The Car Which Shall Not Be Named III (1935 Lincoln K)

[Ken_P]

8 hours ago, ericmac said:

I am looking forward to the triumphant return of this car. 

Me three!

 

Matt, is your radiator as mounted as it’s going to get? Looks like it might have a chance to wiggle around a bit. I know you’re not running the mechanical fan, but just a thought.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Ken_P (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

1 hour ago, Ken_P said:

Me three!

 

Matt, is your radiator as mounted as it’s going to get? Looks lit it might have a chance to wiggle around a bit. I know you’re not running the mechanical fan, but just a thought.

 

The radiator has two mounting studs on the bottom, which are in the wood blocks on my stand, so the bottom isn't going to move at all. I'm going to add a third support from the radiator to the "dashboard" to help keep it upright, just in case (there's a convenient mounting bolt right in the top middle of the upper tank). It isn't going anywhere. I'm the king of overkill--if I thought it was going to move, I'd over-engineer a solution!

 

 

 

[Ken_P]

Sounds good man! I might be your acolyte as king of overkill. Those studs look pretty beefy though. Can’t wait to see it run!

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

8 hours ago, ericmac said:

I am looking forward to the triumphant return of this car. 

I think all of us are. We are all cheering for you. Mike

[Matt Harwood]

A few steps closer to firing it up. I'd probably have it running this weekend but for the water pump. Jim's doing the best he can--his machine shop is backed up and they need to make a new front cover for the pump, so there's a bit of a delay. I want to make sure that as soon as I have it, I can fire this thing up and make up some time--I still want to have it in the car in early July for proper sorting.

 

I finished the exhaust system today by connecting it to the collector and welding the muffler to the flex pipe. I'll secure it with some brackets so it doesn't move around while it's running. I also installed my rebuilt generator and made the last wire of the primitive harness, connecting the generator to the ammeter. Connecting the battery and turning on the ignition and the ammeter gives a little twitch. It's ready. This weekend I'll install the cylinder heads and that'll be about it until the water pump shows up...

 

 

Exhaust system is connected and welded.
Not my best work--that thin flex tubing is 
pretty fragile.

 

Rebuilt generator waiting for the water pump.

 

[AB-Buff]

11 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

. I also installed my rebuilt generator and made the last wire of the primitive harness, connecting the generator to the ammeter

Matt make sure you polarize the generator before you start it. 

[edinmass]

Matt if you could please do me a favor…… tell the machine shop to hurry up. Thanks, Ed 

[Matt Harwood]

Big day today, got the heads installed. 58 studs, 54 washers, 58 acorn nuts. I started by cleaning the studs with brake cleaner to remove any machine oils and cleaning out all of the holes in the block. The most critical thing on any rebuild is keeping it clean and I'm shocked by how many builders overlook that basic step. If the threads aren't clean, no sealer will stick--it will just get pushed out of the way as the fastener is tightened. While they were drying off, I sprayed the copper head gasket with some copper sealer. While that was setting up, I installed the studs on the driver's side block. A good dollop of ARP thread sealer on the end, then the studs are threaded in finger tight--no need to really crank them in there. Most of the studs are exposed to the water jacket so I just went ahead and put sealer on all of them. I like the ARP sealer--I figure if those guys don't know how to make threaded fasteners work properly, nobody does.

 

Clean all the studs with brake cleaner to remove

any manufacturing oils.

 

Once the studs are in place, drop the head gasket 

and head into place.

 

I bought stainless acorn nuts and hardened stainless washers to secure the heads. The acorn nuts were about $3 EACH and I needed almost 60 of them. Yikes! Washers were a bit cheaper and are beveled on one side to give the thread lubricant someplace to go. 

 

27 washers and 29 acorn nuts per side. Two studs

don't need washers because they hold the spark

plug conduit brackets.

