GERALD´S CADILLACS - NEWS1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III
PEACE, LOVE, JOY
10 | 12 | 19 | 10:16 |
Holiday greetings to all the visitors of my website!
This year the 1971 Lincoln Mark III is featured on our traditional seasons greetings card together with my beautiful wife Afra and my son Elliot.I also made a short behind the scenes film which you can see below.
This years picture was put together from 12 different photographs of the car, as we did not have a studio and only two flash lights. We had to shoot it in front of my garage just before all the cars went into storage for winter.
We have been doing these cards for quite a few years now-. You can see some previous cards here.
Our 2019 card
Click on the video to watch it.
Comments
LINCOLN MARK III CARBURETOR REBUILD
20 | 05 | 19 | 15:37 |
I just recently replaced the fuel pump on my Mark III. I thought that would have solved my problems for a while. When I started the car a couple of days later it did not idle as smooth as before though. I checked everything and when I touched one of the ignition wires I got an electrical shock. So I knew that I would have to replace the ignition wires and ordered some new ones with spark plugs. When I entered the garage the next day there were some fuel fumes in the air which one could smell pretty clearly. The new fuel pump was dry and after a while of searching I saw that the carburetor was leaking fuel out of the accelerator pump gasket…
CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE
CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE
New diaphragm in place
CHANGING THE FUEL PUMP OF MY MARK III
28 | 04 | 19 | 21:29 |
Today I finally found the time to replace the leaking fuel pump of my 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III. It probably leaked because I did not drive the car for a longer period of time last year. It seems that there is a gasket inside which leaked when the car was parked for a few days. After a few minutes it would stop leaking, but of course this had to be fixed.
The fuel pump is not exactly easy to replace because of its location and very limited accessibility to the two mounting screws.
I had to remove the oil filter and also loosened the power steering pump....
CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE
The fuel pump is not exactly easy to replace because of its location and very limited accessibility to the two mounting screws.
I had to remove the oil filter and also loosened the power steering pump....
CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE
Changing fuel pumps normally is an easy repair - but getting the two mounting bolts out on the 460 engine takes a lot of patience.
READ MORE...MY WINTER PROJECTS 2018/19 - CV BOOTS AND FUEL PUMP
04 | 12 | 18 | 16:37 |
This are my two winter projects for the 2018/19 winter:😞
The Mark III has a leaking fuel pump if it was parked for more than an few days... (It stops leaking after its running for 2 minutes...).
The 1978 Eldorado needs both CV boots replaced ( the original ones just came loose but did not rip after only 40 years slinging grease everywhere). The 78 will also need some minor exhaust work (welding) and either the EGR valve needs to be replaced or the accelaration pump in the carburetor has a problem... it won’t get boring in the dead car season… I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to spend any…
The Mark III has a leaking fuel pump if it was parked for more than an few days... (It stops leaking after its running for 2 minutes...).
The 1978 Eldorado needs both CV boots replaced ( the original ones just came loose but did not rip after only 40 years slinging grease everywhere). The 78 will also need some minor exhaust work (welding) and either the EGR valve needs to be replaced or the accelaration pump in the carburetor has a problem... it won’t get boring in the dead car season… I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to spend any…
The two "patients" in the shop
PHOTOSHOOTING WITH THE FLEET
03 | 08 | 15 | 16:48 |
In 2002 we shot a “selfie“ on black and white film with my first two Cadillacs. Today - 13 years later - we recreated the picture on exactly the same location. Some things have changed over the years…
It took me quite a while to drive all the cars to the location and park them, as only 3 of them live in the big garage in the picture…
It took me quite a while to drive all the cars to the location and park them, as only 3 of them live in the big garage in the picture…
A lot of things have changed during the last 13 years.
Our 1976 AMC Pacer is missing in this picture as it does not run at the moment.
Changing the transmission indicator bulb on the Lincoln Mark III
03 | 07 | 14 | 13:00 |
I thought that changing a simple light bulb would not be a big problem but a pretty self explaining thing. The transmission indicator bulb in my Mark III did no longer work. So I thought I could change it quickly and order a bulb. (the one I got from rockauto.com does not fit btw..) Its bulb #1445 you need - thats the correct one as you can see in the owner manual.
