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

[EmTee]

Can't the modern brass fittings be worked with a couple of hand files and some wet/dry sandpaper to break the sharp edges (at least until appropriate ones are sourced)?

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Dang it, guys, will that REALLY make the car run any better? Just asking.

 

  Ben

[Matt Harwood]

I didn't get any work done yesterday (Sunday) because I woke up that morning with an odd sickness. I felt fine until I opened my eyes or moved my head, at which point I became violently nauseous and dizzy. Close my eyes and sit still, and I felt fine. So I stayed in bed all day and tried to sleep it off. By evening I was feeling better and was back to normal this morning. I still don't know what it was, maybe related to a migraine, I don't know.

Anyway, enough about my health woes and back to work on the Lincoln. I didn't feel like doing any more tube bending so I installed the cooling system instead. I started with the radiator, which I hoisted into position on the frame and made sure the rubber pads underneath the mounting studs were straight. Then I installed the support rods to the cowl so that it wouldn't move around. The rods are adjustable so I tried to get the radiator parallel to the fan as best as I could--it will surely need some adjustment once the front end sheetmetal is in place. 

 

Hoisted the radiator into place on the frame.

 

And secured it to the firewall.

 

 

Lower radiator supports include this little

adjustment washer that's apparently designed

to move the stud around in the hole. Then

the radiator is secured with a spring and

a special castle nut, then fastened with a

cotter pin.

 

  

Installed new cloth-wrapped hoses and NOS

wire-style hose clamps. I trust nobody will

complain about their correctness...

 

The lower hose is a bit more complicated. It's HUGE--2.5 inches in diameter to feed that water pump and both sides of the block. When I got the car, there was a rubber elbow, a copper tube acting as a joint, then a long 2.5-inch rubber hose that tended to sag due to its length. I didn't much like that setup so I decided to improve things a bit. I bought a chunk of 2.5-inch diameter 316 stainless tubing and took it to my polishing shop a few weeks ago. Went to retrieve it and discovered that the door was locked and their mail was piling up outside. Uh oh. Out of business. No worries, McMaster-Carr is 15 minutes away, so I ordered another 3-foot chunk of stainless tubing with a polished finish and picked it up this afternoon. I also bought some silicone fittings, an elbow and a straight union to hook everything up, plus some hose clamps to secure everything. I installed the elbow and union and measured the distance between them, then cut the stainless tube to length and dressed the ends so they were smooth. Everything fit perfectly, although I did trim about 1/2-inch off the radiator side of the elbow to raise it up a bit and keep things horizontal. 

 

Original lower radiator hose (top) and my

new components. 

 

Installed the elbow and the union, then

measured the distance between them.

 

Cut the tubing to length.

 

 

And slid it into place. I used Power Grip

shrink-to-fit clamps on the water pump neck

and radiator neck, and aircraft-style

stainless clamps on the tube itself.

I figure that will seal things up and still

let me remove it if necessary.

 

Looks good under the car and nobody

can see it from above. And it should be

a lot more durable than the old hose.

 

Next up, I installed the temperature sensor bulb for the aftermarket temperature gauge I mounted in the glove box. It threaded easily into the original sender's port in the top of the radiator, which should be the hottest point in the system. That's my worst-case reading, so I wanted it to be the most accurate gauge.

 

Aftermarket gauge in the glove box.

Note that I left space for an oil pressure

gauge if I decide to install one later.

 

 

I routed the line along the radiator support.

I'm using zip-ties for now, but I'm going to

get some metal ties that will look more

correct.

 

Last up, I wanted to secure the capillary tube for the stock gauge a little better. I added a few coils and installed a small clip with a filister screw on the firewall. I don't know what was there originally, but there's a handy screw hole right where I can use it. I wrapped the capillary tube with a little friction tape to help hold it in place, then screwed the clip down. I'll paint it black to help it blend in--hopefully it doesn't look too modern. I'm also going to work on getting the coils a little more uniform and smooth, but that capillary tubing is hard to bend and I'm afraid to anneal it like the other line. It's got ether or something in it and I'm not sure if heating it would be a good idea. Better to leave it alone and just tweak it by hand.

 

  

OEM gauge capillary tube. Added a coil and a clip to

hold it in place. I'll spend more time getting it

to look a bit more professional.

