Laughing Coyote Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Not mine, but looks like a nice one. https://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/d/green-valley-1948-lincoln-continental/7083630578.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) True, a great deal not too long ago, still pretty good imho. That said, it also illustrates the deal on the connie Thunderbird Sunroof sold here a week or so back that was discussed in detail. I wonder what it would take to move this connie to the level of the grey one for maybe 5 grand more. Edited February 28, 2020 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Interior was much nicer / well done in the other Connie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 I don't think that car ever gets restored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 When you can buy really nice ones for $30-35,000, why even bother with a project? They're ALL for sale ALL the time. Nobody wants them and just the restoration of the chrome will exceed the car's value. Add in just 292 cubic inches to haul around 18 feet and 4800 pounds of car and, well, you end up with a whole lot of them laying around waiting for the next sucker. They're like Rolls-Royces in that way--the illusion of a lot of rare, high-end car for not a lot of money, until you start writing checks and realize that it's going to cost more than your house is worth to own a really mediocre car that nobody really wants. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 11 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said: When you can buy really nice ones for $30-35,000, why even bother with a project? They're ALL for sale ALL the time. Nobody wants them and just the restoration of the chrome will exceed the car's value. Add in just 292 cubic inches to haul around 18 feet and 4800 pounds of car and, well, you end up with a whole lot of them laying around waiting for the next sucker. They're like Rolls-Royces in that way--the illusion of a lot of rare, high-end car for not a lot of money, until you start writing checks and realize that it's going to cost more than your house is worth to own a really mediocre car that nobody really wants. My dad would always bitterly complain about getting stuck behind a Continental on hill during a Caravan. Not sure why Ford had to make the engines so small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j m davis phd Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 hour ago, alsancle said: My dad would always bitterly complain about getting stuck behind a Continental on hill during a Caravan. Not sure why Ford had to make the engines so small. cause they were city cars, and meant to be very quite and silkly smooth... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kelso Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 What ever happened to restoring a car just for the shear joy of it and just because it is a car beautiful in your eyes. Am I the only one left! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 2 hours ago, alsancle said: My dad would always bitterly complain about getting stuck behind a Continental on hill during a Caravan. Not sure why Ford had to make the engines so small. Those H-series V12s need to be driven like sports cars--that is, keep the revs wound up for hills and acceleration. They are NOT like the V-12 torque-at-low-rpm engines offered by Cad, Packard and Pierce. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) Probably not too far from correct price if it was never a rusty car (LINCOLN CONTINENTAL'S RUST BAD - JUST IN CASE NO ONE MENTIONED), but the beige one on this site last month for 24K was a much better car and you can usually for 45K find one someone has 100K in. Great cars too (especially in Columbia drive) and plenty of looks, but problems seems to be people saved them and too many survivors to warrant higher pricing. Edited February 29, 2020 by John_Mereness (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) 25 minutes ago, JAK said: What ever happened to restoring a car just for the shear joy of it and just because it is a car beautiful in your eyes. Am I the only one left! Yes, there is a point to such and happens all day long, but when someone puts something up for sale they cannot price expecting someone else to agree with such. I have people say the same thing you just did and say it to me day in and day out, but when I turn the tables and say we will use their money then ... - aka they are generally quick to hold tight to their wallet. Edited February 28, 2020 by John_Mereness (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) This one is tough as it will cost a lot and may be a handfull for the hobbyist. Believe it or not a lot of A and some T restorations are still happening. The difference I think is simplicity, size, parts availability and great how to documentation. Someone with time, some skills and patience can turn out as nice a product as was done in the 70s. Today some tools and materials, as well as access to info are better. Hobbyists of course restored other marques at home but even in those days more of these types of cars were fully or partially done professionally. Not saying no one could not handle this at home, just less likely. Unless you have a ton of disposable cash, and want to make your own mark, pro job doesnt make sense here, I think? Would be nice to see done though. Edited February 28, 2020 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Leave as is. Drive it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 2 hours ago, John_Mereness said: problems seems to be people saved them and too many survivors to warrant higher pricing. This is something I have pondered for many years: 'How many examples of something do the car collectors of the world need?' The original production figures for any "rare" car are 1000? . . . 