1966 Convertible

[vert1966]

Past user who recently re-registered. I inherited a nice 1966 Convertible and am in the process of trying to bring it back to life. A hard journey, made harder by the fact that I live in TX and the car is in FL. I removed some parts from the Lincoln on my last trip to FL and am rebuilding what I have (fuel pump, calipers, carburetor), learning all I can, buying new parts, and hoping to get it moving and stopping enough to get it safely on a transporter by the end of the year (will definitely several more trips to FL to make that happen). I really appreciate all the info this forum has to offer. Thanks!

[docjv1966LincCon]

One of the keys, I believe is to drain the gas tank if possible....even siphoning it if necessary. I had a similar problem with my '66 Lincoln....Iowa man retired to Florida with his white Convert (looked much like yours) and it was in very good condition but would not start. I decided to remove the carb and give it to an experienced mechanic who did an excellent job on it and once back on the car, it ran as smoothly as any V8 I've ever heard.
And though the seller claimed the AC worked, I doubted it----but it worked like a charm once I figured out how to control it, which once understood is silly easy!

[docjv1966LincCon]

I've been smelling gas when the top is down and at first I wondered about a manifold leak but that didn't really make sense so I searched everywhere until I settled on the tank itself, but the tank (what I could see of it, looked fine. One thing that helped was that it seemed to leak only or especially after a fill-up. So now I suspect a semi-rotted filler hose. Anyone have advice? Also, is there a relatively inexpensive workshop manual for these beauties that anyone has found useful? My mechanic suggested ordering the DVD, so I'll check that out first, but I'm sort of old fashioned and like making notes in an actual book. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[docjv1966LincCon]

I was very sad to realize that John Cashman retired. The business has been taken over by Mr. Moreno who seems to be very similar in that he lives for Lincoln Convertibles and seems to have the same passion. One thing that made me worry a bit though was that he indicates that (or at least implies) he excludes working on any Lincoln that has had evidence of rodent damage or perhaps even presence. Does anyone know if that includes a Lincoln that has had some rodent damage (spark plug wires and windshield washer hose chewed, but no other wires damaged) is an absolute non-starter for someone of Mr. Moreno's expertise? If it is an absolute exclusion, then is there anyone else with similar passion and skills that can be recommended?
Thank you to anyone who takes a moment to give advice!

[docjv1966LincCon]

Does anyone know what the best cleaning solution is best for cleaning the silver coloered dash board around the speedometer? I'm presuming something mild will be the suggestion and I'd definitely test in a small area, maybe not visible. But it would be nice to get a suggestion for something effective that won't harm the surface. Thank you for your advice!