 

Good progress tonight. Tomorrow I guess I'll hit the remaining hard lines for the fuel pump and maybe re-try that oil feed line. Not looking forward to that part of the job, but it needs to be done. Let's get it out of the way. Only a few little details to attend to before I can fire it up.

 

Oh, and my upholstery guy is coming to the shop tomorrow to take some measurements for new carpets. It should make a big difference in the interior. Check out how nasty these old carpets are (they are supposed to be gray):

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

I've spoken many times about "mission creep" in regards to old cars, both here and in my shop. Mission creep describes the state of any project unwittingly having an influence on the items around it. It goes by other names like "might as well oughta" and "as long as we're in there" but the idea is the same: whatever you're working on will be influenced by projects adjacent to it. Case in point today is this Lincoln, which continues to impress me with the fresh, new ways it finds to make me miserable.

 

Let me elaborate.

 

My friends Joe and Dale from Interiormotive came over to talk about new carpets in the Lincoln. On the surface, the job should be simple enough: 1. pull out the old carpets, 2. use them as patterns for new carpets, and 3. install the new carpets. But sadly, that's not how this Lincoln wants to work. See, the front carpets have little side panels between the seat frame and the door opening which are not part of the main carpet. Not only are they fastened UNDER the seat frame, but they use a welting around their edge that not only travels the length of the carpet, but up the side of the seat frame in the door opening, over the top of the seat, and down to the floor at the rear door opening (you can see it in the photo below at the leading edge of the door opening). We're not replacing that without tearing out the front seat, and I'm not really sure I want to tackle mission creep at that scale. Whatever, moving on.

 

We also pulled the rear seat carpet, which was a bit of a job due to the factory heater built into the base of the rear seat. This one here:

 

 

We couldn't get the carpet out without pulling that heater, so I had Michael and Roman remove the four bolts holding it in place (of course, it requires a helper under the car) and pull the heater. It's actually a neat little assembly, complete with a built-in fan, which I didn't know about. I knew the firewall heater had a fan, but I figured this one just worked like a radiator. So that's cool and I'll definitely want to get it working properly.

 

Factory heater is actually a neat little assembly that
I'll definitely want to make operational.

 

But... BUT! Here's where the fun part started. With the carpet out, we discovered some brand new horrors. Apparently sometime in the past, the exhaust had burned through the floor of the car. How, I can't say, but sure enough, there's a big old hole in the floor under the leading edge of the seat on the driver's side, just about where the muffler lives. Whatever happened, it charred and burned its way right through the floorboards and even melted the carpet a bit, but did not hurt the upholstery. How the hell that happened, I can't say--hot enough to burn wood but not hurt carpet? WTF? Someone obviously knew about the problem and stuck a sheet of aluminum under the carpet, either to act as a heat shield or--more likely--to cover the hole. I can't say whether it was the same a$$hole who epoxied the engine block, but I'm OK thinking it was. I don't need to think about two extra a$$holes running around in the world.

 

Back seat area without carpet looks OK...

 

...or does it?

 

Rear seat carpet was obviously burned

but only on the bottom. Strange...

 

Doing some archaeology, we discovered some neat stuff. The first was that sheet of aluminum, which has a lithograph on it of the Gateway prison. Google tells me was a debtor's prison in the 1930s. Curious, but not really relevant to the car. An interesting footnote, nothing more. However, a burned edge on the aluminum suggests that whatever was getting hot was still doing so after they "fixed" the problem. I have some investigating to do.

 

Sheet of aluminum was the solution to

the hole burned in the floor. Obviously

the burning continued after this

"solution" was implemented.

What could be causing it?

 

The other cool thing, however, was this little tag from the original carpet manufacturer, The Shelton Looms on Park Avenue in New York. It includes the original color (Slate) and carpet type, as well as the serial number for the back seat carpet of a 1935 Lincoln K 5-passenger sedan (615906K14). Now THAT is cool!

 

On the plus side, we did find this cool little

tag under the carpet that's obviously

from the original manufacturer.

 

So here's where mission creep comes back in. I gotta fix that burned hole in the floor. It's just wood and I can work with wood as well as anyone, but getting at the burned area under the back seat platform is going to be a grade-A hassle. I haven't really looked at it since I'm wearing my work clothes and not my WORK clothes (Michael and Roman were my hands here), but I'll do some closer examination tonight. It's just another job I didn't plan on doing but now have no choice but to tackle. If I'm putting in new carpets, I can't exactly install them over a burning hole in the floor. And I still don't know what was causing the burning in the first place. Is it still happening? The exhaust is nowhere near the floor, so maybe it was a problem in the past that was subsequently rectified with the goofball cherry-bomb muffler they installed?

