Hey guys (and gals), I scored the running gear (minus the V12) from a (street rodded) 40,000 mile 1939 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe. I got the trans, front axle assy, and Columbia two speed, and a bunch of misc. stuff like wheels tires, caps rings, exhaust heater, etc. I want to put the brakes on my 27 roadster but want to get those sweet aluminum scoops for the backing plates. I can't find them anywhere! The guy who was selling them on ebay dried up with 3 negative comments for not shipping after bidders paid, so i'm in need of some help in finding some. Is there another source for these? MrGasser couldn't find me any, but someone out there must know! Click this link to see what I'm talking about if you don't know: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2434439732 I also was considering putting the Columbia under the roadster, but it is a real 40's style car, and I can't ever remember seeing a Columbia under a roadster... quickchanges yes, two speeds no. Anyone ever heard of a Columbia under a roadster "back then". I know it works, and looks to be in great shape, but it is big & heavy. Pro's & Cons anyone? Thanks, Detroit.
The con is that it is indeed big and heavy. Ugly to some people. The pro is that I don't think it's ugly and wouldn't mind any extra weight it might add. Serious: I don't see any cons as long as everything is there and in working order. I bet someone out there would trade you a quickchange for it if that's what you really want though. What a neat piece. Those scoops are cool too, good luck.
BILL. call Denny at Ionia Hot Rod shop here in Michigan (hotroddrummer's dad) 616-527-6051. he made and is (or maybe by now, had) brake scoops cast for the Lincoln brakes. they look just like the bigger ones in that pic. i believe he has other sizes and styles he has made as well. you need to go over there and see what he has, but give him a call. i don't know what he's selling them for but he does'nt advertise them, as of yet, and i'll bet he would hook you up real good. he makes all kinds of neat aluminum things and then has them cast. i keep telling him he needs to get his web site updated and have a catalog printed to showcase all the goodies he makes besides the killer traditional looking hot rod chassis. but that costs money and they are a small shop, just father and son and a few friends (like me) who help out when we can. i'll be out there tommarow all day if you did make it out then that would be cool. anywho, hope this helps... Mike Brimm oh yeah. i remember reading about some old coupes with Columbias in em ut can't recall any roadsters. that does'nt mean there were'nt any and if they put em in coupes then why not roadsters... i think it'd be another neat detail to an allready sweet little car. i say do it BillyBadass...
Thanks for the reply. I know it is really pretty wierd looking for sure! I guess a quickchange would certainly be lighter, but I honestly no nothing about those either. I mean really, how ofeten do you stumble on on of those? MrGasser tells me these Columbias are pretty rare. I have seen them in cars over the years, but nearly always on 40's sleds, restorations and a few street driven hot rods back when I lived in SoCal. I just don't know what to do with the thing. My biggest question is on the brake scoops. Those look really great. The brake swap will be an improvement over the 4 point adjusters for sure! D
Mike, Thnks Man! I'll give him a call. That would be great to find them so close to home. I have only seen these scoops on the front backing plates... I wonder if they fit the rear ones too? Are they supposed to? Too many questions! Thanks! BBA Oh, for Autorama, I think some of the Emperors from Indy are coming up to stay at my house. Maybe we should all get together before or after the show for some libation! LOL!
Columbias are certainly traditional--they show up in the very early fifties mags on roadsters. Rodders then prowled junkyards for anything neat they could adapt just like now. Columbias were always scarce, and I think went out as dragging became more important--not a good combo. I think the '39 LZ columbia has the speedo drive on the rear axle so you don't need fifty pounds of complicated junk to shift the speedo. Do you have the trans from the lincoln? That's a part I'd like to get hold of for the strange shift setup. This has Ford 28 tooth gears- Zephyr gears came later. Also looking for a steering wheel. Bruce
ask Denny about that. he is SUPER knowledgable when it comes to those things and hot rod history in general. the man is a walking encyclopedia of hot rod history. especially Michigan car clubs from back in the day. he is a super talented dude and he knows ALOT. i'm lucky to be able to learn from him. the party sounds great but i have my ole man's 50th Birthday party on saturday. thats why i'll prolly just go to setup day thursday. i got lots of work to do on the "FnA" if i'm gonna keep up with the Posies.
Bruce, Sorry, but I already put the trans into my roadster! Ihad a 39 Ford toploader that was very difficult to shift and swapped them out last summer (before I got the other parts). The trans is exceptional in every way. The shifter is in the strangest place on the housing. It is very close to the bell housing and cocked to the left. Very strange to see if you have never seen one before. The shifting is done on the cover of the gear box. The cover is mounted on the right side of the trans. It is very positive and solid shifting. A real change from the Ford trans. Unfortunately the steering wheel was not available. The owner of the car retained it in the car. Thanks for the reply. Bill
The actual shift lever is even stranger than the rest--it looks like someone left one of Ed Roth's shifters on the train tracks. It goes straight up the firewall, kinks 90 degrees back to the dash, turns left, and comes out right by the steering column! Its purpose was to clear the center of the floor and also make room for the Zephyrs center dash section. It was a floor shifter that essentially ended up right where a column shifter would have.
I haven't worked with Columbia overdrives, but I've bought and sold quite a few. In the last 5 years the cheapest one I've sold was a bare axle with overdrive in so-so to poor shape for $800. Best price I've gotten was $2400 from a complete setup from a restored and running car that looked and ran great. These were all late '40s style, not the early style.
MrGasser said they were kind of pricey, but I had no idea really what they go for. Holy crap! Thanks for the info though. I really appreciate it. Bill
I won a set of those scoops from that guy - he was very slow - claimed his foundry guy screwed up a whole batch of them. Also had an accident/medical issue too - took a while, but I got the scoops. They're pretty nice, but now I've pretty much gone with F250 brakes, so not sure I need them...pm me if interested.
Well, I just found my flyer from Bob Wilson, I thought he made 'em,...DetroitDraggin now has the flyer in his hands, so, he's gonna go home and figure out what he wants to do. Anyone know if Bob will have a booth at the RoundUp?
www.wilsonweldingandmachine.com (972) 539-2305 Ask for Bob, wait he's the only one there and will probably answer the phone anyway. TZ
WE always made our own brake scoops. Of course we didn't have alot of extra money. The guy on egay is pretty smart. No Paypal, no real paper trail. Boy if I had any I'd give money for the 2 speed. How cool is that.
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