HarleySoftailer

I think you've hit it Peecher. I felt and heard a slight "grinding" before the pedal hit the floor. I'm pretty sure that what you've described is what happened. My '56 Fairlane is just about done and will be out of the shop by end of this month. At that point, the Lincoln will go in. My guess is that she'll be there for the better part of a year, but when she comes back, she'll be amazing.

I guess the good news is that this didn't happen on the highway or 100's of miles from my home. I had planned to take her in for some restoration activities including new brakes, upgraded electrical system, new interior and some body detailing this winter anyway so I guess she'll just get to the shop a little earlier than planned. In the meantime, I can begin hunting down the correct hub caps and exterior rear view mirrors. I'm also going to remove all the interior chrome and send that out for re-plating (the exterior chrome is still original and really in very good shape so I'm leaving that as is). I was so inspired by the handful of '48 Continentals that I saw yesterday (mine was the only '47 there), that I'm more determined than ever to bring this beautiful car back to her original splendor (with some modern safety upgrades). Maybe the brakes going out was her way of saying "I'm ready... let's get this party started".

I tried to "pull" the pedal back into the "up" position with my hands and it is absolutely frozen in that position. I think she's mad at me for leaving her out in the sun all afternoon. Nope - I can't move the pedal and the brakes are definitely engaged and locked as tightly as possible.

I drove my '47 LC to the LCOC Eastern Meet here in Columbus this morning and she performed beautifully. After sitting on the show field for about 6 hours, I went to drive her home. After driving about 100 yards, I went to hit the foot brake to slow as I approached the intersection. I felt a sort of "grinding", the foot pedal went all the way to the floor and did not return. The brakes are now completely engaged and the foot pedal is "stuck" to the floor. Master cylinder? Piston? Gremlins and Goblins? Anyone have any ideas? Thanks. Harley.

Last weekend, she started and ran just fine and yesterday she wouldn't start; she'd crank and crank and crank but wouldn't turn over. I charged the battery overnight and tried again today and the same thing happened. I hit the starter button, pumped the gas peddle, but nothing. I know she's got gas in the tank and I know the battery was at full charge (when I started at least) and after about 2 minutes of cranking gave up. This is the second time she's started fine one weekend and refused to turn over the next. Last time, she finally got going. But this time she simply will not start. Anyone have any thoughts? The points and plugs have both been replaced in the last year. I'm thinking maybe fuel pump? But that doesn't make sense as she ran perfectly just seven days ago. Thanks. Harley.

Thanks Bill. Any chance you might have a phone number or email address? Harley.

It's going to be next Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday West. I'll email you and let you know and i'll look forward to meeting you there. Thanks. Harley.

Does anyone know where I can get this decal/sticker/plate (see pic) that goes on the front of my air cleaner? Thanks. Harley.

Thanks Guys. I spoke with D&D today and they are doing two Lincolns right now and really seem to know the car very well. Plus I've seen their work go across the ramp at Pebble Beach and that speaks for itself. I'm going to Covington next week to check out the shop and it looks like they'll be doing all the engine, brake and transmission work on my '47. Thanks for the info.

I think that you are right Bill - MIG welding it back into place is the way to go. My Elmer's glue idea didn't work out nearly as well as I had hoped! Thanks. Andy.

The weather seal on my '47 appears to be in very good condition and was obviously recently replaced. However, there is a good 1/8 inch gap between the rear edge of the windows and the B-pillar making the wind noise a real headache when driving at speed. And if I got caught in the rain, my passenger and I would be soaked. Also, there does not appear to be any kind of seal on the bottom of the door where it would meet up with the sill plates when the doors were closed (please see pictures). Question #1 - do I adjust the doors to close up the gap (seems unlikely given the size of the gap) or is the seal installed incorrectly? Question #2 - I'm assuming that there should be a seal that runs along the bottom of the door. Is my assumption correct? Thanks. Harley.

While closing the passenger side door on my Continental yesterday, the piece extending out from the catch plate on the B-pillar broke off (please see pictures). Does anybody have 1 or 2 of these pieces for sale. I need to replace the broken one and am thinking I might as well replace them both. Thanks. Harley.

Perfect Ryan. Exactly what I needed. Thanks so much. Harley.

Thanks Phil, Ryan and Peecher - I really appreciate the help. The line running from the air filter over to the valve chamber vent on the passenger side... that makes sense. One question on this topic; the tube on my air filter is not welded solid to the air filter. It just fits into the air filter and then pops right into the crankcase. Is that correct or is there some sort of clamp that I am missing that would be used to tighten the whole thing up? Also, how do I fill the oil bath in the air cleaner. I have other cars with oil bath air cleaners and it's pretty obvious. Not so on this one. Any and all pictures are greatly, GREATLY appreciated. I found a picture that showed me where the tube went and now I know what it's for and why it goes there. I'd still love to see a picture of the mount underneath the center of the air cleaner attached to the block. I'm sure I can figure it out, but it's always nice to know I'm barking up the right tree. Thanks again. Harley.