 

Oh, and as for the "easy" carpet job, it's not. I'm going to get the car running and send it to the upholstery shop so they can work on it in their home base. They figure a week or so and it'll have new carpets and new arm rests and be ready to go. All they need is to be able to move it if necessary, so that means I need to make it run. And, of course, another shovelful of cash needs to go into the furnace that's keeping this whole thing running.

 

Guess I'll stop sitting around doing nothing and finally start spending money and doing some work on this car...

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Roger Zimmermann]

If the space is enough between the muffler and the wood, I would install a shield plate like modern cars have above the catalytic converter. It will not be original, but less dangerous than an overheating muffler burning the floor.

[DonMicheletti]

What you call "Mission Creep" a good friend of mine used to call "Accidental Restoration".

[Billy Kingsley]

That metal with the Gateway prison and gun on it appears to be a printing plate. Based on the size of the image I'm guessing from a magazine rather than a newspaper.  That is a cool find in and of itself and even in that condition you could list it on eBay and make some of your money back that the car has been sucking up. There are collectors for those. 

[AURktman]

In the aerospace world, mission and requirement creep are the devil!  Look at the F-111.   
 

You’re making great progress !  

[Matt Harwood]

Finished the fuel lines tonight. As I mentioned, I don't much enjoy bending tubing just because it never looks as good as I want it to. The line from the main feed inside the frame rail to the fuel pump is particularly challenging. I also wanted to add a fuel filter simply because we found some particles in the fuel when we drained the tank last week. Fortunately, there was a union in the main line right under the cowl inside the frame, so I replaced the union with a fuel filter and then made the line from the filter to the fuel pump. It was frustrating but I eventually got it to fit and look decent. I did the same with the fuel-pump-to-carburetor line, which I made a little less severe than my earlier effort that everyone hated.

 

Installed an in-line fuel filter in place of

a union inside the frame. This is actually

my second filter because I cracked the

first one making the fittings too tight. 

 

I secured the fuel line with one of the original

clips inside the frame. 

 

 

And routed it to the fuel pump. I think I

will end up making this line again because a

45-degree fitting on the fuel pump would

make a much better transition. I'm sure

I had one, but it got lost in the teardown.

 

Fuel line to carburetor is a little less

awkward than the one I made last time.

I still can't make bends by hand that look

good, so I used the tool. 

 

My old fuel line was a little too angular for

my tastes. Also note the 45-degree fitting

on the fuel pump inlet. I need to find it or

get a replacement.

 

Then I installed the air filter assembly.

 

So I'm pretty close to firing it up now. A few wires still to connect, fill it with fluids, and... that's it. I'm not excited about it, I'm nervous as hell. So much can still go wrong. Things I suspect will have issues: fittings on the oil filter, the mechanical fuel pump, trash in the gas tank, ignition system wiring, and the clutch throw-out bearing just because it would be the most difficult thing to fix and that's how my life goes. Technically, I could probably have it running tomorrow. Will I? I don't know. Melanie and the boys are going out of town for a week on Thursday, so I'll have plenty of time to double- and triple-check everything before I try to hit the button. That makes more sense to me, but maybe that's just me stalling to avoid failure. I don't rightly know anymore.

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

Matt, why don’t you pull the plugs and spin it over for thirty seconds?  It will spine over faster than with the plugs in and no chance of it starting. I would use a remote start switch. This will allow you to prime the fuel system and oil filter. Then you can check things out for leaks. You may also see the throw out bearing through the window in the bell housing. Mike

[AURktman]

Matt, just a word of caution on those glass/plastic fuel filters, they break easily as you found out.  Mounted against the frame rail will cause vibration cracking quite quickly as some have discovered and could cause a fire.  I would suggest the same one I put on my 57 Chevy.  Cheap but robust and easily cleaned.  You just need some AN6 to NPT fittings to adapt.  Having seen you do all this work and a broken fuel filter destroy it would make me physically ill.  

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325102209093

 

 

[Matt Harwood]

45 minutes ago, AURktman said:

Matt, just a word of caution on those glass/plastic fuel filters, they break easily as you found out.  Mounted against the frame rail will cause vibration cracking quite quickly as some have discovered and could cause a fire.  I would suggest the same one I put on my 57 Chevy.  Cheap but robust and easily cleaned.  You just need some AN6 to NPT fittings to adapt.  Having seen you do all this work and a broken fuel filter destroy it would make me physically ill.  