 

Then one at a time, I lubricated the threads, both sides of the washer, and the bottom of the acorn nut and screwed them into place. I'm of the opinion that you can't have too much lubricant on stud threads for torquing head gaskets and the ARP stuff is pretty good. The idea is for the studs to be almost purely in tension without any torsion to distort them, so you want the acorn nuts to turn effortlessly until the studs start to stretch at the torque setting. Two of the Time-Sert inserts fought me and didn't allow the stud to thread in smoothly, including the one that I worried about a few weeks ago when I replaced it, but I eventually got them seated.

 

I used deep sockets roughly the size of the spark plug conduit to hold the brackets in place while I torqued those particular nuts. Reviewing a few sources, it seems that the suggested torque on the head studs of a Lincoln with aluminum heads is somewhere between 40 and 55 lb-ft. Going down the middle, I tightened the nuts to 45 lb-ft. in three steps of 25-35-45 using a pattern that worked out from the center of the head. 

 

Acorn nuts torqued to 45 lb-ft. Deep sockets help

hold the brackets in place while I torqued them.

 

  
All 58 acorn nuts torqued to spec and spark plugs installed.

 

And since I was feeling industrious, I installed the water manifold on the driver's side (the one I modified with the extra port) and the two water necks on the heads. Unfortunately, the driver's side wouldn't go on with the exhaust manifolds in place, so I had to remove some of the exhaust to get it in there. Important installation tip: put the water necks on before installing the heads. 

 

A bit of a clearance issue with the water neck

and the exhaust manifold collector.

 

Tomorrow I guess I'll install the spark plug wires (I'm skipping the conduit for testing purposes) and put some oil in the crankcase. I still need a spacer under the carb, so I ordered some 1/2-inch phenolic material and will make one. Then the carb can be installed, along with the fuel lines and linkage. And I guess I should figure out how to clean all the lubricant off the heads--my beautiful shiny heads are a mess.

 

Jim says the water pump should be ready next week. The machine shop is behind on the end plate, and that's what's holding him up. Fingers crossed. 

 

 

Edited June 13, 2021 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Getting close......I can smell the exhaust and feel my eyes burn. 👍

[AB-Buff]

If you make one do not breathe any of the dust from this. Even a small amount will cause major issues. It’s nasty crap. I have three left if you’re interested.

[edinmass]

Looks like a bargain to me.........

[38Buick 80C]

quick story about acorn nuts for tightening heads.

 

Before I was born dad had an Alfa Romeo Spider like the car from The Graduate. Apparently it broke a lot, in particular it liked to blow head gaskets. Dad tried all sorts of things but it kept blowing head gaskets and he eventually parted with the car. Shortly after he parted with the car he was talking to someone about the problems and they said that's an easy fix put an extra washer under the acorn nut. Dad's response: "Extra washer? there is no washer under the acorn nut".

 

So moral of the story: be careful you are not getting false torque readings cause your acorn nuts are hitting the stud instead of actually torquing the head down to the block. 

[Terry Harper]

We used a version of Garolite (there are a number of types) to replicate a bakelite knob. The type used has paper for the matrix. 

 

Interesting stuff to work with.

 

 

 

[Matt Harwood]

Not many things left to do so I'm just wrapping up the little stuff. First thing was to clean and polish the cylinder heads so they look their best and the oils don't hurt the finish. Once the heads were clean, I cut and assembled my plug wires. I'm using correct cloth-covered wires with what I believe to be correct ends, although I've seen so many different versions on various cars it's hard to be sure. These are forked terminals that fit under the screw terminal on the spark plugs. I've ordered some knurled nuts for the plugs so they'll look right (although the bodies of pre-1938 spark plugs should be black so these aren't 100% correct). The wires needed to be cut to length and the terminals installed, so I did that. 

 

To install the terminals on the plug wires, simply

strip about 1/2-inch of insulation...

 

Fold the wire back against the insulation

 

  

And crimp on the connector. Note that many wire strippers

have a convenient ignition terminal crimping tool built right in.
 Make sure the barbs dig into the insulation to secure the terminal.

