Projects 1962 lincoln continental build "the green mile"

damn guys jump on the haters bandwagon why dont ya? here are some of my reasons for this build

1 no original motor with car
2 locked up 460 wedhged into the chassis (they do not fit in these cars)
3 ruined wiring harness
4 ruined vacum system
5 suspension seriously worn out including brakes etc etc
6 not much spent on the 62 when purchased
7 donor car was only $250 dollars with new drive train
8 why not? lol
9 wanted the challenge
10 DONT PLAN ON RUNNING BIG BLING BLING WHEELS
11 the interior WILL BE REDONE!!!
12 the dash will be modded with some of the original 62 dash
13 frosty the snowman would buy beachfront property in HELL before the wiring of the 99 would fit behind the stock 62 dash
14 the confort of knowing if I break down I can find a part at ANY local parts store
15 if this car was running when bought I would have never done this
16 once again....find me where this was allready done to a continental..kinda cool being FIRST.
17 I love lincolns this is now the 21st lincoln Ive owned
18 back to the interior- this is only what was in the 99 I plan on getting redone when funds allow in a more "old school" type pattern
19 I have a vintage WWII BOMB that I plan on using for a center consol
20 gong to drive it to Cali next year (do that in your car without any worries)



cheers SGC

 

Wow ! my dream ! modern drivetrain and antique skin ! i don't care too much for the modern interior, but congrats for the build and thanks for the pics !

 

Cool Build! pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

I'm doing a similar build to an off topic car just not to the extent you're doing. Mine was on its way to the crusher so I figure it was a save and it's just my toy now so I can do as I please with it.

 

I dig it.

 

I just want to chime in and say how much I appreciate this thread... I think the strategy taken for this build is exceptionally smart-- I love the Lincoln Continentals, and I truly believe they are the superior of all the American made luxury rides... A couple months ago I bought a 2000 black Lincoln Continental that's loaded and with low miles-- The car is incredible, it's amazing, it's unbelievably comfortable and drives like a dream-- And the 32 valve V8 certainly holds its own on the highway... I think the way you used the '99 Continental chassis is really groovy-- Your car has a "Continental Soul" for the ages... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)...

P.S. you're all invited to read my daily blog...
http://www.dragracingunderground.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&Itemid=27

 

First, let me say that I think this is a cool build. I have seen similar builds with other cars that have come out pretty good when time was taken on the details. So good luck and keep us posted.

On another note, don't be so sensitive. Nobody is really "jumping on the hater bandwagon". Nobody is really hating on you much on this thread. I am actually shocked that you didn't get more of a backlash than you have. Just a few years ago this thread probably would have been closed because its not a traditional styled build. And you can't blame people for saying that you need to use the older interior, thats what this forum is about. Personally I wouldn't do that. I would rock the newer interior and make people scratch their heads, but then again, I wouldn't have posted the build on this forum in the first place.

You do make a couple of claims that I would like to address though. You say you can get parts at any local parts store, have you tried to get parts for a late model lincoln towncar yet? I have. My dad has a 04 that we have had to get suspension parts for. Had to order them all in. Nobody carries more than an alternator and starter for these things. Not as easy as you may think. Also, you mention all of the problems with the engine being gone, vacuum lines and electrical hosed and suspension "worn out". Welcome to the world of classic cars. Thats just something you have to deal with and would have been a ton easier to deal with that than to swap the entire chassis. And the last one that I am going to call you on is the "bling bling wheels". How is that a reason to do this swap? Nobody here would like to see that car with big bling bling wheels anyway, but I don't get how that is a consideration in doing the swap in the first place. Oh and there is one last thing. There are lots of people that drive their hot rods across the country without swapping a late model chassis and running gear in their vehicles. So you are barking up the wrong tree with that reason.

Again, I am not getting on the hater bandwagon. I think this is a cool build and hope it gets completed some day. Just don't be so touchy and think everyone is a hater because they aren't gushing over the build and telling you how cool it is. Fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people on this site are not going to like this type of build.

My .02 cents.

Later
Chad

 

WOW! Thats a ton of work there. I really admire your dedication. I have always liked these cars and im sure yours will be on the road in no time. Cool build...wow....ton of work for sure!

 

yup... some websites are worse than others in this regard.

amazing job... keep up the good work. there's a black, 62 convertible that i see at the beach every now and then.

 

I think it's cool the amount of ambition and work you are putting in to this with little money invested . It might not be everyones cup of tea , but you have to admire the effort he is putting in to making this HIS car with skill and not money .

 

That's the way to build a 60's lincoln. I just sold my 69 this weekend. I ended up selling it partly because evertime you needed parts you had to go hunting for them. They also put a lot of goofy vacuum systems in those 60's lincolns.

Neat build. Anxious to see it finished. I'm also surprised you didn't get more backlash on this forum.

Looking cool!

 

you hit the nail on the head, yea Im a bit thinned skinned over my build, one of the only reasons I joined this site as I figured if anyone would appreciate the amount of work ive done it would be the members here. Ive delt with plenty of purists practicaly calling me a fool for doing this. Also many aspects of this build center around the fact that I have a buget of nearly $0 I have a great job but I suport my family plus my daughter who has a debilitating deises (in know I suck at spelling) So money is an issue, when I can spend my extra time putting two cars together to make one cheaper then I could even rebuild the suspension on either it makes sense. Same goes for the interior, I mean its obvious Im not done yet plus I dont have the extra coin to go and redo every inch of it for right now leaving it OG is just fine. I do appreciate all the the positive comments and I cant wait to start joining shows and other stuff over the southeast.

oh and btw if I did put this in the wrong forum maybe a mod can move it for me.

 

Way beyond my skill level. I do understand not wanting to have to deal with vacuum lines and obsolete parts. I am dealing with those issues on my 68 caddy. I think either color scheme would look pretty cool on your Lincoln.

