JWalker

My first "old car" (back in 1970) was a 51 Studebaker Champion Starlite Coupe. I remember the hidden storage under the rear arm rests, you could probably hide a couple of bottles in there! Purchased for $125 and towed home, someone had switched the battery cables to negative ground, my buddy and I switched them back and it ran great, but no brakes. Time passed, no money, other things kept me busy. Kids down the street threw a brick through the windshield while I was away at college, so I sold it for $75.00. All the other glass was good. It was a straight rust free car... The cars that I didn't buy back then are what hurts. My neighbor down the street was a big executive at Chevrolet, he had just left the Houston corporate offices to come to Dallas. He offered me his 57 Chevy Belair 2 door hardtop, fresh white paint and a rebuilt 327 with 2 speed automatic, for $100.00. It was missing the "v" on the rear deck lid. I didn't buy it. I had the $100, but no driver's license yet, and my dad said no car until I had a license. In 1970 the same neighbor offered me his 1969 Camaro Z28 rs/ss convertible, 396 engine with the cowl induction hood, orange with white stripes and the houndstooth interior. I forget the price, maybe I just don't want to remember it. Later, in college, it was the 1940 Harley knucklehead for $700 that my friend died on, it wasn't hurt bad in the wreck, unlike him. Run over from behind by a guy in a stolen car doing 100+mph. Bad karma, I thought at the time, or would it have been bad motorcykle-ma? Oh well, I didn't have $700 anyway. My rent was $50 a month, who could afford $700 for a 36 year old motorcycle that needed some work? Sorry about the off-topic stuff, especially the C***vy stories. I would have told a story about not buying a Lincoln Zephyr, but I bought the first one I can remember seeing, a 41 club coupe, in 1997!

ebay item # 110309863877 is a lot of unknown old glass lenses, two of them resemble 37 LZ, but I can't tell by looking...Can anyone identify them? They would be a bargain if they are.

And check the other guy in the picture... is he really in the back seat? or standing on the other side of the car, trying to look like he is in the back seat?

That helps a lot! Thanks for your input. Is there a spark plug collector club website out there somewhere that would have more of this type info?

I just noticed in the "What is it" forum, someone has identified a door as for 36-37 Zephyr. Looks rust free. If you need it....

I have run across some NOS Champion J5 spark plugs. From the look of them, (2 rib porcelain with black base) they are pre-war. I can't find any info on them or on spark plug ID'ing in general. Does anybody know what these plugs fit? Is there a spark plug reference list somewhere that I can access? Or a vintage spark plug collector website? Thanks in advance for your help.

One more...

And the close-up...

Once more.....

I thought that would work, but maybe not. Do the photos have to be on the web to add one to a post?

Another photo, more detail on the grain.

I recently got my 41 dash and window trims back from Lauren Matley. I will try to add a photo. I think I like the color. It is more gold than the NOS radio delete plate I sent him for a sample, but it was faded a little. The grain looks pretty good but not quite perfect. There was one definite flaw, a run in the clear coat that might show when mounted. You can see it underneath the clock hole, just where the dash turns under. Contact me if you want more photos.

Hey 1941, would you post a photo of your Kanter drag link when you get it? Or send me a photo by email? I could use one too.

Can anyone tell me if the interior door stainless steel trim strip on 1941 Zephyrs is the same or different from the interior door trim strips on post-war Continentals? I am missing one on my Zephyr, but have found one from a post-war Continental on ebay right now, item #260134664577. It looks the same but the picture is pretty fuzzy. Could someone post the measurements off their post-war Continental trim strip? Or send me a private message. Thanks.

Beautiful!! How did you paint the center horn cap and keep the paint off the Lincoln script?

One more time... The custom interior was an option on about 10% of the 41 Lincolns. It consisted of an upgraded interior with choice of colors, gold macoid instead of chrome on interior dash trim, mahagony wood grain instead of the wood grain shown in the photo and dash knobs were a different color. There may have been some other differences.

I am not sure where I got this photo. This looks like an unrestored original, there is wear on the door panels and armrest. The seats and carpet look really good so they may have been redone.

I bought one identical to ebay 180051434795. The same guy used to advertise on the early ford V8 club website, maybe still does. It worked great for me, works on the same principle as the K.R. Wilson puller but uses a flat bar against the center of the axle instead of the screw against the center of the axle. About half the price!

Rolf, the extra hole left of the start button: my '41 club coupe came with the vacuum antenna switch mounted there. Jake added the vacuum antenna to his a couple of years ago, he mounted the switch there also.

Jake does open the case and repair/restore the guts. He uses a hot plate to heat and remove the tar-like stuff in there, I am not sure what he does after that, but he spends several hours on each coil. You get the same coil back that you shipped him, it is not an exchange. It amazes me what Jake will do to keep Zephyrs on the road! JW

Color-ite does have the color already matched. Keep in mind that the accent color only goes in the recessed areas of the chrome. You can apply it with a small brush or spray and give it a couple minutes dry time. Wrap a paint stir stick or a 2 x 4 with a thin cloth rag wet with lacquer thinner. Stretch the rag tight over the stick and wipe it over the painted area. With the piece of wood behind it, the rag will clean the raised areas but leave the paint in the recessed area. If you use a thick rag like a towel or if the rag is too wet, it will get down in the recess, which you don't want. This method will leave a nice edge around the recess, much cleaner than you can do by hand.

The V12 crankshaft was changed in 1942 to larger rod journals. Most Lincoln experts agree the later crankshaft is better. You can use the late crankshaft in the 41 block, but you will have to use the later rods to go with the crankshaft. To help you identify what you have, the part number for the later rods begins with 26H, 1938-1941 rods are marked 86H. If the rod part number begins with H, they are 1936-37, used before hydraulic lifters. I am pretty sure the cam should also be different between hydraulic and solid lifters, although there is no telling what is in there now. Good luck!

"Shadow of The Thin Man", also with William Powell and Myrna Loy, has the two crossing either the Golden Gate or the bay bridge into Oakland in a 1941 Continental, with at least one good shot of the interior of the car. There is also a John Wayne movie set in Hawaii that has a brief shot of a 41 Continental, I don't remember the name of it.

I have heard of something similar as a way of lubricating the timing gear..??

My email is j_w_walker@yahoo.com. Send me a list or some photos. Thanks, JW