The owners manual lists all the bulbs you need. One should order them by part number.
The shop manual for the Mark III is not very helpful when you try to change the transmission control selector indicator light...
I had no idea where to start so I contacted the excellent Lincolnforum where I got some very helpful tips.
2sasilverbullet sent me the following two pictures below to show what covers have to get removed to be able to access the indicator bulb.
© 2sasilverbullet
©2sasilverbullet
You have to carefully remove these covers and you then get access to the bulb.
with the bulb already removed
The bulb is then inserted into the hole where you can see the finger.
After the bulb is replaced its pretty tricky to put the covers back into place. Be very careful to not break the plastic covers!
Correcting the paint of the Lincoln Mark III.
13 | 05 | 14 | 22:41 |
My 1971 Lincoln always looked very nice and shiny when you looked at it from a distance, but I had a really hard time keeping the black paint in good shape. I applied a lot of coats of wax to hide swirl marks, fine scratches and other paint imperfections.
I even had the car at a professional detailer to have some of the paint corrected - but he gave up and said that there is nothing he could do for me as the paint would be too soft...
The paint really is very soft, and you could even make swirl marks with a soft microfiber towel...
The detailer left some wet sanding marks behind on the trunk lid, which were a big sore in my eyes.
So I decided to correct the paint by myself.
I bought the best dual action polisher on the market - the Rupes BigFoot 21. This is a professional machine which can correct all serious paint defects and bring the paint back to perfect condition. It takes some practice to do it correctly, but its not very difficult to do. I can't recommend this polishing machine enough!
See my previous post to check out the correct technique.
I also bought the complete Rupes foam pads, compound and polishes system, and the results are amazing.
The swirled and scratched paint came out like a mirror!
I´m very happy with the outcome.
I also did some touchups on some small stone chips and wet sanded some areas.
You can see the before and after pictures below.
I even had the car at a professional detailer to have some of the paint corrected - but he gave up and said that there is nothing he could do for me as the paint would be too soft...
The paint really is very soft, and you could even make swirl marks with a soft microfiber towel...
The detailer left some wet sanding marks behind on the trunk lid, which were a big sore in my eyes.
So I decided to correct the paint by myself.
I bought the best dual action polisher on the market - the Rupes BigFoot 21. This is a professional machine which can correct all serious paint defects and bring the paint back to perfect condition. It takes some practice to do it correctly, but its not very difficult to do. I can't recommend this polishing machine enough!
See my previous post to check out the correct technique.
I also bought the complete Rupes foam pads, compound and polishes system, and the results are amazing.
The swirled and scratched paint came out like a mirror!
I´m very happy with the outcome.
I also did some touchups on some small stone chips and wet sanded some areas.
You can see the before and after pictures below.
I finally bought a professional polishing machine. The Rupes BigFoot 21. It's a great and very effective tool!
I removed the CONTINENTAL letters to be able to polish the hood better
Look at all the fine swirls and scratches
I will also restore the letters, as some of the black paint has polished off over the years...
Repainting the letters
The paint before and after polishing - as you can see all the imperfections are gone.
You can see all these fine scratches and haze and some wet sanding marks that were left behind from the professional detailer.
All scratches and imperfections are gone after polishing!
The Mark III looks spectacular after the paint correction. I have to reinstall the restored letters now.
The restored letters are back on the car. As you can see I´m very happy with the result.
The polished car
Another EP cover with a picture of my car
10 | 06 | 13 | 11:13 |
One of the photographs my wife took from my Mark III was used for the new EP of Jakobin & Domino for their "Come on Back EP".
A lot of my car pictures were used for CD covers from bands from all over the world in the past and this is the newest release.
You can listen to the new EP on sound cloud btw
A lot of my car pictures were used for CD covers from bands from all over the world in the past and this is the newest release.
You can listen to the new EP on sound cloud btw
A visit to Toms Club - The Mark III is back home
06 | 05 | 13 | 16:18 |
My Mark III is back home after it spent a while at Toms Club in Germany. Tom Witzel took care of my roof repair as the car was damaged during the shipment from the USA on the truck.
Tomsclub has a great restoration service and besides the Cavalry Twill roof repair they also did some other work on the car like repairing the carburetor base plate, adjusting the ignition and other little tune-up things. The quality of their work is exceptional.