 

I installed the wires without the conduit just

to facilitate troubleshooting (if necessary).

 

Looking for a few other things to do, I plugged the vacuum port that feeds the power brakes and made a new vacuum line between the fuel pump and the intake manifold (the previous one was just a rubber hose). It won't need any vacuum ports for testing, but that line is out of the way and it's easier to install now rather than once it's back in the car. 

 

Power brake port plugged.

 

  

New vacuum line from manifold to pump. I really like the Cunifer tubing, it's

easy to work with and when you polish it up with steel wool, it has a nice

vintage look that's appropriate. I could always have the lines chromed, too.

 

I found my original phenolic spacer in my parts cache, but it's kind of tired. I've got a chunk of material on the way and will try to make my own, but if that fails, I'll buy one from AB-Buff (Lynn) and be done with it. I still have a broken return spring on my carburetor, and while there are multiple springs on the throttle linkage, I'd like to replace it. However, the throttle shaft on which it is installed doesn't come apart easily. It appears to be riveted and/or soldered in place, so it isn't easy to disassemble. Any thoughts on how to take it apart so I can replace the spring?

 

Any idea how to remove this linkage with that

gold rivet holding it in place?

[keiser31]

Is that gold rivet part of the butterfly shaft? If so, you may need to get in touch with carbking.

Edited June 14, 2021 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Bloo]

I agree. That's a common way to make a throttle shaft, just rivet the shaft over. When that loosens it causes all sorts of havoc because the linkage can no longer completely control the shaft and butterfly. A common and permanent fix for a loose one is to silver braze it, and the same if you have to take the arm completely off. It would not be an invisible repair though.

 

I imagine if there is a spring under there, then they meant you to remove the butterflies and take the shaft out, and that is probably going to involve some new special screws, etc. Let's see what @carbkinghas to say.

[carbking]

The pictured shaft is normal, that is not a gold rivet.

 

The arm will have two parallel "flats", which slide over two corresponding machined "flats" on the throttle shaft. The shaft protrudes slightly through the arm. A shallow hole is machined in the end of the throttle shaft. To assemble, the arm is slid over the shaft, and the placing in a rotating machine (lathe). Using the shallow hole as a start, the end of the shaft protruding past the arm is now "spun" over the arm, affixing it to the shaft.

 

The arm was never meant to be removed!

 

If there is a spring behind the arm, the throttle shaft should be removed from the throttle body.

 

BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE SCREWS HOLDING THE THROTTLE PLATES, GRIND OFF THE BACK SIDES OF THE SCREWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The back sides of the screws are "staked" over the shaft to prevent them loosing, coming out, and disappearing in the engine.

 

New screws are available (6x32x5/16 oval head brass). The Carter Carburetor School headmaster taught me to use blue Loctite when replacing the screws, rather than attempt to stake them. Even though I have a factory Stromberg hand staking tool, I do use the blue Loctite.

 

Jon

[Matt Harwood]

12 hours ago, carbking said:

The pictured shaft is normal, that is not a gold rivet.

 

The arm will have two parallel "flats", which slide over two corresponding machined "flats" on the throttle shaft. The shaft protrudes slightly through the arm. A shallow hole is machined in the end of the throttle shaft. To assemble, the arm is slid over the shaft, and the placing in a rotating machine (lathe). Using the shallow hole as a start, the end of the shaft protruding past the arm is now "spun" over the arm, affixing it to the shaft.

 

The arm was never meant to be removed!

 

If there is a spring behind the arm, the throttle shaft should be removed from the throttle body.

 

BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE SCREWS HOLDING THE THROTTLE PLATES, GRIND OFF THE BACK SIDES OF THE SCREWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The back sides of the screws are "staked" over the shaft to prevent them loosing, coming out, and disappearing in the engine.

