Guest Uncle Bill Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Hi! About 7 trs ago I gave my nice 39 Lincoln to my daughter in Ohio. Big mistake. Her husband did nothing to maintain it, and worse, left it in a leaking garage with the air cleaner off. I used it as an excuse to give her money for a needed transportation car, and had the Zephyr trucked back to California. Besides the interior being moldy ( a story for later) it no longer runs. It turns over with the switch on the starter relay ( new) but won't start even with ether. The fuel pump only had about 100 miles on it. I have a rebuilt starter, cleaned carburator ( had rat crap in it) and NOS coils and condensers as well of new plugs. Very weak spark. I am a stranger to Ford/Lincoln distributors, having grown up with cars where you could actually access the distributors and set the timing. I think maybe I should try pulling the distributor ( though it is not readily apparent to me how to do this). From reading the repair manual, it states that you need a "timing fixture" and a "trained technician" to time it. I don't know what they heck they are talking about! Anyone have any guidance on this? If this fixture is something a former machinist can make, I can build build one if I know what it is!Moral of the trory: Never trust a know-it-all son in law to take care of a valuable old car!uncle bill from porterville, uncx@sbcglobal.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidAU Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Hi Uncle BillThe timing fixture you ask about is basicly a degreed wheel with lights on it that the distributer sits on (and as they have an offset drive shaft they can only go one way).When the wheel is turned the lights go on and off as the two sets of points open and close. By adjusting the points and the advance and retard you set the distributer up on the machine to spec. lock it in place and then put it back into the car ready to go.There are some very knowledgable people on this site but you would probably be better off asking your question on the early V8 section of the Ford Barn site as they deal with this sort of thing all the time.There may be someone on the site who lives near you and has one of these machines or knows someone that does.Early V8 (1932-53) - The Ford Barn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Uncle Bill Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Hi, David!Much appreciate the reply to my inquiry. Now I am pointed in the right direction! I'll try the Ford forum. I'd like to see one of those timing fixtures and copy it :-) Thanks!Uncle Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray500 Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Hi, David!Much appreciate the reply to my inquiry. Now I am pointed in the right direction! I'll try the Ford forum. I'd like to see one of those timing fixtures and copy it :-) Thanks!Uncle BillIf you want to get it done right without trying to be mess with a timing fixture, you send it to Jake Fleming in Dallas, Texas as he's the best expert to get it right and just put it on the car! You will find him on the www.lzoc.org website under Sources. I have a timing fixture, still playing with it as the instructions are so faint they'rehardly readible. But really:cool: it's supposed to be one of the accurate methods to time a distributor for any of the early Fords or Lincolns. Jake can also rebuild your coil if necessary. I'd suggest sending him the entire distributor with the coil and let him work on it. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldren Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 I was having this problem with my 42 Lincoln that had set 45 years. Problem was stuck rings. Check compression. I never thought about the rings till a machinic asked me what the compression was? We are replacing the rings as I write this. I bought a dist.,carb. wiring, plugs etc. It spun over but no fire in the hole. Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasJohn55 Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 (edited) If it ran 7 years ago, it should run now if you get good spark, You should not need to remove distributor. Can you access the points to file them or clean them by sliding some 400 grit sandpaper between them? Two or three passes on each contact should be sufficient.If it won't fire on ether, it is either not sparking the plugs or there is NO compression. You would think 1 or 2 cylinders would fire at the least. No compression would sound like all the spark plugs had been removed. I would suspect spark first, then fuel. Marvel Mystery Oil is very good for unsticking rings and breaking down varnish. Pour some in each cylinder and let it soak awhile.JUST REALIZED THIS THREAD IS 9 MONTHS OLD; MAYBE ORIGINAL POSTER CAN UPDATE US AS TO WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. Edited October 2, 2013 by TexasJohn55 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now