Projects Got A Really Rare & REALLY Rough '57

I just attended an estate auction and snatched up a '56 Lincoln Continental Mark II, one of only 2,550. I wish I could start raving about it being a running, driving, garage-kept beauty, but, sadly, it's too far gone, I think, to be a feasible candidate for restoration.

The frame is rusted through in many places, with one result being the intrusion of the front shackle of the right rear leaf springs several inches through the rear floorboard. That's responsible for the tail-dragger look.

The body has rust, panel separations and quarts of bondo, and bumpers, taillights and grille are missing. Most of the interior components are gone.

The car's original color was Gainsborough Blue, about the color of a Gillette Blue Blade. It must have been striking to see it glide by.

However, I'm not dwelling on the deterioration...probably because the entire drivetrain is still in the car, including the coveted finned aluminum valve covers and Holley bug-sprayer four-barrel carburetor, the three of which I removed immediately after I bought it, since I couldn't come back for the car 'til two days later.

I'll scrounge the power steering pump and gearbox, the brake master cylinder and vacuum booster, transmission, driveshaft and rear axle, and see if the 368 Y-block will turn over by hand.

The instrument panel, with the beautiful combination gauge featuring four tiny dials (fuel, amps, temp, oil pressure), and tachometer, is still in place, as are the steering wheel and horn ring.

The power window/lock control center is hanging out of the driver door, which appears to still house the power window motor. The split-back front seat frame and its power motors sits, unbolted, in place.

The vent windows, rear quarter windows and rear window are good, and the decklid and its hinges are in decent condition.

I suppose the body might be salvageable for an experienced customizer, so I intend to be careful with it as I disassemble the car, and I'm going to explore the feasibility of resurrecting a clear title for it.

I have a '63 Pontiac Bonneville Consort ambulance/hearse that's one of only 123 built by Superior Coach, but the '56 Mk II is the rarest production car I've ever picked up.

 

Wow great looking car just to bad shes so rough. Still a very nice find and purchase and hell if you cant save it atleast you can say you once owned one haha.

 

Neat....sounds like a lot of work to restore it, but worth the effort for 1 of 444.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

the lines of that car look great as it sits now. ambitious project - incredible potential.

 

Looks like a combination parts-car (for a restorer) and custom (for the guys that want to show off their metalworking prowess). Great score!

 

Whats too far gone? Fix it or sell it to someone who really wants one.

 

Bah.....that'll buff right out!

 

Is that the paint that's so thick or is the whole thing coated in Bondo ?

 

hey if you you want to get rid of those valve covers or some of the other stuff i got cash

 

:d:d

 

Wow. thats awesome. It would be so cool if you built a nice mild custom out of it.

 

I really like those valve covers.

 

nice find , hope you can make her shine again..

 

That's exactly how I see it.

I ain't gonna fix it.....but I bet it lives on as parts of several other cars.

There is no doubt in my mind that a full restoration would have a cost significantly in excess of the value of the completed car.

It's not paint... I don't know if the filler is original or added later. These cars were hand-built with metal, fiberglass, lead and who knows what else to make the body absolutely perfect. The second picture shows fiberglass layered over metal.

The rear floorpan is fiberglass, which also coats the frame in places.

The frame is so rusted out that I'm amazed the car didn't pull apart while I was winching it on the trailer

 

Just a quick suggestion - have those valve covers copied by an aftermarket company.. those are too cool.

 

Cool find!

 

That car is so bad ass. It's a damn shame someone let it get in that bad of shape.
I don't know what you paid, but those valve covers are probably worth it by themselves.

 

dont be a bitch, fix it.

 

Those valve covers are badass.... Im interested in them if you want to sell

 

It always hurts a little to see what was once a very nice car, left to rot and die. Looks like a major project, but somewhere there's a guy looking for one of those, who has the money to do her right.

And yea, those valve covers are the tits!

 

You lucky sonofagun.
The best Lincons ever.
Fix it.
I started with less when I built my roadster and your Lincoln is definitely more than worth it.
r

 

wow... shame to see something like this parted out. remember, there are people out there who dont participate in recessions, and money is no object. guys like leno for instance would jump at the chance to pour cash into this car.

think it over a lil.

 

Damn, Bill! You find the coolest stuff!

 

'There is no doubt in my mind that a full restoration would have a cost significantly in excess of the value of the completed car.'


Isnt that always the case? People dont usually restore cars for profit, well, not in england. Its always cheaper to buy rather than build.

 

Those cars in particular are famously expensive to restore. Fantastic mild custom material though. Personally I couldn't stand to watch somebody cut one up, they're just too cool.

 

You know this company right ?
http://www.markiiparts.com/

He has a lot of MK ii stuff available but it is expensive
Rik

 

DocWatson is right.. you Yanks don't know what "rough", "rusty" or "too far gone" are until you see what us Aussies start with.

That thing is definately restorable. Get some metalworking skills (Since it doesn't sound like you have them yet..) and go to town on that car.

Good luck mate.

 

It's a shame previous owners let it deteriorate to the kind of shape it's in. There are three Continental Mark IIs in our little town.

BTW, it's not a Lincoln. Continental was a separate division of Ford Motor Company from 1956-1958 (even though the '58 Continental shared the Lincoln's body shell, it was still separate in '58) and then was merged into the Lincoln division for the '59 model year.

 

thats a cool find

 

I hope to find one of 'em!

Yes, it is restorable...for someone with the financial resources and desire to do so, but that ain't me. I have most of the requisite skills, but I already have the car of my teenage dreams, a '67 GTO, and a hot rod, a '17 Dodge phaeton, and, at age 58, I'm not interested in any more major projects.

I know that factoid, but I plead guilty to my brain automatically attaching the word "Lincoln" to the word "Continental".