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325102209093

 

 

 

I spent a lot of time looking for a filter with NPT fittings that wasn't this plastic piece of junk, but there aren't many. I don't want a lot of fittings and adapters to make it work, those are just points of failure. I agree with you and I don't like this one very much--it's probably going to just be temporary while I run a few tanks through the car before putting the front end sheetmetal back on. I've seen an aluminum one somewhere with NPT fittings but now I can't seem to find it again. I'm going to re-do the line from the filter to the fuel pump anyway, so that's when I'll replace the filter with something better. Thanks for the advice!

[Andy J]

Matt,your work looks fantastic.You can bend my hard lines anytime.Even with a good tubing bender,mine look like hell.

[Laughing Coyote]

2 hours ago, AURktman said:

Matt, just a word of caution on those glass/plastic fuel filters, they break easily as you found out.  Mounted against the frame rail will cause vibration cracking quite quickly as some have discovered and could cause a fire.

Agreed. Had one leak a lot at the cap area. Couldn't get it to seal good even when tight.

 

[Matt Harwood]

It's awake...

 

 

Connected the last few wires, including the battery power cable on the starter and the three wires on the ignition switch. Power is on, as you can see. The electric fuel pump works, too. Nice!

Did I start it? No. Still needs fluids and a few other checks before I crank it. I should also install the battery cut-off switch before I install the floorboards.

 

But as long as the floorboards are out, I decided to clean up the transmission and other parts that are accessible. I soaked them down with a degreaser and agitated it a bit, then let it soak. I'll blast it off with some water and compressed air in the next few days once it's had time to work.

 

Transmission soaking in degreaser.

 

 

[95Cardinal]

I can't wait to hear it running!

[JV Puleo]

RE the fuel filters...I think I have a box of them. I know they are metal...not glass or plastic but I've never checked the thread. I'll do so when I get to the shop. It's a FRAM filter...my late cousin liked to buy parts by the gross!

[JV Puleo]

Fram g3727

[JV Puleo]

This is the filter I had in mind. When I did a google search on it I found it fit a Jaguar and Land Rover which was a surprise because the cousin I inherited these from never owned either...perhaps he intended to use them on something else. Unfortunately, the threaded ends are for metric fittings. As much as I disdain metric bolts and fittings, I'd be tempted to use them since it doesn't show and once fitted they would never have to come off the fuel line...in any case Matt, I have at least 10 or 12 of them so if you want to try it I can send you several...

 

[Matt Harwood]

I just bought this one, which uses O-rings and NPT fittings. It's bigger and made of aluminum, so no worries. It's also reusable so it can be cleaned periodically. I also found my 45-degree fitting for the fuel pump, so I'll be making that fuel line again anyway.

Thanks for the offer, Joe!

 

 

[AURktman]

2 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

I just bought this one, which uses O-rings and NPT fittings. It's bigger and made of aluminum, so no worries. It's also reusable so it can be cleaned periodically. I also found my 45-degree fitting for the fuel pump, so I'll be making that fuel line again anyway.

Thanks for the offer, Joe!

 

 

I have a pair of those, one for my oil cooler.  Works well!  

[JV Puleo]

5 hours ago, Matt Harwood said:

I just bought this one, which uses O-rings and NPT fittings. It's bigger and made of aluminum, so no worries. It's also reusable so it can be cleaned periodically. I also found my 45-degree fitting for the fuel pump, so I'll be making that fuel line again anyway.

 

I used a very similar filter as the Oil Filter on my car although I only used the filter screen and made the housing and ends to disguise it...black and red anodized aluminum would have looked very out of place!

[Matt Harwood]

Well, it was my plan today to fire the engine with the help of Michael and Roman, but we were so busy at the shop that I just ran out of time. Speaking of time, I will have plenty of it in the next few days because Melanie and the boys are in Florida until next Wednesday--Riley has a band performance at Disney. So I'll have all the time I need to get some real work done over the next few days.

 

While we didn't fire the engine, it's ready. I might do it by myself over the weekend; we'll see how brave I feel.

