looking for ideas 1975 lincoln continental

[Guest benngrym]

just bought this 1975 lincoln continental. any ideas on what i shoul do with it restoration wize?

[Rusty_OToole]

Start by giving it a thorough cleaning. Save any car parts, even odd bits of metal or rubber you do not know what they are. They always turn out to be some irreplacable part you can't get anymore. You can throw out the dried up ballpoint pens and old McDonald's wrappers ha ha.

While you are at it make a list of things that need to be repaired. If nothing else needs done, inspect all rubber parts like hoses especially under the hood. Also, it is a good idea to change all fluids if they have not been changed recently. Oil, trans fluid, brake fluid, PS fluid etc.

You do not have to do all this in a day. Make a list and map out a plan. Especially if you plan on using the car regularly, keeping the car maintained according to schedule will reduce breakdowns to a minimum.

If you have the owner's manual read it carefully, especially the section on scheduled maintenance. You may learn some interesting and surprising things.

[Guest benngrym]

thanks, its in really good shape, it only has like 60k miles. thats less than my 2007 kia lmao. appreciate the input and this is a cool site thanks again

[Dave@Moon]

After you do all the things Rusty said, go over the car and repair or arrest any rust that has developed. As I recall those cars were especially vulnerable in areas above the rear wheels and around the trunk. If there are any major issues in the interior (tears, holes, stains) address them as well as best is possible.

At that point I would stop, especially if there is little to no rust repair necessary. Cars are only original once, and every day the hobby is trending more and more towards respecting that. The less you have to do to the car, the better. If you can keep the original paint, that's a big plus. :cool:

A full-on "frame off" restoration on this car will cost much more than it is worth anyway, and will rob the car of it's original character. Unless the car is really dilapidated, I would avoid a true restoration.