1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
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- syfe1
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1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Just thought I would start a new thread of my '64 continental build. I picked this one up Dec. of 2017... Got a deal I couldn't pass up, so I convinced the wife to let me build another project car. I have some plans for the car... but we will see what happens... right now I am just trying to get her bagged and stopping. The overall body of the car is in great condition... I was surprised to see that all the trim was there and in decent condition. She runs great, very little rust and just needs attention and updating. The car had no brakes when I took her in, and it took me a month to search for answers and parts. I think that the most difficult thing about these cars are the lack of parts and information available. It seems like there is a nice little community... but a lot of the info for your regular hobbyist isn't as available.... so it seems at this point at least. Some easy goals for now:
1. Complete air ride
2. Relocate front shocks and replace the rears
3. Brakes (get them stopping to an acceptable level)
4. Electric door locks
5. New wheels (20's)
6. Interior
7. Engine upgrade
That's all I have for now... I am right in the middle of building the air ride system.. so I will post pictures as I complete the tasks.. I am always open to suggestions and help... I just thought I would jump in here and join this community. I am slowly falling in love with the car.. I built euro cars before, lifted trucks... motorcycles... etc. And this is my 2nd classic car build... so I am just looking to have fun and drive this thing around town daily (hopefully)!
1. Complete air ride
2. Relocate front shocks and replace the rears
3. Brakes (get them stopping to an acceptable level)
4. Electric door locks
5. New wheels (20's)
6. Interior
7. Engine upgrade
That's all I have for now... I am right in the middle of building the air ride system.. so I will post pictures as I complete the tasks.. I am always open to suggestions and help... I just thought I would jump in here and join this community. I am slowly falling in love with the car.. I built euro cars before, lifted trucks... motorcycles... etc. And this is my 2nd classic car build... so I am just looking to have fun and drive this thing around town daily (hopefully)!
Last edited by syfe1 on Wed May 09, 2018 3:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal
So it has been a few months... a few months of grinding. As with most people... life takes over. However, I have still been able to put a few hours a day per week to play with my new toy... I think I will start by posting some before pics... The last few pics are after some EXTENSIVE cleaning... surprisingly, just a lot of surface rust, but the floors were complete and hole free.
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal
First on the list... better brakes! After a full assessment, I knew I needed to rebuild the rear drums.. replace the cylinders.. new shoes.. and find as many of those hard to find brake parts. This is about the time I realized how hard it is to find anything for these cars... I surfed this site, and found some things... but there were plenty of pieces that were almost impossible to find. So I ordered what I could... and put the brakes together... then took it for a test drive. Horrible. The brakes felt like trash. I had to mash the brakes to get it to stop... So I started doing research... lots of it. I was lucky, and the previous owner put '65 front disk brakes on the car... but it was using the OEM master cylinder and brake booster. So I looked around for a 65 master cylinder.. I was able to find some from local sources... but WOW... $700 for the master cylinder and brake booster... a few more hundred bucks for proportioning and metering valves. There had to be another solution. After more research... I ended up pulling the trigger on a CPP brake booster and master cylinder with the proportioning valve. Around $350 shipped! Score! Next was putting it on the car... I surfed this site, read as much of what I could to get the idea of what it will take... I was a little apprehensive, but more than willing to give it a shot. The overall installation, took a few hours. Here are a few pics of the booster installed.
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal
Once I was able to get that bled (took 4 or 5 tries) took her for a test drive..... better... but not what I was expecting. I was hoping that the car would suddenly stop like a modern car... not really. So, long story short... after a lot of research... lots of trial and error... not enough vacuum. I chased the leaks.. and ended up using a vacuum line from the carb and the existing line.. and routed them to the booster. Boom. Finally, I have decent brakes! Now she can stop. On to the next task.... Door locks.