 

New screws are available (6x32x5/16 oval head brass). The Carter Carburetor School headmaster taught me to use blue Loctite when replacing the screws, rather than attempt to stake them. Even though I have a factory Stromberg hand staking tool, I do use the blue Loctite.

 

Jon

 

Thanks, Jon. Unfortunately, I don't think the other side of the shaft comes apart easily, either. It's got a finished end on it and no obvious way to remove anything. I'm thinking I should leave it alone and use a return spring somewhere else in the throttle linkage.

 

Other side of the throttle shaft has that arm on it

with no obvious means of disassembly.

 

I'll admit I'm about out of things to do while I wait for the water pump. We have a McMaster-Carr up the street, so I went and bought some new cloth-wrapped radiator hoses and little knurled nuts for the spark plugs. I also installed my NOS radiator cap. I haven't decided whether I'll use restrictors in the upper hoses, but when it was running last time, they seemed to help keep the coolant from pushing out the overflow. We'll see how it flows when it's running--I plan to run the clear hoses from my Evapo-Rust rig so I can watch what's going on in there while it's running. 

 

  
Finishing touches like the knurled nuts on the spark plugs and an NOS

radiator cap push it a bit closer to ready to run.

 

I wanted to tear into the brakes, but I don't have a wrench large enough to remove the hub nut. My car is supposed to have one, but doesn't (of course). It's roughly 2.5 inches, but if I buy a 2.5-inch socket, is it EXACTLY 2.5 inches? Or is it 2-5/8? 2-7/16? Hard to say, since the edges of the nut are rounded so an accurate measurement is tough. I'll have to figure it out.

 

Need to find a wrench that fits that nut.

 

[Bloo]

I think I see a pin.

[JV Puleo]

Measure it across the flats...get a 6-point socket.

Sockets are slightly larger than the measurement.

Edited June 15, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

1 minute ago, JV Puleo said:

Measure it across the flats...get a 6-point socket.

 

Unfortunately, it's a wierdo 8-point nut, which is part of the problem. I'm thinking maybe an extra-large adjustable wrench of some kind. I have a pipe wrench that might fit it...

[JV Puleo]

In that case, I'd go with a real Monkey Wrench - the kind with wide flat jaws - not the narrow jaws of the Ford wrenches or the cheap adjustable wrenches. It will have to be old though - they haven't made good ones for a long time. I once bought 3  old, but still new, on ebay for something like $15. There may be bit 8-point sockets as well. I seem to remember them being sold for front-end work.

[MCHinson]

Harbor Freight Tools has an adjustable wrench that will open to 2 1/2 inches. It is reasonably priced. McMaster-Carr has even larger adjustable wrenches. You really don't want to know how much they cost, but they are over 10 times the cost of the Harbor Freight wrench.  

[AB-Buff]

Good deal, buy it and don’t leave home without it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373612171174

 

if you don’t win the bid, Ray Theriault has a few of them. It’s a fantastic wrench. You need it for both front and rear.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by AB-Buff (see edit history)

[m-mman]

16 hours ago, AB-Buff said:

It’s a fantastic wrench. You need it for both front and rear.

Thankfully I found the correct one for my 29 Cad.

The big end fits the rear bearing nuts the small end the front and the two nubs fit the front bearing adjusting nut. hard to do the job without one. 

Almost as necessary as the big ass puller for a tapered brake drum. 

Edited June 15, 2021 by m-mman (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

16 hours ago, AB-Buff said:

Good deal, buy it and don’t leave home without it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/373612171174

 

if you don’t win the bid, Ray Theriault has a few of them. It’s a fantastic ranch. You need it for both front and rear.

 

 

 

 

 

Who do you think the high bidder is?

 

[edinmass]

Some things never change..............

[neil morse]

Great photo, Ed.  Someone swapped out the Lincoln greyhound for Chrysler wings as a hood ornament on that one.

