DSpringer

I could have sworn I saw an article in TWOTZ about renewing the latch hardware and rubber for fender skirts, but searching through the nearly 10 years of issues I have I couldn't find it. Anyone know of sources for these parts?

That's the best! First class job and good for another 70 years. Congratulations!

As early as I can remember, in the '41 Sedan that belonged to my grandmother and that I am FINALLY getting around to restoring. At some point the V12 became a V8, but I don't remember there being a difference. Just remember the huge back seat and the cool cigarette lighters on each arm rest.

Tom- Thanks for the instructions. This gives me the confidence to give it a try. Nice to know it is possible to get such a professional looking job with the kit. Doing it myself will help out with the budget considering what it will cost to recover my stuff. Keith- I'm still interested in having you do my '41 steering wheel. I have some LaSalle cores, if you want to practice on those. Let me know when you're ready.

I can tell you who NOT to send your dash to for woodgraining. Shipped it off last September. When the guy responds it's "I'll have it done next week." Then I don't hear from him for a month. I'll be lucky just to get the parts back. I have to fly all the way across the country to recover them. He's in New Hampshire, I'm in NorCal. (I'd send pics but my Attach Files button disappears every now and then.) -Dave

I might be interested (in CA).

Here's some previous postings I've collected on the subject of oil: Ok Guy's here is what I did on the Houdale shocks, but first remember that all shocks are basically hydraulically operated, whether by air or oil. I took some of the oil from the shocks and had it analyzed, just a spectrum analysis by a friend of mine who works for the GOV and it turned out to be the basic hydraulic oil used in jacks, however the original oil contained a paraffin base, like many oils back in the pre-war day's. We compared it to the normal hydraulic oil used in jacks and the only difference is no paraffin, but has some detergent. The benefits using jack oil is that the viscosity does not vary like the paraffin oils. So just get some good jack oil. BILL Hello: If your shocks are the Houdaille rotary hydraulic type the correct fluid originally used was glycerin base stock, not mineral base. You will find the only solvent to clean it with is alcohol. By this date the glycerin will be congealed to a gooey mess and all check valves will be hopelessly gummed up. If you can successfully clean the old fluid out you could use Mobil One Synthetic Oil which has the most temperature stable viscosity range for this application. I did that on a 1933 Studebaker race car I did restoration work on and it performed well afterward. Unfortunately by this date several well thinking unknowledgeable mechanics may have added mineral base "Jack" oil to top them off and you now have a real sticky milkshake inside that no solvent alcohol or mineral spirit will touch. I noticed that Kanter Obsolete Auto Products has Delco shock absorber fluid, 11oz. for $10 listed on there web site. Would this be OK? Thanks, Don ....and shock repair: Dear Ace,My shock re-builder of choice is Lou Trinque,Union Conn.#860-684-3853 give him a try might have some correct shocks or cores he can build.Great guy,Great workmanship and fair prices.diz [see also www.levershocks.com for rebuilder – “Houdaille, pronounced “Hoo-Dye”, are used mainly on Ford, Studebaker, Lincoln and Mercury automobiles. Please call or email with your cars’ details for more information on finding and rebuilding shocks from these auto manufacturers.”] Shocks cannot be rebuilt by a novice without the special tools it takes to take them apart. Tube shocks could be adapted to the Lincoln suspension the same as on a Ford. Check your shock links before you condemn the shocks. They are cheaper to come by and no harder to replace. V12Bill, 4/29/08 Apple Hydraulics have the shocks for Lincoln Zephyr. http://www.applehydraulics.com/houdaille.htm Their web site shows $165.00 each. They also show shock links for Ford and Mercury for $25.00 each. V8andahalf, 4/30/08

Good news: I compared the photo to my '41 and it's identical. Bad news: It already sold.

Great instructions. Thanks, Dee.

I'm working on paint prep and have the engine out. Figured I'd pull the tranny and clean it up, but I've never worked with torque tubes before. Can anyone offer clues on how to approach this, or recommend references on drive train disassembly? Do I need to pull the entire torque tube out or is there a way to just disconnect the tube and drive shaft at the rear of the tranny (no overdrive, darn it). Also, is it easier to reinstall the engine with the tranny attached? I've never been too good at poking the pilot bearing. -Dave

This is from my service manual. I haven't tried to use it. Ignition Timing.pdf

Yes, I let the Kroil penetrate for a day and the slotted set screws came out as if they were brand new. No problem at all.

