41Zephyr

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: simplyconnected</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Does this mean I can't have your Zephyr? </div></div> Unfortunately for me, (maybe good for you), yes you can! See this new thread: Forced to sell: 1941 Licnoln Zephry 4-dr sedan

Well...my financial situation is such that I'm forced to sell my baby before I got a chance to really enjoy her. For those of you that have not seen her, click here: My new `41 Lincoln Zephyr Before I put it up on Craig's List and e-Bay, I thought I'd give the <span style="font-weight: bold">REAL</span> enthusiasts and lovers of Zephyrs first shot at this car. Before I bought the car, I got two independent appraisels, one at $24,150, and the other at $28,250, both back in July of last year, and have not done a thing to her except put about 200 miles on her and a new battery. She still has less than 33,000 original miles on the falt-head V-12 and is in great shape. Everything is original to the car except the headliner, upholstery and carpet. I'm asking for $25,000 to the first taker. This price also includes lots of extra parts: extra set of iron heads, intake manifold, both exhaust manifolds, two water pumps, an oil pan, a set of 12 pistons and rods, the areodynamic piece that fits between the back bumper and body, and about a foot high stack of manuals and paperwork. It does need a new speedodometer cable, a new rheostadt for the dash lights, a relay for the horn, vacuum hoses for the wipers, and the clock does not work either. Otherwise, everything else works fine. Let me know if there are any interested parties, and I will get you contact info so we can discuss and answer any questions. Thanks, Steve

Well... ...there were indeed two unrelated problems causing the symptoms I described. 1st. The battery was a bad one.. Put a new battery in and she started right up...no hesitations at all. First problem solved. While running, we checked the spark for all 12 spark plugs and found them to all be in good working order. I earlier (at the mechanics recommendation) put some fuel stabilizer in the tank, since it hadn't been filled since January. So, the mechanic took off the air filter and started revving up the engine and spraying carburetor cleaner into it and revving the engine. It sounded like it was running on half the cyclinders as I reported before. He then stuck his hand down inside the carburetor and pulled out a 4" long x 1/4" thick black strip of foam from down deep in the carb. Then the engine "snapped" to life, and was able to hit rpms I never dreamed of. We put the air cleaner back on and I drove it around the block a couple of times, and lo-and-behold...she's ALIVE again! Problem #2 solved (I think?). She was also showing on the electrical gauge that she was either charging or "0" (neutral) when driving it around. I let her sit for an hour, and started right back up again. Problem #1 definitely solved. (Oh baby...I'm so happy, especially since this didn't cost me any more money!) So, I'm assuming the black foam strip came from either my air filter, got sucked in through my air filter (not sure how that could of happened?) or materialized out of thin air. But where ever it came from, once removed, she's like her old self again. I still need to order a new speedomoeter cable, and since the dash lights still don't work, will probably need a new rheostadt/relay switch as well. Oh hell...I might as well order a new relay for the horns so I can finally hear what they sound like too! I do thank all of you for jumping in with suggestions and ways to narrow down the problems based on the symptoms I described. You guys are the best. Steve

V12Bill: I think you may have figured out the 2nd problem that may not be related to my battery problem. When I get the car into the shop tomorrow, we will try testing to see if I'm running on just one bank of cyclinders (that's exactly how I described the sluggishness to my wife when getting back from the shop yesterday). I'll keep my fingers crossed and let you guys know how this works out. I want to thank you both for the very quick and knowledgable solution scenarios you've put forth. I guess that's why I really like this forum! You guys are GREAT! Steve

simplyconnected: First off, I'm not quite ready to admit defeat and sell my baby yet. Yes, the "generator" was charging on the way home (at least the guage was way over on the "C" side). I've gone out and tightened all of the connections and have set the charger on her again. When we tried starting her up after an hour of being parked, the starter turned, but was not able to crank the engine over. I had the charger hooked up to the battery for an hour and tried again after the charger showed the battery charged, and while still hooked up to the battery tried starting it agin, but would not turn the engine over (and the charger indicated the battery was dead again). I was able to crank the pulleys without too much trouble, so don't think anything is frozen. My mechanic called me back and has ordered a new 6-V battery, which will be there tomorrow morning. I asked him about "flashing" the field on the regualtor, but he pointed out that the inside guage showed the battery taking a charge, and that should not be the problem in this particular case. We'll see...