Geez.. the old vacuum system was rotted out... only 1 door locked (but didn't unlock)... so I ended up pulling all those rubber hoses, and ripping out all the hardware. I have installed door actuators before... how hard could it be? Actually, it was pretty easy. Took a few hours.. wired up a few relays, set the triggers... Boom! I have door locks. While I was in there... it was the perfect opportunity to clean out all that old white gunk that seem to slow down all my windows. I cleaned it all out... lubed them all back up... used a 12v source to test... and surprisingly, all the windows work... dang.. next task.. power windows.
Now this one I went back and fourth.... keep the switches? Change them? Well, I started out with testing them to see if they even worked. I got lucky.. when I bought the car, the previous owner gave me a box, and said "I don't know what's in it.... but its all I have". It had all the metal trim for the interior.. switches.. and a ton of random screws. I pulled the switches.. tested them with a meter.. they seem to work... look like trash.. but they work. Wired everything up... no dice. Chased the fuses... chased the relay... Boom! There it was... that stupid relay. Grabbed one of my Bosch relays... looked over the diagram, wired it up... Success! I was amazed that all the windows work.. But those switches though... they work.. but sometimes they would only make partial contact. I like things to work when I want them to work. So I cut out all the wiring, rewired some new toggle switches, and now they work every time. While I was in there, I was able to use the "Bypass" slot to convert it into a door lock switch... (trying to use as little of the existing vacuum as possible). In the box, There was a drivers side switch plate for a '64 and a '65... The '65 fit all the 7 switches perfectly. Don't get me wring, I looked up some rebuilt switches... $25 each... that's $250... or... $2 each... $20. Easy decision.
Geez.. the old vacuum system was rotted out... only 1 door locked (but didn't unlock)... so I ended up pulling all those rubber hoses, and ripping out all the hardware. I have installed door actuators before... how hard could it be? Actually, it was pretty easy. Took a few hours.. wired up a few relays, set the triggers... Boom! I have door locks. While I was in there... it was the perfect opportunity to clean out all that old white gunk that seem to slow down all my windows. I cleaned it all out... lubed them all back up... used a 12v source to test... and surprisingly, all the windows work... dang.. next task.. power windows.
Now this one I went back and fourth.... keep the switches? Change them? Well, I started out with testing them to see if they even worked. I got lucky.. when I bought the car, the previous owner gave me a box, and said "I don't know what's in it.... but its all I have". It had all the metal trim for the interior.. switches.. and a ton of random screws. I pulled the switches.. tested them with a meter.. they seem to work... look like trash.. but they work. Wired everything up... no dice. Chased the fuses... chased the relay... Boom! There it was... that stupid relay. Grabbed one of my Bosch relays... looked over the diagram, wired it up... Success! I was amazed that all the windows work.. But those switches though... they work.. but sometimes they would only make partial contact. I like things to work when I want them to work. So I cut out all the wiring, rewired some new toggle switches, and now they work every time. While I was in there, I was able to use the "Bypass" slot to convert it into a door lock switch... (trying to use as little of the existing vacuum as possible). In the box, There was a drivers side switch plate for a '64 and a '65... The '65 fit all the 7 switches perfectly. Don't get me wring, I looked up some rebuilt switches... $25 each... that's $250... or... $2 each... $20. Easy decision.
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- Flatblacklincoln
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
your doing good, I'm like 4 years deep and only about %80.... I feel you on the brakes... Ive done the new booster, dual master, disc up front, total rebuild on the rears and yeah its ok but not magical like our new cars are. You realize how spoiled we get when you hop back in one of these old tanks hahaha
64 sedan
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Thanks Flatblacklincon! I have a whole lot of updates with pictures, but I have been swamped at work... I will try to upload a few more progress pics when I get the chance.
Also, yes... the brakes are decent. They work well enough to drive around town and cruise, but definitely not as safe as a modern new car.
Also, yes... the brakes are decent. They work well enough to drive around town and cruise, but definitely not as safe as a modern new car.