One of the attendees of GOF West showed a picture of one that that looks just like Phil's photo. I might be able to track him down if anyone's interested.

For what it's worth, this is from the National Service Data Manual, 1936-1949. See the lower left corner of the page. Don't know why they couldn't put numbers on the head bolts.

Phil, In reference to my private message, enlarge the photo to see circled in red the part I mentioned I am looking for. -Dave

You guys are terrific. Thanks for letting me in on the secret. I never would have guessed. I'll Kroil the crap out of it before I lay on the allen wrench. Addendum: The screws came out without a hitch.

I'm stripping the body of my '41 sedan completely in preparation for paint and the only thing I can't figure out how to remove is the front door locks (exterior, below the door handles). Any tips out there? -Dave

I experienced something similar in the gas tank of our vintage boat. In this case it was a thick black slime that clogged the fuel lines. It had been sitting for several years. I think there must be some bacterial organism that can live on gasoline. Wish I'd had it analyzed at the time.

I am deliberating whether to use a Linex coating (see Daddo65's 2/19/09 post) to cover the few holes I have, or weld in a new pan. Bradley (Bradley Floorpans for Fords) sells them for $600 a pair for pre-war Lincolns but doesn't list any post war items.

o.k. ctskip, Norm is right. There is a spring clip that holds the left and right linkage together. It is only about 1" from the left side tower. On my '41 the spring clip is bent over, and it is easy to remove by sliding a screwdriver under the bent part of the clip and prying upward against the pin. With the linkage disconnected from the vacuum motor and separated, the towers and linkage can be removed from the top. I wish I'd known that! I pulled my dash to have it woodgrained. The hardest part was removing the ignition switch/steering wheel lock. There is a screw that looks like a carriage bolt that secures it to the underside of the dash that you either have to cut a slot in, or if you're lucky can be removed with vicegrips. Removal of other bolts is easy, but you open a whole can of worms when you start pulling wires.

I share the pain. I'm not touching the undercarriage other than to scrape off the excess mud, and I'm going to live with the '49 Merc for awhile until I can pull together a working V12. But the deeper I get into it the harder it is to stop. Should I pull and clean the transmission? The oil is probably like overcooked pasta. Given the state of the exterior paint, dash, and garnish molding, I have to fix that. Having fun straightening bunged up stainless trim.

And here's the sketch I did of the lower end of the shift column (for mine eyes only, I thought). The spring at the top of the sketch has a loop in the end and another loop that hooks over a tab on the end cap. Unhooking the spring from the end cap frees things up so the entire assembly of linkage arms and u-shaped clamp casting can be slid off.

What do you know, I bugged Peter and I can post attachments again.... I don't know how you could remove the towers without removing the chains - you would have to drag the linkage out through the holes in the cowl, which would be quite difficult without sawing the linkage in half. With the dash off, access is pretty easy. The photo shows how the linkage end bolts onto the slot on the bottom of the tower, and the tabs that hold the end of the chain. Once the nut on the linkage is loosened, the chain can be slacked enough to disconnect the chain and separate the two parts. The bolt that is just visible secures the clamp that holds the tower in place. Not one of the Lincoln engineers' finer moments....

I've dealt with both these challenges and have photos but the darn "manage attachments" button disappears on me most of the time. It only pops up when I complain to Peter. As has been said, to remove the shift column undo the connections to the transmission linkage, pull the two bolts that clamp the lower end to the steering column. After removing the steering wheel pull the split washer at the end of the shaft. Then unhook the spring at the lower end from the tab on the end cap and remove the cast clamp assembly and linkage arms, being careful to keep track of how the spring washers and other pieces go together. The other end of the spring hooks around a pin that traverses the shaft. I also pulled the plate at the firewall to provide more room for movement. As for the wiper towers, be careful. I sheared off one of the tabs holding the chain. You can create slack in the chain by loosening an adjustment bolt and sliding the mechanism around. Then the chain can be unhooked from one of the tabs without breaking the darn thing. Hindsight is always the clearest.

Thanks Peecher. I figured someone had been through that before. Dave