My Mark III made the 400 Mile trip home without a problem and turned out to be pretty fuel efficient on the highway at a steady 65mph. It averaged 21 mpg - which is really good for such a car.
Tom Witzel is famous for his awesome collection of the finest Cadillacs and Lincolns. If you want to buy the best of the best low mileage cars you should check him out. He really has the finest cars available. They of course are not cheap on the first look - but worth every cent in my opinion. Tom gave me a tour through his inventory and I was just blown away by his cars. I did not take many pictures - below are a few:
Tomsclub has a great restoration service and besides the Cavalry Twill roof repair they also did some other work on the car like repairing the carburetor base plate, adjusting the ignition and other little tune-up things. The quality of their work is exceptional.
My Mark III made the 400 Mile trip home without a problem and turned out to be pretty fuel efficient on the highway at a steady 65mph. It averaged 21 mpg - which is really good for such a car.
Tom Witzel is famous for his awesome collection of the finest Cadillacs and Lincolns. If you want to buy the best of the best low mileage cars you should check him out. He really has the finest cars available. They of course are not cheap on the first look - but worth every cent in my opinion. Tom gave me a tour through his inventory and I was just blown away by his cars. I did not take many pictures - below are a few:
A part of Tomsclub inventory
A fantastic 1971 Lincoln Mark III and a 1977 Mark V
A spectacular super low mileage 1979 Mark V - only 4.500 Miles!
A spectacular super low mileage 1979 Mark V Collectors Edition - only 4.500 Miles!
One of the many cars I would have loved taking home was this 1965 Coupe de Ville! Awesome! It looked like new inside and out...
I have a soft spot for old Station Wagons - this 1978 Ford Country Squire just blew me away.
In the evening at the restaurant - Tom Witzel arrived with this awesome 1977 Town Car.
During the almost 400 mile trip home with my Mark III - it drove like a dream! Too bad it was raining... Fuel efficiency was pretty good - 21mpg!
Outlook to the 2012 season - doing the first repairs 2012
12 | 01 | 12 | 10:39 |
As we had a nice sunny, dry winter day today I decided to re-arrange the cars in my garage so that I can start doing some work on them during the remaining cold winter nights.
The following work is planed for the next few months before the cars will be put back on the road in May 2012.
1971 Mark III
1967 DeVille
1967 Eldorado
1958 Eldorado
I will of course post the repair progress here on my website
The biggest planned project for 2012 will be to find a solution for my storage problem. I hope to be able to build another garage or to rent one. I will have to find a solution until the spring of 2012. I´m dreaming of building a building which can hold 8 Cadillacs, but I do not know yet if I will be able to afford it...
I hope to attend and visit the „Klassikwelt Bodensee“ from May 17th to 20th and of course the best meeting in Europe - the Cadillac BIG Meet August 25th to 26th. I will also hopefully make it to some local shows here in Austria.
The following work is planed for the next few months before the cars will be put back on the road in May 2012.
1971 Mark III
- new vinyl roof (the original one was damaged during transport and the insurance will pay for a new one)
1967 DeVille
- needs new front wheel bearings (I already have the spare parts)
- will try to find a rebuilt OEM Bendix master cylinder and vacuum booster. These are very difficult to find. Everybody seems to offer Delco Moraine parts only. I have replaced my original booster and master cylinder 2 years ago and I´m not quite happy with the power assist of the new units. It seems that the after market master cylinders from Delco have a smaller bore diameter and therefore you will have to depress the pedal with more force. There is a discussion going on on the topic of finding the correct booster and master cylinder in the CLC forum - check it out for more detail! If you know where I could find a correct Bendix booster and master cylinder or where I could get my original core rebuilt, please let me know!! The parts number for the Bendix Master Cylinder is #1489981 and for the Bendix booster it is: #1489071
- re-adjust the gear indicator as it's slightly out of line.
1967 Eldorado
- I will remove the starter motor and have it rebuilt - it sometimes is acting up
1958 Eldorado
- It needs some new front wheel bearings as well. I already bought the parts.
I will of course post the repair progress here on my website
A new garage?