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Love the project man. I picked up my 64 vert in Dec '17 and I've loved it every step of the way.... well except bleeding the brakes. My buddy helped me change the booster and bleed the brakes, which was a pain for some reason. I did the dual master upgrade and I think I had the rod the wrong length lol. Keep up the great work. If you on Instagram make sure to check out my @lincolnaddict account. Def will be following your build!
Jason ODB
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Great switch work. Where did you get your new window switches? They look like a Gama electronics product. Do they fit without modifying the metal?
RD
RD
Robert DeFrang
- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Thanks Jason @bd94s10 I appreciate the love. Yes... the brakes... OMG the brakes... mine work... but not like a modern car. I will be testing a few things out to see if I can get them better, so I will keep everyone updated. I have been busy with work and home projects, and will upload more updates as I find time. And yes, I have been following your instagram lol.
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Thanks Robert @defrang I purchased the window switches from amazon. They were relatively inexpensive. I did not have to modify the metal plate at all. They were an exact fit.
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Lets talk air ride... here we go.
When I purchased the car, it came with air ride... I asked the seller about the system, and he did not know very much about it at all.... in fact, the seller knew very little about the car in general. He purchased the car around 12 years ago.. wanted to build it.. he said he drive it for a month, then parked it in anticipation for a restoration / build. Then he got married... kids... etc.. so it sat in his grandfathers garage for 12 years. He did not know what parts were in the car.. basically, the way I received the car was the way he received the car.
So what did the car have? 1 Viair pump mounted under the car, 1 tank, and 6 valves. At least they were parker valves... but the rear was only set to 2 valves.. Did it work? Yeah.. basically it worked. However. the 1 pump really struggled filling up the tank and the valves. There were air leaks on all 4 corners... everything was crusty and old.. The existing system used 1/2" line... so fast bags. The bags were good old trusty Firestone 2500's in the front, and 2600's in the rear. I got lucky and the car was already tunneled and 4 linked. When I looked at the car.. I already knew I was going to change everything, I was just happy that the basics were started.
So I ripped everything out.
Air Ride #2
I purchased a "new" old Ridetech Ridepro system. It had the manifold block.. pressure sensors on the block.. nice little controller with digital readout for pressures... cool. Not bad for the money.. I also purchased new Dominator 2600 bags for the rear, and Air House 2 bags for the front. I built the system... using 3/8" line... I did a lot of research on what people were using... I was torn on what to use... 1/4" seems so easy to hide and install.... 1/2" would be fast... so I went in the middle. Plus... my other oldschool build uses 3/8"... so its nice to share some of the same stuff (less spares to buy). I installed everything.. made it look decent in the trunk... ran it... and yes... it worked. I played with it for about a week in the garage.. and in the end... I didn't like it. I hated relying on pressures to get my ride height set. And if I add passengers... fugettaboudit.... The more I thought about it.. the more I disliked the system.. I could have just used parker vales again and installed a few gauges... I talked about it with the wife.. explained my thoughts and concerns... then she said the magical words... "why don't you just do it right"? That is exactly what I needed to hear.
Air Ride #3
I know what I needed to do.. I know what I wanted... so I just did it... Accuair Elevel. I picked up the whole system... everything I would need. It meant that I would have to redo almost everything... plus add more work for the level sensors... but I already knew it was worth it. I have one in my other oldschool.. and I think it was some of the best money spent. One thing that I have learned is that there are some places that I should not skimp... I ALWAYS end up regretting it... from now on.. I will just go to the good stuff for air ride.... It took a few days to get everything redone.. and to make everything clean... but it came out great. I ended up using a spare 5 Gal tank to add to the system.. so its a 10 gal system now. I also setup that secondary tank to have an air hose... since I have air ride.. and available air... might as well setup an air hose to air up my tires if they ever get low lol. I am just looking for functionality.. this is not going to be a show car. (at least for now).. just a fun car to play with and drive. I will post more info on what I learned about air ride on Lincolns and hardware another night....
