Hi, I have a 53 Lincoln capri that I’ve had for a little while now, just took it out yesturday for the first time. Car sat for around 5 years, I bought it from my close relative that p***ed away. Cars in good shape, mostly everything works, chrome and paint are good. I got stranded twice yesterday, seems like the car gets heat soaked and won’t start if you let it idle. Car also has 2 6volt batteries tied together which my question would be why not put 1 12volt in. Now I think it’s time to change the batteries as well they are 10 year old optima and seem to be weak while starting. It looks like the alternator was replaced to handle the 12volts. Also I was thinking of getting a mini starter for the car to help with the weak starting of the car. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
One of the best running 6v vehicles I ever owned. '53 Capri mordor. You could not hear the engine running. Comfortable, tight, fully loaded, pwr windows, steering, brakes, seat and antenna but..........after a drive you would burn your fingers removing the key! Never discovered why as after polishing the car top to bottom on a Sunday, Monday morning it got side swiped from headlight ring to the tail light by a driver who crossed over into the lane and proceeded to take off. That was the end of that fine Lincoln! What a shame. Sort out what is going on and enjoy the car!
Car rides better than some new cars I’ve been in. Just floats across the road, I’ve got a few bugs I need to fix, oil leak that came up yesterday too which I have to chase down. Didn’t think I’d like a convertible as much as I liked driving this car.
@Bad***r/t Has the car been converted to 12 volts, or are those two 6-volt batteries wired in parallel? There are 6-volt alternators available, so just because it has an alternator on it doesn't mean it's a 12 volt system.
Damn good looking Merc! See about getting the radiator rodded out and flush the block.Original 8CM flathead? More pictures please.
I’ll post some more pictures of how the batteries are set up. Cars all original, only thing that was changed up with color combinations. Used to be a tan colored top now it’s dark green, interior as well, dark green with saddle. He kept it as Concourse correct as possible, used to show it in some of the bigger shows out here on the east coast.
Here’s the batteries set up, let me know what you think, looks to me like there both tied together but I’m not sure how this works.
Looks like the batteries are in parallel to me. That would make the car 6 volt, just more cranking power. You could pull a tail light bulb or headlight and see if it is 6 or 12 volt just to be sure.
Looks like someone made a boo boo wiring up those batteries. They wanted to double the amperage instead they did nothing. Both batteries should be wired + to + and -to - and the cables coming from the car should just go to 1 battery.
Look again. They are in parallel. + to + and - to -. One battery cable is on the positive side of both batteries, and the other is on the negative. 6 volt system. Basically double the cranking amperage available vs a single battery. Both cables do not need to be wired to one battery. @Bad***r/t why don't you put the Lincoln in your profile picture instead of that off-topic Moosewang? This is a 1965 and older forum.
An issue with Optimum batteries is that they really need to be charged by an Optimum charger. A lot of times, a regular charger will not do the job. I recently got one, and it does a great job of bringing back batteries that other chargers would not do!
i've been told to go with an 8 volt battery on my '53 . won't harm my electrics and will crank better . i havn't tried that yet . i havn't got mine running yet . i'm in the process of having the fuel pump and brake booster rebuilt .
Is the car overheating when it idles? Or vapor locking? Sounds more like vapor lock to me. Could be weak fuel pump. Low pressure makes it more likely to let gas boil (vaporize) in the line. Try insulating the fuel line from pump to carb and see if that helps. Split rubber fuel line around the metal line works good.
On the slow crank the first thing I would do is check the battery voltage while cranking. If it drops below 4.6 volts those 10 year old batteries need to be replaced. I'm not sure why they used 2 batteries unless that large 6 volt battery that goes in the battery box is no longer available. Depending on the amp rating (CCA) of the optima batteries they may or may not provide more amperage. Is the "heat soak" condition a long crank problem or a slow crank problem? If it is slow crank, checking the cranking voltage would be the first step. Very nice Lincoln.
Man my flathead always vapor locked when I got it. I have no idea why it makes a difference, but I switched to rec gas and haven't had an issue one time since....
DO NOT use this "band-aid" approach. Diagnose to find the real problem and fix it. 6 volts works fine for these cars and an Optima is a lot better battery than the 8 volt unit. They have 800 CCA; what does the 8 volt unit you are consideing have?
Check the condition of the battery cables Look for missing insulation at the ends that will allow small gaps in the wires. replace with proper size if necessary Check the end connections, remove and clean the contact areas.
Batteries are OK, personally if I wanted to do 2 batteries I have 1 wire on 1 and the ground on the other. Essentially all you have now is perpetual "jump start" like it is. Also, Optima and other AGM type battery charging? Big secret so everybody interested pay attention. You CAN use a std battery charger. The trick is to use a std battery as the "buffer" between the charger and Opti. Hook the charger to the std, jumper cables to the Optima, charge on low overnight. Report back with your results. Even a **** battery (if it isn't shorted) will work. You're welcome...
Car just won’t start after it sits idling for a little bit, seems like battery is too weak to turn over the starter. Once the car cools off it starts up and we’re good to go.
I’m thinking I should get 2 batteries, but hopefully can find a deal on them, looks like for 2 I’m going to be in for 500$. I have an oil leak that has started as well, looks like the return hoses that they used a hose clamp to put together. Also which I’ll post later, they made an electrical junction box under the dash which looks like **** I’m going to install a new fuse block.
I have had Optima batteries for the last 30 years and have never experienced any problems using regular chargers. It seems that there may be problems if the Optima it is allowed to be comletely discharged, but I wouldn't know about that. I never neglect my batteries enough so they get in this state.
'52-'54 Lincoln 317" truck version of the "Y" block : only cross-overs are the distributor & oil pump, Also has hydraulic lifters. '52 had 2bbl carb/'53-'54 had 4bbl carb(all versions of the "teapot holley"). '55 was 341 cuin/ '56-'57 was 368 cuin. Most parts for these motors are available as Ford commercial replacement parts. GET A MOTORS MANUAL (available at most swap meets or on line) for 1957: this book covers all years of the Lincoln motors that ar either your car or similar.
So the probable causes are weak batteries, excessive voltage drop in the starting circuit, and/or excessive current draw from the starter. Battery - many parts stores will test your batteries. Excessive voltage drop - find someone who can use a digital voltmeter to check voltage drop. Excessive current draw from starter - find someone who can check starter draw. Since it starts well when the engine is cool I'm leaning towards weak batteries or excessive voltage drop. Testing will tell you which.
For the electrical problems, clean all connections & dbbl chk all grounds. The original battery was a group 3HN, and some commercial equipment use equivalent batteries: I used a 2N in my '52 for a long time without problems, so a new Optima 6V should be sufficient.
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