 

In the meantime, tonight I took a little detour. You might remember for Christmas a few years ago my son, Riley, bought me a set of NOS Sparton horns (if you don't remember, scan back a few pages). The car didn't have any horns when I bought it, and while these are not correct for a Lincoln, they should work. Tonight I decided to install them.

 

The wiring was already in place, although it wasn't specifically set up for the new horns, which use a relay. No problem, I just needed to modify the existing wires and make two new ones and everything was ready to go. I also mounted the horns on the original brackets under the frame on the front of the car--they'll be hidden behind the grille so nobody will see that they're not 100% correct. 

 

Wiring for the new horns is easy. Two of

the wires were already in place (power and

ground from the horn button) thanks to my

new wiring harness.

 

First up, I had to mount the horns. I cleaned all the mounting surfaces to bare metal since the horns use their bodies for a ground path. I also cleaned the paint off the horns themselves where the mounting bracket screws into place. A little dielectric grease and everything was in place.

 

 

Horns mounted to original brackets

on the front of the frame.

 

Then I had to mount the relay. I tried a lot of different spots, eventually settling on a spot adjacent to the horns where there's already a hole in the frame. I actually tapped the hole for 5/16-18 threads and used a 1/2-inch long bolt and a lock washer to hold it in place. Easy. 

 

 

Enlarged and tapped an existing hole

and installed the relay.

 

With the relay in place, I modified the horn wires that were part of my new wiring harness. The Lincoln's original horns didn't use a relay, just power and ground. The horn button provides the ground path and the power wires are always hot. I clipped the extra lead for the second horn and simply connected the power wire to the B terminal (power) on the relay and the ground wire to the S (ground) terminal. Then I made two new 12-gauge wires to connect the horns to the relay, adding spade connectors to attach them to the horns and loops to attach them to the relay. I also added some of that tar-impregnated sleeve to help protect the wires and keep them out of sight behind the grille (black is better than yellow but I wanted to keep the wire colors correct to the factory wiring diagram). 

 

Clipped the wiring harness leads.

 

  

Added the appropriate ends and

made new wires to power the

horns themselves.

 

Connected everything to

the relay.

 

 

And connected the horns.

 

Here's the result:

 

 

As you can hear, it's a little inconsistent. Strong at first, but petering out as I continued to press the button. I have a few theories:

 

1. The relay might be getting hot. It didn't feel hot to the touch, but maybe it was overheating a bit. Or maybe a more robust modern relay would be a good idea?

2. My 5-year-old dual Optima batteries, despite being on a tender most of the time, might not be healthy anymore. They've just been sitting there for years. Those horns take some SERIOUS current--they peg the ammeter at full discharge when I press the horn button. It might need the engine running to deliver consistent current to power the horns. Battery power alone might not be sufficient.

3. I used dielectric grease on all the connections and grounds, so maybe that's hindering the current. However, everything I've read says dielectric grease, despite being an insulator, improves contact performance by a significant margin. I suppose I could take everything apart and clean the connections and see if things get better.

4. The horns aren't properly adjusted, although there doesn't seem to be any obvious way to adjust them.

5. Maybe the horns just get tired. I was pressing them a lot to test them. Can they do that?

 

I honestly don't think it's my wiring. Most of the wires are part of my new wiring harness and they connect to all the factory spots with appropriately-sized 12-gauge wire. The additional wires I made to power the horns is also 12-gauge, as recommended by the horn instructions. I wonder if the relay itself needs a better ground? The headlight relay I used for my Buick's fog lights needed its mounting feet to be grounded to work properly, maybe the paint on the frame is hindering the ground here (although the mounting bolt and clean threads should provide a good ground path). 

 

I'm not unhappy with the result--I'm sure I can figure out why the horns aren't quite performing properly. I just want to get them right so I can show Riley when he gets home.

 

Anyway, tomorrow I think I'll install a new battery cut-off switch and reinstall the floor boards. There are some challenges that I'll describe when I get there, so maybe I'll use some of my sound-deadening tech from my Buick. We'll see how it goes...

 

  

Edited March 25, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[pfloro]

Matt,

 

For diagnostic purposes:  with the horns operating, measure the voltage at each horn's terminal connection.  This would rule out any wiring or grounding concerns. Then, to really get crazy, measure the current that each horn is drawing.   

 

I thought these types of horns had an adjusting screw which tinkered with the horn's diaphragm.  I'm not sure and it's been a long time but I remember a small slotted hex screw on the terminal side...

 

You'll find the problem.  The tone is very nice...!

