Lincoln Progress

I am so happy to report that I finally was able to make some progress on the 1947 Lincoln. This project is a classic example of why it so trying to do this kind of work.

Back before the car even went to paint, I sent the motor off to get rebuilt. What I was told regarding the motor was that a rebuild had been started but never completed, that the  block and crank had been magnafluxed for cracks, and that the block had been bored .030 over. i was also told that the crank had ben checked for cracks and turned to .010 under on the rod and main journals. The pile of parts that came with the project supported this story, I had a new set of .030 over pistons and rings, plus a new set of rod & main bearings at .010 under. So I sent everything of to a machine shop familiar with these Lincoln flathead V12's to give the block a cleanup hone, deck the block and a few other minor machining operations. About a month later the man who owned the shop passed away, and the place was closed.

So I took the pile of parts to another machine shop I do regular business with, they work on mostly late model engines but said they would be willing to give this Lincoln V12 a shot. So they magnafluxed it again, checked it all out again and confirmed it was at .030 over needing only a cleanup hone and a valve job before assembly. After many visits by me over the next two months, the builder told me they just didn't feel comfortable taking on the project.

Once again, I picked up my pile of parts and sought out another machine shop. This time I took it to a place that does only antique motors and their pricing reflects the quality of the work. They are both high. A few days later I get a call saying that the block was worn beyond .030, it needed to be decked, the valve seats needed ground and replaced and the mains were misaligned. They asked me if I could find another block! Needless to say I flew down there and checked it our for myself, and sure enough they were right. How could this have been missed by two other machine shops? So now, the block needed to be taken out to .040, the mains had to be aligned bored, and it would need new cam bearings as well. All the parts were available except the cam bearing which were on a national back order and had been for four months.

All this to say, it was a clusterfuck from the word go. But I did at least make the acquaintance of a new (to me) engine rebuilder who is very well versed in all the old engines. Five months later, I am proud to report that there is a newly rebuilt Lincoln flathead V12 safely at home in the engine bay of our project 1947 Lincoln!

I also had the overdrive transmission redone and I went thought the suspension as well. Here's the highlights.

I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

Now all it needs is two water pumps, a carb, a generator and a few other small parts. No problem, I've got two hands!

If you remember (I know it's been a while) this car is being redone as a driver quality restoration. This means I'm not taking the body off the frame and starting over but the car has to work properly. For the suspension, it is a remarkably simple design with very few wear items. Only the oil lite bushings in the spring eyes get replaced unless there are other parts which are broken. Here is the rear spring and axle after cleaning. It was easier to clean the assembly in place before unbolting it.

Here's another "before" shot, note the lever shock in the upper left corner of the photo connected to the axle by a link called a dogbone.

And here it is all cleaned, painted and ready to go.

Another shot of the completed rear suspension. It was in pretty good condition to begin with.

This is the right side front suspension after cleaning, painting and replacing the spring eye bushings. Not the two sets of dogbone links in the front, the second is for the front sway bar, that's pretty advanced technology for 1947!

And here's the driver's side front suspension all done and ready to go. Next up I finish the engine install and move to the  wiring.