[Bhigdog]

On 6/14/2021 at 10:01 PM, Matt Harwood said:

 

Unfortunately, it's a wierdo 8-point nut, which is part of the problem. I'm thinking maybe an extra-large adjustable wrench of some kind. I have a pipe wrench that might fit it...

 I made a bigish 8 point box wrench for Mochet Velo a few years back. Not that hard to do even with only hand tools...............Bob

[Matt Harwood]

Just killing time trying to find things to do. Waiting is frustrating. Spent about 3 minutes connecting the upper radiator hoses and installing my "Grimy" filters. Wooo.

 

  

 

I figure the clear hose will allow me to see what, if any, trash is still flowing through the cooling system and how turbulent it is without the restrictors. You may recall that when I drove it last, coolant pushed out past the radiator cap. Adding some simple restrictors cured the problem and seemed to help with cooling. This will give me a chance to see what's going on in there and determine whether I need to reinstall the restrictors when it goes back in the car. Hopefully the new radiator, new water pump, and clean engine block will allow smoother flow and the new radiator cap won't be overwhelmed by the pressure.

 

Initially had a coolant spillage problem.

 

  
Simple restrictors cured it the first time. Will I still need them?

[edinmass]

With all the improvements, I recommend no restrictions.........it’s back to factory as new. It should be 100 percent fine. Only question I’d flow rate on the radiator......which I would check before I install it.

[AB-Buff]

2 hours ago, edinmass said:

With all the improvements, I recommend no restrictions.........it’s back to factory as new. It should be 100 percent fine. Only question I’d flow rate on the radiator......which I would check before I install it.

I agree, I did not put them in mine and it’s fine. I didn’t throw them away, I still have them but so far so good.

[GMT]

Hello All, 

I am new to this forum as of Tuesday and thankful of all the information I have gained so far. I was nearing my wits end when I came across Matt's thread. As it turns out, we have the same car with the same problem I think. Before I drained the coolant for the third time I noticed a leak coming from the zerk fitting under the brass cap (pictured) in the front of the water pump. Does anyone know why coolant would be coming out of that grease fitting? I am considering going down the engine rust build up rabbit hole, but want to fill it one more time and run it and really shoot some block and radiator temps. to try to get a better idea what is going on, but I would like to address this leak while its empty. Thanks for any help it will be greatly apricated.

[Matt Harwood]

12 minutes ago, GMT said:

Hello All, 

I am new to this forum as of Tuesday and thankful of all the information I have gained so far. I was nearing my wits end when I came across Matt's thread. As it turns out, we have the same car with the same problem I think. Before I drained the coolant for the third time I noticed a leak coming from the zerk fitting under the brass cap (pictured) in the front of the water pump. Does anyone know why coolant would be coming out of that grease fitting? I am considering going down the engine rust build up rabbit hole, but want to fill it one more time and run it and really shoot some block and radiator temps. to try to get a better idea what is going on, but I would like to address this leak while its empty. Thanks for any help it will be greatly apricated.

 

The packing in your water pump is probably gone. You can re-pack it pretty easily. I used graphite rings for a Model A available from Snyder's Antique Auto, which are an almost exact fit for the Lincoln. Back out the packing nut (the big nut in the center of the water pump on the shaft), clean out whatever remains in there, and install two of the graphite rings, then re-tighten the packing nut. You don't want it too tight because it will bind and burn up, but snug. It should still lose a drop of coolant every few minutes when it's running--the leaking helps cool the shaft and packing. Then re-grease the pump. Be gentle as a modern grease gun can blow out the seals in a vintage water pump--it should have a grease cup there instead of a zerk fitting. 

 

I'm having my water pump rebuilt now and it will use a ceramic bearing to eliminate the packing, but there's nothing wrong with packing if you maintain it properly.

