Technical 1948 Lincoln Engine Swap Options

A older gentleman I know has a 1948 Lincoln Coupe thats in very good shape but the original v12 is seized and from what I hear they were not that good of an engine from the get go and cost a fortune to rebuild. What im wondering is if anyone on here has any experience engine swapping these cars and what some good options might be.

 

Engine choices would depend on your vision of the outcome of the car. Restore? Not? If looking for a viable alternative engine, my first choice would be the OT Ford 300 6. Could be adapted to the car with minimal modifications.
Is the 292 V12 not rebuild-able?

 

When the Lincoln was nearly new, a very common transplant was the 331'' Cad & Hydramatic, or if performance wasn't the goal, a Merc flathead would get it going again.

 

Saw one in Rapid City with a 390 in it, seemed to work out okay.

 

Hmm I do have a 390fe and auto trans sitting in my garage.

 

It might be rebuild able but the cost of rebuilding one of these v12s is pretty crazy. Not looking to restore the car. Just looking to make a cool driver.

 

390 sitting on the floor?

Thats a no brainer !

 

That was a real common swap back in the late 50's when the V12 gave up the ghost.
390 can be a solid runner that you can leave stone stock and wheel that Lincoln down the highway faster than most people want to ride in it and with the right exhaust be so quiet that you don't know it's running if you want to be sneaky. I'm not sure you could fit Lincoln valve covers to it but that would be a plus.

 

My better halfs father has a 46 continental, the paper work that came with the car included a receipt for an engine overhaul. $99 plus tax. Of course it was several decades ago...

 

I have seen posts of people having paid close to 10k to rebuild there v12s...

 

Saw one for sale ten or so years back with a 460 Lincoln in it....just say'n........

 

I think the proper question is if you are doing the swap, or having someone do it for you?
Model As weren’t made for a Hemi engine, but many have them.
Now maybe you can get lucky and find prebuilt mounts for your engine of choice, but are you prepared to make them if not available?
I’m willing to bet a stout FH V8 (as mentioned above) would be the easiest, but even a FH V8 can run a good 4K for a rebuild. More if you want some extra oomph.
Just giving you some things to think about.

 

How about thoughts on why they have to be expensive rebuilds? I would have designed them as a Ford flathead V8, plus four more cylinders. Could have used lots of common parts. Guess they had a better idea?

 

Cadillac OHVs were almost standard replacements in the post-war Lincolns. I believe most came with Hydramatics and the early Cadillacs were an easy fit -- almost stock.

 

I think the 390 fe should do the job

 

I’ve got a 47, same car, that I have just finished putting a 302 Ford and AOD trans in. Lots of work, had to build a new cross member for the motor mounts, the steering box is right in the way. I hate to say this, but a small block Chevy is actually a better fit. You can use the old style front mounts on the factory crossmember and not have to worry about the steering box.

Another thing to consider, are you planning a newer transmission? Lincoln used a closed driveline like Ford, you might find some kind of adapter to bolt up a later engine to the V12 transmission, but it will be hard to find. Mine had already been converted to an open drive with parallel leaf springs and a 8” Ford rear when I got it. Mine had a poorly installed Chevy 350/350, I had to do a lot of changing to put my 302/AOD combo in it, but I wanted mine to be all FOMOCO. If you want any more info on it, send me a PM and I’ll tell you what I know.

 

Lincoln didn’t start using Hydramatics until 49 or 50. 46-48 were 3 speed manuals with overdrive.

 

Both pre and postwar Lincolns have likely been the subject of more and more diverse engine replacements than any other vehicle. The list reads like a manufacturer directory. Ford/Merc/Lincoln flathead and OHV of all years and sizes. Olds, Cadillac, Chrysler, Jaguar - virtually anything you can think of. They have "Zephyr" gears and the easiest replacement is with an adapter (not needed with Ford and Mercury flatheads) to mate the engine to the Lincoln trans. The engine compartment is huge and will accept anything you want to put in it. Current choices include the 32 Valve V8 and matching OD trans which has the advantage of being a Lincoln motor.

 

There's a clean looking Lincoln V-12 in the for sale section

 

V12s are pretty dog gone cool. There's a old saying....."Only good engines stick." This depends on how long it's been stuck, and how it stuck.
Flatheads can stick in the valve train. Of course they can stick at the rings. If it has stuck at the either, It may can be easily freed. If the rings are stuck to the pistons, the bore may be fine.

Just being what it is; a Lincoln, it may not have that many miles on it.
It's worth a shot to see if the engine can be unstuck and overhauled.....

It would be very cool to fool with if you like Lincolns, and especially if you like a V12. If you just wanted a simple "project", I recommend a more common car.

 

Not so much me wanting a *simple* project. Its more of a budget thing. He wants $5000 for the car and at the moment I have a budget of 8k. Would most likely need alot more then that to get the v12 up and running. Im thinking that swapping a merc v8 flathead into the car to get it on the road and work on overhauling the v12 slowly might be a good option. That way I can keep the original driveline.

 

Its sold if we were looking at the same one.

 

He also has a 47 continental for $4000 that has already had the cadillac v8 swap and rear axle swap. But it has some pretty serious rust issues. Thought about getting both and taking the driveline out of the continental and putting it into the coupe then selling the continental but idk how much I would get back out of it that way.

 

Open Check Book - Insert either 368 Lincoln Y Block or 430 MEL, and neither one will be cheaper than the V12 to rebuild.

But, Yeah, the 390 sitting in your garage already is a no brainer.

 

I have a 1960 Lincoln Premier, I know all about how the 430mel likes to gobble up paychecks.

 

He also has a big block 1964 Galaxie 500xl 4 door I could just drop my 390 into. No rust but its got a dent on almost every panel and 181k miles on it. Wants 3k for that one.

 

For 8K forget the Lincoln!

You can find a very viable project for that money if you look and be patient. As you look save some more cash.

In the 10K range, you can find a good runner that needs some TLC. You can find a nice car for that money that does not need a new engine first thing out of the gate.
It's going to cost several thousand to get that Lincoln re powered and built back up to road ready.

Find you a runner.
You can find good immediate post war coupes GM-Ford-Mopar for that money that you can drive or drive very soon.

 

That Galaxie would be hard to p*** up, you mention dents, but your pic shows some nice panels. Maybe dust hiding the “dents” or are they just dings?
But it’s really up to the type of car you want, if you just buy one because it’s easier on the budget, you may then fall into the “this is work, not fun” category.
Truth is (hope no one is listening) even being single now with the kids grown and driving their own cars, I’d rock that 4 door with a smile on my face everyday

 

Probably even runs, engine is free. Its a 352 and has almost 200k miles on it, I know my 390 with a cam runs good so I dont see any reason to swap that in. The dents are mostly in the rear and on the p***enger side.

 

I'd p*** on all of that, especially for 3K. You can do better. A little more spent now saves thousands later.
Count on that joker needing everything. I don't like how it's kept. I'm funny about such matters.
You have some some real purchase power.
Don't blow it!