Later improvements to Zephyr V-12 engines?

[CBoz]

Hello -<P>I plan to eventually purchase a Zephyr, but am concerned about some of the things I've heard about overheating and poor oil pressure in the V-12s.<BR>I would very much like to keep the original drivetrain when the time comes. My question: What improvements, if any, have hobbyists made to correct for the V-12's shortcomings? I would think some enterprising souls have done alot in the last 50 years...

[Guest]

Yes, if you want total reliability and good reliable performance, by all means stick with the Mustang, I now regret parting with many that I had over the years, they are great cars, pleasing aesthetically, and mechanically superior, the Lincoln V-12 is another matter, but some such as George Trickett in Orwell Vermont, I hear he is not cheap, but at least he now has an e-mail, and knows the problems you mentioned well, his e-mail is zephyr@shoreham.net Good luck, OC

[CBoz]

Thanks Ole. I'll keep the Mustang, but when it comes to aesthetics, nothing beats a Zephyr 3-window coupe or one of the 40-41 Continentals -- what lines! I'll file the contact info. for future reference.

[Guest]

I agree Cecil, the '41 Continental cabriolet is my all time favorite too, didn't think I could afford one when I started my '41 club coupe recently, but the way the costs are mounting I may have been in error, perhaps should have bought a restored one, and ended up saving money!!! Take care, OC

[Guest]

When rebuilding your Zephyr engine there are some things you can do to enhance its "life". Besides doing the normal things like line boring, clinder boring etc; You can istall a Ford 80lb oil pump or even a modified rotary style pump that has been adapted to the ford/zephyr cam-drive. This kind of pump will put out more pressure at the low rpms.A very important item in the engine is the fuel pump bushing. this bushing is on the main oil gallery and wears some times to the point that oil pressure is low no matter what you do. You can plug this bushing and use an electric fuel pump(had good luck with this). The zephyrs suffered from sludge build up due to poor crankcase ventilation. You could probably intall a positive crankcase vent system easily by drilling and tapping a hole at the front of the valve gallery above the timing gear cover and installing a PVC valve from a modern car.Another simpler way would be to route a tube/hose from the "new" vent hole to the bottom of the air cleaner and not use a PVC valve. The idea here is to vent more air thru the engine. A more drastic way to increase oil pressue is to eliminate the the Hydralic lifters and the oil passage that feeds them. THe cam would have to be modified(no clearance ramps on the Hydralic cam)or use a '36-'37 camshaft. Pistons: A friend of mine had excelent results with oil control. They used aluminum pistons ( I believe they were T-slotted ) from some small engine application. It's been so long I can't remember from what? The original steel pistons seem to sludge up and then didn't drain well. Any way good luck on you Zephyr project, These engines in good shape are tough and run real sweet. Dee