I wouldn't do what you are doing, because even if I wanted to I couldn't. This is one impressive project. Your skill shows.

 

Alan,
It's cool. There is no other forum on the Jalopy Journal / HAMB site for you to post your build, so if they let you stay here you'll have to endure the traditionalist jibes. Hot rodders have always created novel vehicles using non-traditional parts or fabrication, just look at Mickey Thompson's stuff, but this site is not terribly friendly to such ideas. I hope they don't lock your thread because you're doing some interesting fabrication.

Some questions:

1. Like those hood hinges. Please say what vehicle they came from.
2. For the old rocker to new rocker tie-in, do you have any pics of how the old rockers meet up to the new rockers? And how did you verify proper placement of the body so all four corners were properly aligned?
3. Do you have any pics of joining the old cowl and new cowl?
4. Finally, please explain how you got away without putting in a lot of temporary reinforcing tubing to keep the body square when you gutted it. Seems like you didn't even worry about the doors, trunk and fenders fitting or the windows breaking. Thanks.

 

thanx thaugen to answer your questions:



1. Like those hood hinges. Please say what vehicle they came from.

the hood hinges are actually 09 lexus 430 trunk hinges, I just need to get new struts for them. the lexus trunk is actually heavier then the lincoln hood and so far I see no problems with the use of these hinges. I would have used the stock hinges but they would get in the way of the new core suport plus a powdercoater guy got me for about $800 dollars and my parts a year or two ago so I was out of the rest of the hinges.

2. For the old rocker to new rocker tie-in, do you have any pics of how the old rockers meet up to the new rockers? And how did you verify proper placement of the body so all four corners were properly aligned?

after completly cutting the 62 to just the inner rocker and cutting the 99 to the inner rocker as well the measurement came out to be only 1/8 inch tighter on the 62 over the 99, as you can see in the pictures where we used a porta power to stretch the 62 just a bit wider over the initial lip of the 99 inner rocker and when pressure was released they fit together with zero clearence. To verify all four corners were properly alligned we measured measured measured and measured, its withing milimeters f being perfect. (also helps I work for a big pro body shop so we have all the great stuff to make sure everything is correct.




3. Do you have any pics of joining the old cowl and new cowl?

somewhere, I will post them later, but when I cut the 62 I left about 3/4 inch of metal below the windsheild of the original cowl, this in turn rested perfect on the 99 cowl area, granted I did have to weld in some filler plates to tie them in but for the most part if I cut it a bit better in the first place none would have to have been needed.



4. Finally, please explain how you got away without putting in a lot of temporary reinforcing tubing to keep the body square when you gutted it. Seems like you didn't even worry about the doors, trunk and fenders fitting or the windows breaking. Thanks.


well the 62 is a unibody contruction and the rockers if left comlete are a perimeter style frame for the 62 before I started cutting I took a million measurements, and after I cut it all out did the same the body did not mishape any. Now I do know about reinforcments I do alot of rotisserary restos at our shop and they get put in, but after the initial measurements and after cutting measurements didnt change I went with it, also it may seem not possible but the bare shell of the 62 couldnt weigh no more then 250lbs as I got inside and picked it up and moved it myself, so light it had to be tighed to the lift when we were lowering it to the 99. Subsuquently the 99 with the 62 weighs about 1500lbs less then it did before!


hope these help out.

 

helluva job! you have a lot of ambition... great job. i have a 65 slabside and i can attest to what a bastard these cars can be to work on. keep up the good work, you mentioned you might be headed out to cali. hopefully i can see this one in person.

 

theres no doubt in my mind your going to finnish this car.

 

^ ya,what he said

 

I think what your doing is a pretty neat. But number 20 is bullshit. I drove my 1956 with the bone stock 272 Y-Block from Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada) to San Jose, CA with no problems what so ever. I know many many people have driven tens of thousands of miles with '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s motors, etc. I have no worries at all with my '56. I would drive that car anywhere in North America with no worries at all.

Once again I appreciate your build, just find number 20 to be a little insulting and un-educated.

 

Just logged in to say I think its a cool build, I`m not fond of either car but the ingenuity you've shown is wicked, could have fabbed a retro looking fiberglass dash tho. modern grey plastic isn't the prettiest thing. (Edit, just saw your list)

 

Thats damn cool, I would do something like this for my wife to drive without having to worry about her breaking down. The engine wouldn't look the part, but customs aren't supposed to have their hoods up. Other than the dash, you could easily build a cool interior to camoflage the newer equipment and no one would ever know. I can't wait to see the dash treatment.

We may have a customer who wants to build a lincoln convertable, this may be a way to go.

 

love this car. lots of awesome work. Ive always wanted to do something like this for my little lady.

 

hows this project coming,any updates?

 

This project is bad ass IMO ,your fab skills and ingenuity are great keep at it.


One question though, any particular reason you chose to go with hydraulics over air ride?

 

I love it.

 

these things are a nightmare to figure out vac and wiring, we had 63 convert when i was a kid. the donor is a good platform to start with pretty reliable and the diagrams are redily available. nice job...

 

Could of at the very least left the stock interior. New shit in old cars is kinda chilly. Good work though for sure.

 

i like it ! alot of work to graft the older body on the newer platform ! will be a nice driving car when done !

 

few things can ruin the joys of driving a classic more than looking over a crappy plastic dash...

 

This is a much better way to cruise an early 60's car at night...



Just sayin ...

 

Has he been scared off?

I hope not as I really like this build. The guy knows about the interior and said he is going to change it so lets all just take a deep breath and see where the journey takes us.

Looking forward to seeing it finished.

Please.

Pretty please.

Pretty please with cherries and sprinkles.....

P.