1959 Capri Landau

[Dave Rose]

An update:

I've been busy travelling, not much time on the 1959 Lincoln project. I did talk to the engine shop. The 430 V8 is torn down. Camshaft is rough and the bores have enough taper that new pistons are advisable. We're waiting on pricing for custom pistons (I will not use generic flat top pistons) and other parts.

Meanwhile, during my travels, I located a 1958 Premier four door hardtop with 54,000 original miles in Casper, Wyoming. Too nice to be parted out and sent to the crusher. So I bought it for $500 and will bring it home very soon. More details on that to come. Another survivor:

[Steve K]

I smell a growing collection of giant cars!

[mlj427]

Can't wait to see pictures of the new one.

Does your parts car have a engine? You might want to pull it and check if you could use any of the parts in the original engine. Or use the 58 block if its not as worn.

Mike

[CMP-Phil]

Now I'm ready to pull the engine & trans, having removed the front bumper. Once I figure out how to secure the engine & trans onto pallets, I'll hoist them out.

linc-dec21-003a.jpg

Just read your thread through from the beginning again there is one photo that Trixi looks like she is saying "don't look at me it not my puddle"

Keep the post coming great following a project like this.

Cheers Phil

[trouble]

wow,hey Dave how about some pics of the barn find,

[Dave Rose]

I went down to Casper today and got this car. 1958 Premier with leather interior and factory AC. The odometer shows 53K which I believe is correct. The engine is rebuilt. There was a good used windshield with the car and lots of extra parts. I believe that it's restorable. The previous owner had pulled the seats and carpet out, but the seats were still there. It had been a garage for so many years, totally covered with dust. We hit rain and snow on the drive back, cleaning it up a little.

[mlj427]

She looks great. You got very lucky with your "barn find".
Mike

[Dave Rose]

Back to "The Shark." I recently completed a rebuild (seals, O-Rings & gaskets) of the steering gearbox.

Steering box out and Maintenance Manual at the ready:

Honing the cylinder prior to reassembly:

The steering box reinstalled in the car, earlier today. Next up: install steering linkage and rebuilt front suspension. It looks like the engine rebuild will be another 4-5 weeks out as we wait for custom pistons and other parts.

[Dave Rose]

Although my goal is to keep this car as original as possible, I am making changes in the interest of safety and performance. I've read too many horror stories about the Bendix Treadle-Vac power brakes so I've decided to upgrade to a dual diaphragm 7" booster and a new master cylinder with 1" bore.

The new booster has bolt holes on 3 3/8" square pattern, while the firewall bolt pattern is 5" square. Using scrap rectangular stock, I fabricated an adaptor, to mount the new booster onto the Lincoln firewall.

Old and new:

In addition to these changes, all brake lines & hoses and wheel cylinders are being replaced.

[Dave Rose]

The vendor for the new 7" power booster recommends a brake pedal ratio of 4:1. I checked the pedal ratio on the Lincoln and found it wanting, only 1.5:1. I want brakes that work really well, not just "good enough", so I decided to modify the brake pedal linkage.

By moving the pivot point, I'll change the pedal ratio to provide more effective brake performance.

Drilling out the rivet in the rear brake pedal swing arm:

Marking and cutting plate steel to make new linkage pieces:

Two pieces, ready for drilling:

The new pieces fit together well.

Installed in the car, ready for installation of power booster.

[Dan Szwarc]

Good work. I hope the steel you used is strong enough to withstand 250-350 lbs of force without bending (or whatever the recommended brake pedal strength is supposed to be).

it would be a shame if it bent when you needed to stop hard.

Why the L-shape? Why didn't you go straighter? The inside of the L is a weak point for fatigue. you could have made a rounder curve on the inside for more strength.

[Newchapters]

impressive! great work

[cgrocen]

Nice work on modifying the linkage to get the correct pedal ratio. However, I agree with Dan, that L shape may be risky as the inside corner of the L shape may be a stress concentration point. Have you considered a straight flat bar, or even a curved one? It may not have to be L shaped, as the linkage will work the same no matter the shape of the metal between the holes. Is there interference with the new linkage when the pedal moves necessitating the L shape?

Best regards,

Chris

[pauliep13]

Hey guys, newbie here!

Dave, just wanted to say keep it up! I've been reading this thread with high hopes of how your car will turn out. Reading your progress has me hyped to start into my Lincoln!

[Dan Szwarc]

More. Need more.