Well...it's been a while since I've been on the site, and the Zephyr has been sitting for quite a while now becuase I was laid off in January, and all my plans for renovation were put on hold. The battery died just after the dash lights and speedodometer stopped working. The car also seemed to loose a lot of power while driving, as if the alternator wasn't charging. I took it in to a local restorer asking him to check for shorts under the dash and make sure all of the electrical was working properly. After paying $220 for diagnostics and a new 6-V battery, nothing seemed different. He said there was a short with the dash lights dimmer rheostat, and that would need to be replaced, and informed me I needed a new speedodometer cable, but he could find nothing else wrong. So I drove her home thinking I just needed to order a few parts. Not only was the car still real sluggish driving home (had a hard time getting her up to 35-mph), but parked her out in the street for an hour, came back and she wouldn't start. I put a charger on it for an hour, but still no go. I know I'm no mechanic, but could the alternator be causing this? I'm about ready to have it flatbedded back to the shop this afternoon, but wanted to see if I could get some feedback from some "experienced" Zephyr owners if this is something one of you have already had issues with (and maybe a solution?). I'm soOOOoo behind the 8-ball as far as funds to restore my baby, and may end up having to sell her before I've gotten the chance to enjoy this beautifull car. Any ideas or thoughts? Steve

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Johnpaul Ragusa</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I saw that car also. It sounded like he got a steal on it.</div></div> Yes...I did get a fantastic price on mine at $15,000. But I had to get two appraisels to get my loan, and both came in much higher (one at $28,700 and rated it as a class 3, the other came in at $32,000 and was rated it as a class 2). So you're asking price John Paul is not out of line at all...I just got one heck of a deal!

Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments! It is greatly appreciated. Before I respond to some of your suggestions and remarks, I'm going to tell about the day my wife and I picked up the car back in August. We live in Whittier California, and the car was in Moorpark. That's about 90 miles away. Jim McGowan, whom we bought the car from, said that it smoked a little, but had never really driven the Zephyr more than a few miles at a time during the 10 years that he owned it, and suggested that I have the car flat-bedded to my house. Here's a picture of my wife Jill on the left, Jim McGowan in the center, and me on the right with the keys. Oh yeah, I only paid $15,000 for the car! But NOooo...I had to be cool and think that I could drive the car home with my son, and have the wife follow in the SUV. Oh yeah...it was 100+ degrees that day too! Jim told me that the brakes had just had new shoes put on (but later found out he neglected to have the drums turned), and still recommended we tow it home. Well...about 20 miles later after getting the Zephyr up to around 55mph, the brakes kept hitting high spots on the drums and starting locking up. This put extra strain on the engine, and sure enough, the car stated belching out black smoke and quickly overheated. I pulled off the freeway and into a gas station to cool down, but the brakes were totally locked up, so ended up calling a flatbed anyways... I had it brought to a local shop (really the only place open on a Saturday in Simi Valley), where they said they adjusted the brakes, and was able to pick the car up the following Monday and try and drive it home again (thinking the brake problem was solved). Again, another 100+ degree day, and only got another 20 miles before the brakes starting locking up again and the engine overheating. This time, my son and I just pulled off the freeway and sat for an hour to let everything cool down. Basically, two more times like that and we finally got her home. I was almost to scared to drive it for a week, thinking I really screwed this car up. But...to my surprise, she starts back up with no problems, and in little jaunts to the store and to a local car show every Thursday night, the car ran great! We got our 1st trophy for best un-restored car of the show! During the hot weather though, if I tried taking her more than 20 miles from the house, the brakes would begin to seize and the engine to overheat, so decided to just park the car until I could afford to have it worked on by knowledgeable mechanics. I have since found a shop just a few miles from my house who is really good with working on and restoring classics like our Zephyr's, and have worked out a "special" hourly rate in return for editorial consideration when I write my articles about owning, driving, restoring collectibles so they are safe and reliable. I've also talked to Merv Adkins about needing some hard to find parts needed (like a 6-volt horn relay which I'm missing) when I finally get some work done on the car. As Mike Cullen suggested, I will have the cooling system flushed and check the water pumps, and have rebuilt if necessary (but Mike...who is Skip and how do I contact him if need be?). Do these cars have a thermostat? Also, Mike suggests I use DOT4 brake fluid, and then V12Bill says I should use DOT5 and make sure the rubber is compatible. Which is it guys? Both Phil Knapp and ShortTopRoyRowe suggest going to an abestos or "soft" brake lining or shoes. Should I just rely on my mechanic to do this right? (Unfortunately, I am not good at wrenching on my own cars...I tend to break things a lot---LOL!!) Plus...I have a few more questions: I've noticed some threads on this forum regarding the painted woodgrain finish on the dash of our Zephyrs. Look closely at these two pictures of my dash... So my 1st question is, do I leave the very petina'd look of my dash alone, or repaint to match the new upholstery, headliner and carpet like this picture...(I think this is a picture of your dash okzephyr) Which brings me to my next question--In working on the engine, is it ok to add "hot rod" goodies to our cars as long as they are from the same era? See the engines below: Phil: I've read some of your posts here, and as much as I like a good "hot rod" myself, couldn't let the guys who worked for Jim do what they were going to do to the Zephyr if I hadn't bought it. This is what they were planning... I'm glad this will not happen to my baby now! Rolf Burdette: I do have the other `41 plate and had thought about getting DMV's approval to run, but just paid $90 to have the LINC41 again, just not as a "veteran" plate because I'm not a veteran. I'm still thinking about it. How do I contact this Le Baron Bonney about the frames? okzephyr: I PM'd you with my e-mail address, but I think I already have a lot of pictures of your car in my "Zephyr" folder (I did a lot of researching on this before I bought the car), but would still encourage you to send me more pictures. I also have a question for you. If both of our cars are of the same year, why does your outside door handles just have a button, while mine are handles? My Zephyr was built in late October of `41--does that have any bearing on the different door handles? Well, again thanks for all of the comments and compliments. As mentioned, this will not be a trailer-queen, as my wife and I plan to really enjoy this car by driving it to as many events and little vacation jaunts up the coast as possible. My major concern is making it safe and reliable without compromising the the un-restored look as possible. I know I'll have a few more questions for you guys as I keep on working on this car, and look forward to the interaction and getting some knowledgable answers from guys like you. Thanks again. Steve Belanger

Well...I just became a member not too long ago after purchasing my 1st classic car back in August. I've been in the automotive aftermarket for over 30 years, and have built over a hundred "new" project vehicles for SEMA and CES over the years, but this is my 1st classic! It is a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr 4-door 6-passenger sedan. It has 32,000 original miles. The car sat in storage for over 30 years before my friend bought it. He re-did the uphostery, headliner and carpet as those had rotted away, and did a good job of matching the fabric, pleats and buttons. But...everything else on this car is original! Original paint, glass, rubber, and most importantly, the original flat-head V-12!!! Now my friend had the car for almost 10 years, and had been bugging him about buying this car every year (we're in the same line of work). He's got 3 other GTO's which are his "baby's" and got most of his attention. The Zephyr sat in a garage for almost the duration of those 10 years, as he only put 100+ miles on it in that time. Finally, he relinquished last year and sold it to me, and now it's mine! Before I go any further, I'm betting you fellow members would like to see some pictures, so here ya go... Now as you can see from the pictures, the car is in pretty good condition. But...I want to make it safe and reliable, because I plan on enjoying this car and driving it to events and small getaways with the wife up the coast (we live in southern California). Luckily, one of my new clients (Cruisin' Style Magazine) will have me attending, photographing and doing editorial coverage of car shows out here on the west coast, and would like to be able to drive the Zephyr to these events. My game plan is to re-build or upgrade the brakes (maintaining the era) with some new Bendix hydraulic drums from MT Car Parts, and I need to address the overheating problem with these flat-head V-12's so that it's reliable. After reading a lot of the threads here and on other classic car websites (including the Lincoln Zephyr Owners Club), the consensus is to try and keep it as un-restored as possible while maintaining safety and reliability. What do you guys think? Let me know your thoughts. Steve