 

Paul

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by pfloro (see edit history)

[Lahti35]

I wonder if the contacts inside the horn are corroded or dirty? It's the last thing I would check but it could be an issue... I had a NOS distributor once that I installed that wouldn't work, had to pull it and clean it then it worked fine. 

 

We're all rooting for you! Keep up the great work!

[pfloro]

2 hours ago, Lahti35 said:

I wonder if the contacts inside the horn are corroded or dirty?

I suspect Lahti35 is correct.  I bet the contacts need a little TLC. From your pictures, it looks like the horns have been taken apart in the past.  I see machine screws and nuts.  I also see the "adjusting" screw (knerled circumference).

 

This might be a nice project for Riley when he gets home...!

 

Paul

Edited March 25, 2023 by pfloro (see edit history)

[edinmass]

Ok……I’m at the bar……five drinks in to lunch……so, the question to be asked………

 

 

Comment withheld to prevent this old guy from getting more ridiculous bad boy points………..😎

[trimacar]

Matt, you know we alll love ya, man, but worrying about horn?  Ya gotta go down the road for the horn to matter (says the guy with a Packard Super Eight convertible which hasn’t been on road for…uh, never mind.). DC

[Matt Harwood]

I've been disconnecting the positive battery cable at the starter to kill power to the car when I work on the car, and that's neither convenient nor safe. I decided to install a proper kill switch this afternoon. I have the floorboards out already and seeing how convenient the kill switch on the floor was in that '33 KA convertible coupe we just sold, I decided to duplicate the setup. I started with a super heavy duty kill switch that's good for something like 2000 amps, more than enough for cranking a big V12 with dual Optimas. The front floorboards on the Lincoln are interesting composite construction with a fairly heavy metal skin and some kind of particleboard in the  middle. They look like wooden floorboards but they're metal on the bottom. That worked to my advantage in installing the kill switch, as I could counter-sink it. I used a hole saw to remove a circle of the wood but the metal stayed intact. I drilled two holes in the metal using the switch plate cover as a template, then installed the switch. It will be easy to reach and activate, but it won't accidentally get kicked into the off position while I'm driving. Nice!

 

I measured to an open spot under the floor

where the switch won't interfere with

any of the other hardware.

 

  

I used a hole saw to drill a hole

in the wood while leaving the metal

foundation in place. Then I test fit

the cut-off switch.

 

The floorboards also have thick felt around the perimeter to help seal things up, and the felt is wedged between the metal and wood, then nailed to the bottom of the board itself. Unfortunately, the felt on my main floorboard is shot, so I had to deal with that and figure out how to seal things up.

 

Felt edge insulation is shot.

 

The solution was using some of the sound-deadening materials I used on my Buick last year. I started by cleaning the floorboard, then gave it a quick shot of black paint to help seal things up before I install the heavy butyl sound deadening mats. I realize they're not going to do much soundproofing on a wooden floorboard, but they do have a built-in heat shield layer and I wanted the thickness around the perimeter to take the place of the felt that I removed. Once I had the butyl in place, I added a layer of closed-cell foam, which will also help insulate against heat and add just enough thickness on the edges that the floors will fit snugly--a good replacement for the felt. 

 

Painted the floor board to seal it up.

 

 

Then I installed butyl sound attenuator

with a foil backing to control heat.

 

 

And some closed-cell foam.

 

Installed the switch.

 

Once the floorboard was prepped, I installed the toe boards and connected the accelerator pedal linkage. The felt around the toe boards was in good shape so I decided to leave them alone. Once they were screwed down into place, I could drop the main floorboard into place and secure it. The sound deadening materials are a snug fit, so the floorboard seals up nicely. The original battery opening cover fits perfectly and the switch is easy to access. I'll have Joe at the upholstery shop make a hole in the carpet to make switch easy to access.

 

Floorboards installed. Snug fit, should be

well insulated.

 

Then I had to connect the cut-off switch. I decided to put it on the negative side just to avoid any sparking should a stray wrench touch the frame. I used my existing size 00 battery cable to connect to one side of the switch. I had to enlarge the hole on the cable to 1/2-inch; that's how beefy the switch is! Then I took one of the cables I used on the test stand, which are size 1/0, and cut it to length and soldered a lug onto the end. Again, I had to enlarge the hole slightly, but that was easy. A little shrink wrap and it was ready to install.

