in oil" that I never used either, but products of this nature seem like they would be in the right ball-park??? But then maybe not?? Mysteries abound-