When I purchased the car, it came with air ride... I asked the seller about the system, and he did not know very much about it at all.... in fact, the seller knew very little about the car in general. He purchased the car around 12 years ago.. wanted to build it.. he said he drive it for a month, then parked it in anticipation for a restoration / build. Then he got married... kids... etc.. so it sat in his grandfathers garage for 12 years. He did not know what parts were in the car.. basically, the way I received the car was the way he received the car.
So what did the car have? 1 Viair pump mounted under the car, 1 tank, and 6 valves. At least they were parker valves... but the rear was only set to 2 valves.. Did it work? Yeah.. basically it worked. However. the 1 pump really struggled filling up the tank and the valves. There were air leaks on all 4 corners... everything was crusty and old.. The existing system used 1/2" line... so fast bags. The bags were good old trusty Firestone 2500's in the front, and 2600's in the rear. I got lucky and the car was already tunneled and 4 linked. When I looked at the car.. I already knew I was going to change everything, I was just happy that the basics were started.
So I ripped everything out.
Air Ride #2
I purchased a "new" old Ridetech Ridepro system. It had the manifold block.. pressure sensors on the block.. nice little controller with digital readout for pressures... cool. Not bad for the money.. I also purchased new Dominator 2600 bags for the rear, and Air House 2 bags for the front. I built the system... using 3/8" line... I did a lot of research on what people were using... I was torn on what to use... 1/4" seems so easy to hide and install.... 1/2" would be fast... so I went in the middle. Plus... my other oldschool build uses 3/8"... so its nice to share some of the same stuff (less spares to buy). I installed everything.. made it look decent in the trunk... ran it... and yes... it worked. I played with it for about a week in the garage.. and in the end... I didn't like it. I hated relying on pressures to get my ride height set. And if I add passengers... fugettaboudit.... The more I thought about it.. the more I disliked the system.. I could have just used parker vales again and installed a few gauges... I talked about it with the wife.. explained my thoughts and concerns... then she said the magical words... "why don't you just do it right"? That is exactly what I needed to hear.
Air Ride #3
I know what I needed to do.. I know what I wanted... so I just did it... Accuair Elevel. I picked up the whole system... everything I would need. It meant that I would have to redo almost everything... plus add more work for the level sensors... but I already knew it was worth it. I have one in my other oldschool.. and I think it was some of the best money spent. One thing that I have learned is that there are some places that I should not skimp... I ALWAYS end up regretting it... from now on.. I will just go to the good stuff for air ride.... It took a few days to get everything redone.. and to make everything clean... but it came out great. I ended up using a spare 5 Gal tank to add to the system.. so its a 10 gal system now. I also setup that secondary tank to have an air hose... since I have air ride.. and available air... might as well setup an air hose to air up my tires if they ever get low lol. I am just looking for functionality.. this is not going to be a show car. (at least for now).. just a fun car to play with and drive. I will post more info on what I learned about air ride on Lincolns and hardware another night....
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- jtheye
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Your work is impressive. I unfortunately am a wallet builder. It would be nice to make the time and knowledge to do what you are doing yourself but I can only enjoy it by watching those who can. Keep posting, love seeing what you are doing.
Whatdidijustgetinto?
1964 Rezinental Sedan
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Awesome man! Good stuff. I really like how the car is turning out. Super bad ass! Keep it up and thanks for following!
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
So here's the funny thing... I just wrote a very thoughtful 45 min breakdown on everything I experienced building my air ride system. All the goods.. bads.. what I would do again.. what I wouldn't... I went to upload the pics.. then the site logged me out. All that writing.. gone. So I will just upload some pics. I don't have the patience to write all that again. I will post more updates soon.
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- syfe1
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Re: 1964 Lincoln Continental Build SoCal ---- Pics Inside!
Here are some before pics... All the parts I ended up either finding inside the car... and a bunch of interior that I ended up buying from Lincoln Boys (Mario) here in SoCal.
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