 

  

Cut the cable to length with a cut-off wheel, 

soldered a lug on the end, and finished with

shrink tubing. Ready to install.

 

 

Cables installed and grounded to a

clean spot on the frame. There's 

more clearance that appears in 

this photo--no interference with

the brake rod.

 

I did some basic electrical system checks, just to be sure my wiring was good, particularly the headlight switch. Even though the headlights aren't installed, I could test the taillights, brake lights, and back-up lights, all of which are working properly. And as a pleasant surprise, the dome light is also working properly, as are the instrument lights. I guess my wiring worked as intended. That's a relief.

 

I also reconnected the steering linkage. I aimed the front tires as close to straight-ahead as possible, then found the center of the steering wheel's travel (4 turns lock-to-lock) and attached the drag link to the steering box. At least now it'll be easier to move around the shop.

 

Once I was done with all that, this happened:

 

 

Yep, it's running! Started right up with a little help from the electric fuel pump and no choke needed. The starter didn't clatter, so Earl and Jeff got it right when they fixed it a few weeks ago. There were no bad noises, no unexpected hiccups, and the only leak was a more-frequent-than-expected drip from the water pump packing. The places I expected problems had none, including the oil filter and temperature gauge fittings. What a relief! I called Melanie in Florida and told her that I started it. She scolded me for doing it alone, but I told her everything turned out OK. Nevertheless, I told her that the feeling of pressing the button for that starter was like throwing up--intense uneasiness followed by incredible relief. 

 

I let it run for about half an hour and there were no issues. I stayed at about 140 degrees without any problem. Idle was rock steady, and it revved easily. There's surely some tuning to do, of course, but it's pretty good already. Frank said we might not be able to get it buttery smooth at idle simply because of the cam modifications, and it does have a bit of a hot rod lope. Not terribly pronounced, but easier to hear in person than in the video. 

 

Note the spinning fan.

 

 

All the vitals were good. Rock solid at 140 degrees.

 

So it's running. It's healthy. Everything is normal. Still some tuning to do, but all the major hurdles have been cleared. And since it's ambulatory, it can go to the upholstery shop whenever they're ready. I guess that means tomorrow I need to address that hole in the floor...

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2023 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Laughing Coyote]

Great job Matt.  Now sit back for a moment with a cool drink and take a deep breath and congratulate yourself for all your hard work on this beast. 

[39BuickEight]

Oh happy day!!!!

[Steve_Mack_CT]

This will be an awsome tour car!!

[edinmass]

O’de To Joy!

 

Congratulations on your arrival to the very special club………….we call it “the more money than brains group.” There are lots of members, and all it takes is 10,000 disappointments and a ton of cash dumped into the car…….toss in a year or two……..and presto! You have a great driver……….after you spill a gallon of blood, sweat, and tears sorting it to the finish line. It’s fun to have friend in similar company.

[dalef62]

Congratulations on a job well done!  Do you hear the thunderous applause???

Soon you will be cruising around in style!

[Jeff Perkins / Mn]

End results with this car will help you forget all the agony…….Congratulations!

 

(We are ALL relieved 😅)

Edited March 26, 2023 by Jeff Perkins / Mn (see edit history)

[Lahti35]

Way to go! It sounds great!

[trimacar]

Excellent, congrats!  As to water pump leaking, may not be applicable but I had a Pierce which leaked, removed packing and installed two modern seals, each in opposite orientations.  One kept pump from sucking air,one kept water from leaking out.  Worked perfectly.

[Billy Kingsley]

Now THAT was worth turning the sound up on my phone at 3:22 in the morning for! Congratulations!

[Roger Zimmermann]

Congratulation! I just have a shy question: is 140°F not too low? More recent engines are running at about 180°F. I have to say that, except making a 1:12 Cadillac V-16 engine and frame, I have no experience with vehicles from that time.

By the way, the architecture from your Lincoln engine is, by some aspects, very similar to the V-12 and V-16 Cadillac engines.

By looking at the 1932 Cadillac shop manual, I see that the thermostat activating the shutter control is opening at 149° and is completely open at 173°. Those temperatures are relative low, anyway, way lower as what you experienced some months ago.

Edited March 26, 2023 by Roger Zimmermann (see edit history)

[Mike "Hubbie" Stearns]

AWESOME Matt !!!!!!  It’s been a long road, but you see the light at the end of the tunnel. I believe the attitude of the car has swung in your favor. Congrats Mike