Here's when I did the packing on my water pump (or, more accurately, when my wife did it because my fingers wouldn't fit):

 

    

 

The packing rings:

https://snydersantiqueauto.com/ProductDetail/A-8524-L_WATER-PUMP-GRAPHITE-PACKING

 

[GMT]

Thanks Matt,

I'll look into those packings on the shaft , coupling side but still can't figure out what is going on at the other end of the pump housing, why coolant would be coming out there past the grease. I'm thinking of taking that front casting piece off, which I had done a few years ago to check that the impeller wasn't loose or rotted away, and can't remember if the shaft continues through the impeller and what type of seal is on the short end of the shaft to keep coolant from getting to the grease. Thank You Again!

[Matt Harwood]

Another little project to kill, oh, about 8 minutes this afternoon: the air filter! I ordered some copper mesh filter material from one of the Ford V8 suppliers (which was cheaper than the same stuff from McMaster-Carr), then stuffed it into the filter housing. I figure I should spray it with some kind of sticky substance or oil so it will actually, you know, catch dirt. Or not. Maybe I'll do that after it's in the car, but it doesn't look like many restorers bother. It just looks too pretty peeking out from between the fins of the air cleaner housing. I folded the copper over itself to a length about equal to the circumference of the air cleaner housing, then tucked it in the filter. Voila! 

 

Roll of copper mesh was like 10 bucks.

 

  

Then I shoved it in the air cleaner assembly and reinstalled the 
jute "cap" that fits under the lid.

 

I used some silicone to seal the neck to the filter and assembled it using some 5/16" acorn nuts and lock washers. There are still two mysterious threaded holes in the neck that I need to fill, so I've ordered some 3/8-24 set screws that I'll install in those holes and paint them black to make them disappear. 

 

Looks pretty good. Lots of finger prints to wipe off.

 

I don't think I'll use the filter assembly while testing the engine, but I wanted to fit it and see how it looked. Nice, right? 

 

 

 

Edited June 19, 2021 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[edinmass]

If your not a skilled mechanic, I would find one. Water pumps on Lincoln K’s are notoriously difficult to find if your brake them. Castings can become stuck, and fracture when separated. It’s possible and probable that the shaft is scored or pitted. If so, packing replacement will only last a short time. I recommend you actually call Matt and speak to him on the phone, and take his advice. If you read his thread, you can see how quickly things can become difficult to impossible for most folks. Take you time, figure out each step, and understand what you are getting yourself into. Matt had a slight leak...........two years ago. His engine isn’t back in yet.........never mind the money.

[aron_budapest]

I hope you make a video about this engine running soon!:)

[Matt Harwood]

My hub wrench finally showed up. I have plans tonight, so I probably won't get to any disassembly until the weekend, but I at least used it to pull one of the hubs off and have a look. It appears that it fits together like any other modern drum brake, with the bearings on the spindle and a castle nut holding it all together. Not sure if I'll need some kind of puller to remove the drum, but we'll see how it goes. I was also pleased to see that there's plenty of grease in there and it's still semi-liquid and not hardened or gone altogether. It's probably old, but it's still grease. That bodes well for the condition of all the hub internals and bearings.

 

I also spoke with my friend Gary on Sunday at a car show and he said not to do too much adjusting on the brakes--a little goes a long way. My brakes were already pretty effective so I will try to leave the adjustments alone. I'm debating whether I want to take at least the front drums to have them turned--spinning them on the car, they don't turn evenly and there seem to be high spots on the shoes. I guess I'll evaluate once it's apart.

 

Or am I making a mistake by taking things apart since they were working quite well last time I drove it and there's plenty of grease in there? Am I tempting fate by messing with it, especially since I'm running out of time to get it running and driving?

 

 
Inside the hubs looks decent.

 

 

[edinmass]

Don't cut the drums......grind them. That said, I would do the bearings all around, and lubricate the brake linkage............but I would leave the adjustment alone. Good time to flush the rear end and transmission while you are doing nothing. Also, check the fluid in the steering box. And........do the shackles while you are at it. If you need more suggestions, just ask and I'll keep you busy and broke.