Hey all.....I joined the site 3 years ago and have lurked off and on since. I own a 41 Lincoln that's been in the wife's family since the 50's. It's complete less the original V12 and fenderskirts, have all the trim, glass, bumpers, etc. I stripped some very bad paint off of it a few years ago I'm ready to start work on it now. The last motor to propel the beast was a 52-53 Ford AB, w/ a 3 speed OD........I've got some options motor wise, I can use the flathead (easiest choice, ran great when pulled) or a 454 turbo 400 I've got, or a 351 C, or a 427 fe (probably to expensive to build at this juncture) I'm trying to put together a build plan.....want to lower it, maybe a carson top at some point, PS/PB?.....just want a cruiser, not a show car.....I have some fab skills/paint n body/mechanical......14yr old son and I just completed a frame off Jeep build, lift ps/pb, 5.0 efi, etc. etc. Looking for suggestions/ ideas/ or god forbid criticism Thanks, Jim S.
I've always loved EVERYTHING about that car but the top. If I had it I'd buy about 3 models of it and experiment. I'd even entertain using another vehicle's top (again done with same scale models). I'd also look for an old Lincoln ovhd valve engine.
Hey Jim, That's some great project material you have there! I've been nosin' around for a project '39/'40/'41 , but you jus don't run across any! Givin they only built 850 coupes in '41 I'd lean towards a restorod rather than a heavy kustom. Frame clips, big blocks, bags and any heavy body mods will make that a tough car to sell if someone ever needs to. I'd go back with the Flattie and some vintage speed equipment, clean up the metal, and go with a deep maroon with an off white or bone coloured interior. maybe some '53 caddie caps and white walls, but no silly pinstripes! Keep it very clean, jus' like Edsel Ford designed it. Swankey Devils C.C. "Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!"
For me it would be simple enough, 1957 Lincoln Y-Block, (368), THM 350, or 400, drop it down, steelies & Rings, Put all of the trim, etc. back. Luxury interior... Those engines are the bomb, and it would make the car a great driver. (the pic is a 55 341, but it looks the same as a 368... )
sounding good so far....I'm leaning toward putting the flattie back in it I'll be looking for help suggestions on the suspension (best way to lower/uprade brakes/ps etc) I'll get pics of the interior later, but it's SWEET.....nice maroon naugahide,. seats/door panels/head liner.....thinking satin black for paint for now, I'll spray it when the time comes....wide whites w/ the original caps....fab up the skirts, install the continental kit Thanks guys...keep it coming....Jim S.
My first thought was the Flathead, but then I started thinking,,,, what do you suppose that Lincoln weighs... Maybe not so much, contrary to what most folks would think, my 55 Lincoln only weighs about 4,400 lbs... Not as heavy as my wifes Tahoe, but it aint going to be a "flash" with the flatty.... Don't discount the LYBs to quick, I had mine on a stand doing a very budget rebuild, they are pretty damn cool, and IMO it is way more right for the Lincoln than any Chevy mill you could stick in there.
Thats a great start. The flatty with speed parts would be nice. So would a Lincoln Y block. Keep posting as you build... I have a 41 that I will get to eventually and I could use some good info.
couple other pics before I stripped the paint this is a rig I found surfing the web a few years ago....kinda the look I'm after (cept maybe the wheels/tires Jim S.
Put the one you'll have the least prob. with for now , so you can drive it and shop for a v12 in the future..?
this is a rendering i swiped off this site. that's what you should do. never saw a better looking concept. light chop, lower, rework the trunk shape and angle the spare tire in.
Another LYB,,, This picture just got posted up today by Rob Lee, since it was timely for this thread I took the liberty of posting it up again... Tell me that would not be the right LOOK for that 41...
This was my photoshop effort from years ago, from the same thread as the maroon/black car above. Lots of work and many changes needed on the trunk and roof to get one of these to flow.
you got all the help you need right here. lots of folks here never thought they could pull off their big plans either, until they bit the bullet and got moving on it. i would love to do one of those like the blue/maroon pics above. just need the donor car.
so what would be the best way to research the "how to" of such a project? pretty confident in my ability to fab/ build.....but that kind of body work I always thought was beyond the novice realm Thanks, Jim S.
Well, the photo shop is principally a pie-cut out of the trunk sides to get its slope to align with the tops of the rear fenders, and a chop (which ought to be relatively straightforward with flat glass and pretty much vertical pillars) and the most difficult part would then probably be raking and reshaping the back of the roof pretty heavily.
You could always use the Cad 331..That was a very popular engine transplant back then. I think there was a how-to in one of the little books from the early fifties. I bet if you do a google search with 41 Lincoln Continental and 331 Cadillac something might come up in the way of a How-to. I agree with pimpin paint. No front clips or BAGS!!!...Look for what I said above. I will look through my stuff and see if I can find something. You also might want to check out lcoc.org they might have some info on it too..
Hey, I don't think I'd suggest anyone learn advanced body sectioning and roof work on a Connie! I'd suggest you go ahead and get it running, work over the supension and get the general look you're after, even the black primer paint job(if you must!), and learn all you can whyle chopping a Shoe, or perhaps even a Bowtie sedanette. Learn all you can about balance and form in the design of a chop from your work on a ''guinnie pig''. There will be alot more to a successful chop on your Lincoln than jus' cutting out sections of the A pillars, and pie sections outa the Sail panels! If you don't get the Dutchman panel, the rear deck and the Sail panels all to work and flow together, this thing will look like an ugly woman with too much make up on! Good luck- Swankey Devils C.C. "Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!"
I have a 48 Cont., yours is the more beautiful of the two designs. Mine suffers from massive amounts of chrome. Somebody suggested not using the BBC in yours, I agree as mine has one (454/425). It fills the compartment but sucks premium gas like it is beer to a drunk.. The top is an issue with them as far as I am concerned but if you do something to it it may kill the value of the car. There is a Metal Wizzard close to you, his name is Alan Decker, he drives a green (converted to 2dr.) Linc. Zepher ask him some time what to do.
didn't you and I meet at a Saticoy body shop several years back? if so you gave me a ride on the hwy 126......would love to see your car Jim S.
Hey, The two V12s used in the Continentals, the 292 c.i.d. & the 305 c.i.d. were no marvel of modern machinery. The biggest produced 130 h.p. with ''improved manifolding and carb work''. Both of these motors ran hot when new, and the prewar ones with aluminum heads had a bad history of rotting! I've never heard of anyone grinding hot cams for V12s. The 1941 coupes weighted in at 2,890 l.b.s., the '42-'48s all weighted in at over 4,000 l.b.s. Hell, most all of the 60s-70s OHV V8s (sbc, blech, included!) produced 300 h.p. Most big blocks produce lots of torque but not much h.p. unless you wanna spend big bucks! The extra weight of a big block sitting over the front wheels would make this a poor driving car. Swankey Devils c.c. "Spending A Nation Into Generational Debt Is Not An Act Of Compassion!"
Hey! You have obviously never taken a ride in a V12 Linclon, appreciated the ride or the uniqueness of the luxury. Horsepower? Who gives a shit?
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