500?. . . .maybe "They only made 50". . . . ???? They may have only made 400 (or less) of something, but commonly the marque experts can still account for 350 examples 70-80 years later. It's still supply & demand that determines the cash in hand. This is why I have a really decent, unrestored 1941 Continental conv sitting dead in my garage. Thirty years of 'gonna restore it someday' has now made that economically impossible 😢 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 I remember reading an article on these cars from 80 or thereabouts noting a relatively low production number, high survival rate, and higher than average number of cars sold or for sale between collectors at that time. Not sure why they were looked at as different from Cadillac or Packard, but as a longtime fan I do recall that much detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 33 minutes ago, avgwarhawk said: Leave as is. Drive it. Really tough to do. It needs the top installed to made driveable (fabric is on the back seat?) The rear fenders and spare tire ring looks to be in primer (will be need to be painted) . It will certainly need the $1000 - $1500 wake up (fuel system, tune up, fluids, brakes, etc) I am guessing at $3000 - $4000 to make it functional. . . . Then where would you drive it to? Because after all the above, it is still a 'shabby' car. . . . This is the problem with a Full Classic type of car. You can take a shabby T or A to a meet and be well received. But take this to a Full Classic type of event and certainly the attendees will be happy to see it, BUT your ears will be burning from comments like "When are you gonna restore it?" "Hummm . . . this is what, maybe an 80 point car?" or you might just be ignored completely as people walk by you to see the 100 point cars. Take it to a cruise night meet and you will hear "Are you gonna put in a SBC or a Coyote Ford?" Sure you can fix it, and enjoy it all by yourself, but what what fun is that? These are the issues facing someone who might want to just 'fix it and drive it' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 3 hours ago, Grimy said: Those H-series V12s need to be driven like sports cars--that is, keep the revs wound up for hills and acceleration. They are NOT like the V-12 torque-at-low-rpm engines offered by Cad, Packard and Pierce. A terrible engine. Henry's idea of just adding four cylinders to the standard Ford V-8 was a cheap way to come up with a V-12, but they are notoriously unreliable. I think Matt hit the nail on the head. It's too bad because the styling -- particularly on the earlier Continentals and Zephyrs -- is so great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 14 minutes ago, m-mman said: Really tough to do. It needs the top installed to made driveable (fabric is on the back seat?) The rear fenders and spare tire ring looks to be in primer (will be need to be painted) . It will certainly need the $1000 - $1500 wake up (fuel system, tune up, fluids, brakes, etc) I am guessing at $3000 - $4000 to make it functional. . . . Then where would you drive it to? Because after all the above, it is still a 'shabby' car. . . . This is the problem with a Full Classic type of car. You can take a shabby T or A to a meet and be well received. But take this to a Full Classic type of event and certainly the attendees will be happy to see it, BUT your ears will be burning from comments like "When are you gonna restore it?" "Hummm . . . this is what, maybe an 80 point car?" or you might just be ignored completely as people walk by you to see the 100 point cars. Take it to a cruise night meet and you will hear "Are you gonna put in a SBC or a Coyote Ford?" Sure you can fix it, and enjoy it all by yourself, but what what fun is that? These are the issues facing someone who might want to just 'fix it and drive it' You're not wrong about any of that except maybe the people passing by to look at 100-point cars. I think the days of 100-point cars being interesting are waning and the day of the unusual/functional/unrestored car is coming. I've had a large number of slightly shabby but functional original cars and whenever I take them to shows they draw more attention than almost all of the shiny cars. Shiny is boring because they're all shiny. A car with defects is unique in its own way and it tells a story. Now I'm not saying this car is any kind of survivor or that it should be preserved as-is as an artifact. However, I think a slightly shabby expensive car can be an interesting draw and not a step-child at a meet. You're 100% correct that most "shiny car" guys won't get it and will wonder when you're going to make it shiny, but you can safely ignore them--they're dying off. You can also ignore the LS/Coyote swap guys, who don't see any problem that an engine swap won't solve. They don't care about the car, they just care about the project. I still think these Continentals are currency furnaces that aren't much fun to drive, but if you can get in cheap and have fun without the pressure to start burning money, I say go for it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 I have a feeling one of those Continental is going to end up in my garage next to the '64 Riviera just based on style. I, only recently, took a serious interest in Lincoln cars. I grew up young and they always had the stigma of being owned by underling syndicate guys to me, maybe just my perception. A convertible would be nice to take down to the beach when the girls need a break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) Duesenberg J I believe was the sinister car in that movie Bernie, no? I now see the Murphy roadster is used in the film but the Lincoln is the "bad one".... Edited February 28, 2020 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 We are in