Good condition 1947 Lincoln Coupe with excellent engine but wrong air cleaner - $24,000. Finding and buying original over-the-top air cleaner - $650. Realizing you have absolutely no idea in hell how to install said air cleaner - Priceless! OK ladies and germs... I NEED HELP!!!!!!!! I've got the car and I've got the air cleaner. Unfortunately, I'm still learning about how to service and maintain the power plant in my Connie. The cleaner came with a single bracket (mounting bracket?), but I can't see any obvious place where that mounts. I'm also curious as to the function of the line that runs from the cleaner (on the driver's side) over and into the block (on the passenger side). And oh yea... Assuming that by some absolute miracle I actually get the thing installed properly, there is the issue of getting the oil in there. I discovered the hard way that walking into your local NAPA store and asking how to install oil into your air cleaner is a pretty good way to make people (a) Laugh their asses off ( look like a complete idiot or © All of the above. Whoever guessed C guessed correctly. So I now turn to you... my Lincoln owning brothers and sisters to help me see the light. Thank you in advanced. Now if you'll excuse me, my village called and they want their idiot back. Thanks. Idiot.

Well yesterday was finally the day that my '47 Connie came home. That's the good news. The bad news is that It's been three months since I bought (and test drove) her and I forgot how to drive her. I did manage to remember where reverse was. And I called the previous owner and he reminded me about the pull-out lever on the far, lower, left-hand side of the dash for free-wheeling vs. direct drive and which knob was the overdrive. But the problem is, the car seems to be running sluggish and very rough. Whether it's direct drive (lever out) or free (lever in) whether I was in or out of O.D. (in third gear), she was just having a hell of a time. And she had no power left after 45 MPH. I know there's nothing wrong with the car. When I went to check her out, I took her on a nice, leisurely drive at 55 - 60 mph with no problem and nothing "broke" since then. What am I doing wrong? What did I forget? I know I'm hitting all the right gears and shift points and I'm not grinding the tranny or lugging the engine, but she's just not the way I remember her. HELP?!?!?!?!!?! Thanks. Andy.

I'm starting to plan out the restoration of my 1947 Continental Coupe. Does anyone know of / have first hand experience with any good restoration shops in Ohio? Central Ohio (Columbus) would be best, but I'm looking for someone who knows the engine and does good work, not someone who's simply close to home. I am not looking for a Pebble Beach restoration and I already have an outstanding paint man and interior shop at my disposal. What I'm looking for is someone who can clean up and tune up the entire engine, go through all the electrical systems, get the dash gauges restored and then get everything put back together all nice and pretty. My '47 is going to be a touring car first. And if I happen to park inside the ropes at a concours - fine. But I'm not interested in collecting trohpies nearly as much as I'm interested in collecting miles. So somebody who can make necessary modifications to the car so that it can handle long-distance touring, without sacrificing the originality of the car would be a plus. Suggestions? Thanks. Andy.

Anybody want to offer advice on the 1968 Continental. Good cars? Good engines? Reliable trannies? I love the look, but don't know much about them mechanically. Are they worth anything as drivers? Please advise. Thanks. Andy.

Harry - my wife was cold ALL THE DAMN TIME! Unless I brought home a new car in which case she got hotter than hell. So the time came to make a decision. The Continental is coming home tomorrow and my divorce was final list month. And yes - my '47 Coupe has a leather interior!

I'm picking her up tomorrow and driving her back via Route 15 to Route 23 into Columbus. It's about 200 miles, but it's not interstate and I figure she can handle the 55 - 60 MPH. I can't wait to finally pick her up. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Any Lincoln club members in Central Ohio wanna road trip with me tomorrow?

Thanks for the warning Barry. I'll make sure to wear my chin strap!

West - the car is about an hour from Dayton on Route 75 between Dayton and Toledo. I could meet you at the 70/75 split and we could go together from there.

West- the wiring on this car is very, very good. It hasn't been done according to Concours standards, but it's been done very well. With the exception of the clock (big shock) everything blinks, flashes, clicks and spins the way it's supposed to. And with the overdrive engaged, it's like riding on a magic carpet. Since you're in Ohio, any chance you'd like to come with me to pick it up? I'd love to have you look her over. Andy.

Barry - I'd really appreciate it if you could connect me with your expert. Thanks so much.

Thanks for the sound advice Barry. But I still need to know, are there any major engine modifications that need to be made to a '47 v12 to make it road worthy on today's highways for classic tours (350 - 500 miles)? I know that eventually the brakes will probably need to be upgraded. But what about the engine? I'd prefer to leave the car as original as I possibly can. But an all-original Continental that can only be driven a few miles at a time is not what I want. I'd rather have a slightly modified Connie that I can use for tours and road trips.