1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

This area is for those who need help modernizing their Lincoln for purposes other than strict restoration. Such questions can be about adding an electric fuel pump, adding fuel injection, boosting horsepower or gas mileage, or tightening or lowering the suspension. Body customizing and chopping can also be here (although this practice is not encouraged by the LCOC).

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LC67Vert
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Re: 1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

Post by LC67Vert »

A sedan is a better choice for a daily driver than a convertible because a sedan is better protected against water intrusion and you plan to keep the car outside. All convertibles leak and the Lincoln convertible top system is fairly complex. A brand new convertible top will only last a few years before it starts to look worn if left outside year round in Florida. For the same reason a sedan with a painted top rather than a vinyl top will hold up longer but are very rare and hard to find. I prefer the 60's Lincolns over the 70's for their styling, lack of emissions controls and greater power but of course they are more expensive than a comparable 70's car. For the budget you mentioned you should be able to get a really nice 70's Lincoln. I must commend you for using it as a daily driver in Miami. It won't be as reliable as your Lexus but it will be a lot more stylish.
Jeff
1967 Lincoln Continental Convertible
mannye
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Re: 1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

Post by mannye »

Awesome!

Great information guys, thank you very much! I was reading about the nylon gears in the "sticky" section. It seems like cheap insurance and is going on the list of "things to do" once I find a good example.

Some dealers are crazy with the prices, but mostly I am seeing that there are pretty good looking (at least online) examples available in the 10K range. HOWEVER... having restored more than one muscle car, I'm totally willing to go higher for a mint example. As I said earlier, a '69 Road Runner convertible (what I had before) is a "snap together model" compared with the complexity of a Lincoln Continental and I don't want to get into anything but some minor updates and modernizing the electronics.

So far the list is:
Brakes... check and restore
Suspension... leave it alone... it's awesome. I guess if it's untouched, by now it would need shocks but everything else should still be fine.
Electronics... I would be fitting an upgraded stereo to keep up with the times (bluetooth, navigation and new speakers since the old ones would probably be rotten by now and I like my AC/DC to play LOUD.)

And from the pictures I am seeing I will most likely be spending most of the restoration money on restoring the interior unless I get VERY lucky and find an unmolested leather interior.

A lot of the 4 door Continentals I am seeing in the Miami area have, thanks to the massive trunk space, been fitted with multiple subwoofers and bagged. The subwoofer part isn't that bad, they are easily removed, but when I see bags, I worry that the suspension has been altered too much and I don't want this to be a restoration project. I want to buy the car, put some gas in it and drive around ASAP.
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action
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Re: 1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

Post by action »

May be this suggestion is a given for everyone. Or it is always assumed, not sure.

Maintenance! Most vehicles sold no matter how young or old are lacking much maintenance in the past year or so before the vehicle was sold.

I usually plan on changing all of the fluids - oil, coolant and transmission. And all of the filters air, fuel, oil and crankcase.
Check and replace as needed brakes, belts and hoses, distributor cap and rotor and spark plug wires.
Replace spark plugs and lubricate the chassis grease fittings if so equipped.

I would do the above after the purchase and before anything else is done regardless of the vehicle.


>>>>>>>>>>>>Action
Phoenix - Yeah, it's hot, however it's a dry heat
2006 Lincoln Navigator Limited 5.4l 3V
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII 2DR Coupe Diamond Anniversary 4.6l DOHC, 4R70W, 3.07
1970 Continental Mark III Triple Black 460 4v, C6, 2.80 (Used for Woodward Dream Cruise or just generally stored in Michigan)
1966 Lincoln Continental 4DR Convertible 462 4v, C6, 3.00
1966 Mercury Park Lane 4DR Breezeway 410 4v, C6, 2.80
mannye
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Re: 1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

Post by mannye »

action wrote:May be this suggestion is a given for everyone. Or it is always assumed, not sure.

Maintenance! Most vehicles sold no matter how young or old are lacking much maintenance in the past year or so before the vehicle was sold.

I usually plan on changing all of the fluids - oil, coolant and transmission. And all of the filters air, fuel, oil and crankcase.
Check and replace as needed brakes, belts and hoses, distributor cap and rotor and spark plug wires.
Replace spark plugs and lubricate the chassis grease fittings if so equipped.

I would do the above after the purchase and before anything else is done regardless of the vehicle.


>>>>>>>>>>>>Action
Excellent advice. I already have my mechanic on notice that sometime the in next few months I'll be showing up with a beast to do just those things along with the timing chain deal.
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TonyC
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Re: 1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

Post by TonyC »

Aww, that isn't fair to downplay a Lincoln's durability next to that upstart Toyota brand. Anyone ever care to testify to the durability of a 40-year-old Lexus? Of course not, nobody can--the name isn't even that old yet. Sorry, that was a dumb question, skip that. But when the first Lexus vehicles reach age 40, we'll see how durable they are.

Lincoln, on the other hand, has demonstrated durability through the decades. Do they have problems? Of course, what 40-year-old vehicle wouldn't? Well, I suppose those that are on display in museums wouldn't, so--sorry, another dumb question, skip that. But nothing on a Lincoln cannot be repaired and even upgraded, save maybe for catastrophic structural failure.

---Tony

(P.S. I was in a Robert Stack/"Airplane" mentality when I did this message, so hopefully it gives you a bit of a giggle. :D )
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet, just because there is a picture with a quote next to it." (Abraham Lincoln, 1866)
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1966 Continental Sedan, affectionately known as "Frankenstein" until body restoration is done (to be renamed "General Sherman" on that event)
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Re: 1967 Convertible or Hardtop?

Post by mannye »

TonyC wrote:
---Tony

(P.S. I was in a Robert Stack/"Airplane" mentality when I did this message, so hopefully it gives you a bit of a giggle. :D )
Listen, flying an airplane is no harder than riding a bicycle.... it's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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