process of doing one,we love it.it's ready for trim.as Jak said it's the love of the car and hobby 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 hour ago, m-mman said: Really tough to do. It needs the top installed to made driveable (fabric is on the back seat?) The rear fenders and spare tire ring looks to be in primer (will be need to be painted) . It will certainly need the $1000 - $1500 wake up (fuel system, tune up, fluids, brakes, etc) I am guessing at $3000 - $4000 to make it functional. . . . Then where would you drive it to? Because after all the above, it is still a 'shabby' car. . . . This is the problem with a Full Classic type of car. You can take a shabby T or A to a meet and be well received. But take this to a Full Classic type of event and certainly the attendees will be happy to see it, BUT your ears will be burning from comments like "When are you gonna restore it?" "Hummm . . . this is what, maybe an 80 point car?" or you might just be ignored completely as people walk by you to see the 100 point cars. Take it to a cruise night meet and you will hear "Are you gonna put in a SBC or a Coyote Ford?" Sure you can fix it, and enjoy it all by yourself, but what what fun is that? These are the issues facing someone who might want to just 'fix it and drive it' Fabric top? Who said anything about driving in the rain? Primer and paint? Leave as is means just that...leave as is. Driver this shabby car? You have been in and around Baltimore? Fits right in. Get it running and stopping. Drive it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 31 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said: but the Lincoln is the "bad one" The Lincoln is the one they took to the beach for the premeditated event. I couldn't find a picture of it parked by the sand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 It's that brown fender option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) Agreed,the car's are expensive to restore.most any car's are,these car's sell for a third of what the should,great car, great lines. Edited February 28, 2020 by old car fan (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 1 hour ago, neil morse said: adding four cylinders to the standard Ford V-8 was a cheap way to come up with a V-12 And you gotta remember it was intended for a medium priced car, built to a cost, not a standard. A unibody car that wasn't even offered (initially) as a convertible. Nobody imagined it being asked to moved a lead filled custom bodied Classic. (yes Continentals are full of lead, they are effectively a chopped and channeled Zephyr) The 36 Zephyr was aiming at the Packard 120. Cant compare them to a Super 8 or a Twelve. And as bad a H-12 is, it is still way cheaper to do than a K-12. Matt can probably explain further . . . . 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neil morse Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: The Lincoln is the one they took to the beach for the premeditated event. I couldn't find a picture of it parked by the sand. Never mind -- I was going to post a pic but I see that Mike already took care of it. Edited February 29, 2020 by neil morse (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 4 hours ago, neil morse said: A terrible engine. Henry's idea of just adding four cylinders to the standard Ford V-8 was a cheap way to come up with a V-12, but they are notoriously unreliable. As built, yes, BUT...the later availability of multi-grade detergent oils plus a number of internal mods specified in Ocee Ritch's ca. 1965 book "Lincoln Continental" make these engines much more reliable. Add a PCV to help aspirate the crankcase, substitute single-piece Ford valve guides (and valves), and a few other cheap mods, and the engine is good for a long time. The fact that Cadillac OHV V8s and other engines were substituted early in these cars' lives speaks to (1) the desirability of the styling, (2) the poor design and or quality of the engine AS BUILT, and (3) other than the engine, the rest of the car was at least satisfactory. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W_Higgins Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 7 hours ago, JAK said: What ever happened to restoring a car just for the shear joy of it and just because it is a car beautiful in your eyes. Am I the only one left! If it weren't for those who have "taken a hit" doing their projects because they love them and felt they were worth being saved, than the backbenchers wouldn't have anything to drive. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 That seems like quite a movie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kelso Posted February 29, 2020 Share Posted February 29, 2020 Reading M-MMan, there is still a segment of our hobby that enjoys the work as much or more than sitting around a car show all day. Yes I do drive my cars just for the fun of it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 21 hours ago, JAK said: Reading M-MMan, there is still a segment of our hobby that enjoys the work as much or more than sitting around a car show all day. I understand doing the work. In the last 5 years I have dug out and put together a 29 Cad, 59 Lincoln, 66 Mercury and now tinkering with a 26 Lincoln and a 24 T. Being in the garage has helped me get through some very dark times. But then, for whatever reason, as soon as they are operational, I just put them away and not drive them or show them. Dont know why, guess I gotta rediscover that part again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kelso Posted March 13, 2020 Share Posted March 13, 2020 I gotta agree, sometime its just about the pleasure of saying I did it. I get most of my satisfaction from the work also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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