crazycars Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Would appreciate any help with procedure to access distributors to file frosted points on long stored 1948 Lincoln Continental. I have worked on dozens of antique cars but this thing is like something from outer space! Is there some special method used to get the distributor caps off? Pictures would be a super help! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 If it is like a Ford you take the distributor off and work on it on the bench then put it back on. The caps are held on by wire bails. I have never worked on one, I hope someone more experienced has some tips but this may give you some ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Are the 48s similar to an early one I worked on that was driven directly off of the camshaft on the front of the engine. I know the Fords went to a distributor in 48 or so that looks like what we are more familiar with today. Anyway, I had a 9N that had a distributor like that and I think I took it off of the tractor to service it. You probably have to get that cap off to do that and you will probably have to deal with the plug wires being short.. (this is at least twenty years back in the memory banks). By the way, the tractor wouldn't run at the recommended points gap. Cant say what worked, all I remember is that everyone that had worked on it were using the correct manual and could not make it run. I either widened or narrowed the gap a few thousandths and it was the miracle of that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFeeney Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Hello, Please note if your distributor drive is like a 8/9 N Ford tractor with the camshaft end driving the distributor the slot and drive dog are offset and must be installed the same way. If you install it 180 out you can break off the distributor mounting ears if you crank them down. "Just Saying" Be sure to find out if yours is like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old buicks 2 Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 If you need new point, rotor or dist caps, contact me Tom tsvanmeet@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 18 hours ago, DFeeney said: Hello, Please note if your distributor drive is like a 8/9 N Ford tractor with the camshaft end driving the distributor the slot and drive dog are offset and must be installed the same way. If you install it 180 out you can break off the distributor mounting ears if you crank them down. "Just Saying" Be sure to find out if yours is like this Correct, only goes on one way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazycars Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 I successfully removed the distributor using the following technique: I backed off the four retaining distributor bolts most of the way then rocked the distributor body to move it away from the block. After applying a little WD-40 to the edges of the caps, I was able to partially remove the covers exposing the caps themselves. The extra space between the distributor and the block allowed me more movement to rock the caps and gently lift the edges with a pen knife. The distributor body was then unbolted and, after disconnecting the wires, lifted out. As I suspected, the points were frosted over. I'm hoping that a good cleaning and filing without disturbing the settings will allow the car to start. I will let you know. Thank you all for your comments and advice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFeeney Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Hello, If you have a ohm meter you can check your distributor on the bench. It will tell you if you have a good connection across the points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kelso Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Post the question on the Lincoln section. There are several posts about the distributor and coils. Some knowledgeable Lincoln guys hang out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete O Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 I have this exploded view of a Lincoln distributor with the parts identified. Might be of help.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19tom40 Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 If your goal is only to start the Lincoln, burnishing the points may work. If you want the engine to run good with normal power, send the distributor and coil to Skip Haney in Florida. The original Lincoln coils do not work very well unless they have been rebuilt. They sometime will start the car and then when the engine warms up, the coil breaks down, the engine has no power and misses. If you remove more than .001" from the contacts, you will change the ignition timing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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