| silverchief | -- 08-15-2020 @ 10:48 AM |
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I have had four nice collector cars over the past 20 years Bought for my personal enjoyment not for competition. I know my way around a tool box but am smart enough to pay for professional work when it is needed. I am currently considering my first Linoln - 54 hardtop in excellent condition. I am hesitating because while reading an aultomotive article some time back the author mentioned "It's not wise to by an older model Lincoln because they are hard to get parts for." I would appreciate input from Lincoln owners. Thank you.
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| TomO | -- 08-15-2020 @ 8:49 PM |
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I own a 53 Lincoln and all I can say about the availability of pars is :it depends on what parts are needed. Points, plugs and other tuneup parts are available from Rock Auto. Some brake parts are available. Kanter stocks quite a few mechanical parts. The real problem with owning an old Lincoln is that very few people know how to work on them and want you to pay them to learn how. the parts are expensive also. I love my Lincoln, but working on it is a bear. At 87 years old, I find it hard to crawl into the engine compartment to change points and cannot bend my arm to get to the last 2 plugs on the driver's side. The carburetors are troublesome and expensive to rebuild. I have 3 carburetors 2 which have been rebuilt by "experts" and the 3rd was sold as a good core, that turned out to be junk. None of them work as they should, so i am trying to make one good one from the 3. My car is an unrestored car, and the wiring under the hood is bad. The main harness is over $1,000 and then there are a couple of additional harnesses that are required. Drive the car before you buy it and make sure that the hydramatic shifts smoothly through all 4 gears. If you can arrange it, do it on a cold morning. They tend to have cold weather slippage. I hope that I have helped you with your decision. I tried to give all of the bad points that I could think of, but the good points are it is a very comfortable car to drive, has plenty of pep to keep up with traffic and you can see all 4 corners easily. If you buy it, you will enjoy driving it. Good Luck Tom
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| ford38v8 | -- 08-15-2020 @ 10:35 PM |
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Tom, Desi Arnez confirmed your point about it having plenty of zip when MGM traded off his Mercury Monterey for a Lincoln Capri to pull the Long Long Trailer up the Sierra Nevada mountains! Alan
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| TomO | -- 08-16-2020 @ 7:27 AM |
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Alan, it is not as fast as the new 300 -750 HP cars made today, but it is fast enough for an old man. I love that scene where the Mercury is pulling the traler and then goes around a bend to turn into a Lincoln. Bill, here is a photo of my Lincoln. Tom
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| trjford8 | -- 08-16-2020 @ 8:39 AM |
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Silverchief, there's a nice 52 Lincoln for sale in Portland , Oregon. appears to be a restored car for $23,500. Isuspect there is some room to bargain. Might give you an idea of pricing. www.memorylaneclassiccars.com
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| silverchief | -- 08-16-2020 @ 12:29 PM |
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Tom, Thank you for the very helpful insights.....especially since you own one. I am the same age as you and appreciate the simplicity of my little 46 coupe when it comes to working under the hood. I especially appreciate the tips about the carbs and the transmission. The seller of the car I am interested in asking top dollar and I would have to fly to see it before buying. Also, I hesitate because my little coupe is finally operating as it should, principally because I have learned to know it inside and out. There is no way I could work on a 54 Lincoln, and I always want things working correctly. Thus, I would be at the mercy any shop I could find willing to take it in. Like most of us I have had some bad experiences in that regard, i.e. "It' just and old car. Let that new kid we just hired work on it. Good learning experience." I'm sure I would love driving it, so it is something I will have to give a lot of thought to. Thanks again. I will let you know if I make the move.
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| silverchief | -- 08-16-2020 @ 12:31 PM |
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Thanks very much for the tip. I usually keep an eye on what he has for sale. It's a nice car, just a couple of years older but almost identical to the one I am looking at.
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