The biggest planned project for 2012 will be to find a solution for my storage problem. I hope to be able to build another garage or to rent one. I will have to find a solution until the spring of 2012. I´m dreaming of building a building which can hold 8 Cadillacs, but I do not know yet if I will be able to afford it...
Car Shows
I hope to attend and visit the „Klassikwelt Bodensee“ from May 17th to 20th and of course the best meeting in Europe - the Cadillac BIG Meet August 25th to 26th. I will also hopefully make it to some local shows here in Austria.
As we had a dry winter day I took the cars out of the garage - they fired right up after some months of sleeping
The Mark III was moved to the back of the garage, so that I can start working on the other cars first
Little Elliot loves Daddy´s cars as well ;-)
New pictures of my Mark III online
10 | 10 | 11 | 13:46 |
We finally found the time to scan the 3 rolls of film my wife shot of my Mark III a couple of weeks ago with her good old analog Hasselblad camera on Fuji slide film.
You can find them in the 1971 Continental Mark III image gallery. Enjoy! Below you can see two sample images out of the gallery...
You can find them in the 1971 Continental Mark III image gallery. Enjoy! Below you can see two sample images out of the gallery...
in the garage
long time exposure at night
The cars are in winter storage :-(
07 | 10 | 11 | 15:03 |
With winter approaching rapidly, today I returned the license plates of my cars and put them into winter hibernation. I did not drive my cars very much this summer due to a mostly very rainy summer. So I did not rack up too many miles on my cars this season. I just made about 200 - 400 miles on most of them...
The cars are now in their cosy garages and will all get a new wax-, lubrication- and thorough cleaning job during the next few weeks. I usually also disconnect all the batteries, give the weatherstripping and rubber a good coat of silicone spray and treat all leather areas with leather conditioner. I also clean the interior carefully and over-inflate the tires to make sure that they do not get any flat spots. I will also park the tires on styrofoam. I really hate winter and snow and I am already looking forward to next spring... Over the winter I will rebuild the starter motor of my 1967 Eldorado and detail the undercarriage. The Lincolns undercarriage will get a very good cleaning as well. The 67 DeVille will get some new front wheel bearings and probably a new wheel cylinder and power booster. The 58 Eldorado will also need new front wheel bearings. So there will be a lot of minor things that will keep me busy over the winter...
Below are some pictures of our very last cruising tour this week with the Mark III
The cars are now in their cosy garages and will all get a new wax-, lubrication- and thorough cleaning job during the next few weeks. I usually also disconnect all the batteries, give the weatherstripping and rubber a good coat of silicone spray and treat all leather areas with leather conditioner. I also clean the interior carefully and over-inflate the tires to make sure that they do not get any flat spots. I will also park the tires on styrofoam. I really hate winter and snow and I am already looking forward to next spring... Over the winter I will rebuild the starter motor of my 1967 Eldorado and detail the undercarriage. The Lincolns undercarriage will get a very good cleaning as well. The 67 DeVille will get some new front wheel bearings and probably a new wheel cylinder and power booster. The 58 Eldorado will also need new front wheel bearings. So there will be a lot of minor things that will keep me busy over the winter...
Below are some pictures of our very last cruising tour this week with the Mark III
Cruising through the scenic landscape of Austria looking down at a lake
The Mark III enjoying the last sun rays...
The whole family in the Lincoln - little Elliot is taking a nap as usual - nothing beats the soothing sound of the V8...
A Photoshooting with my Cars
17 | 09 | 11 | 17:17 |
We had a short photo shooting with my cars today. My wife shot a roll of good old medium format slide film through her good old Hasselblad camera. You can find the image gallery with the best pictures from this shooting here. Not in the pictures is my AMC-Pacer which is not running at the moment.
Seen from the roof top of the garage
Most of my American cars in front of the garage...
Mark III Photoshooting
09 | 09 | 11 | 21:16 |
My wife and I did a quick photo shooting of the Mark III today. As we shot the pictures on good old analog medium format slide film it will take a while to have the film developed and scanned. I will post the pictures here as soon as they are available. Below you can see a few digital ones we also shot.
My wife Afra with her good old analog Hasselblad camera
Little Elliot with his mom
The Mark III
Rear view
What a nice interior!
Cadillac BIG Meet 2011
28 | 08 | 11 | 20:09 |
The Cadillac BIG Meet is Europe’s biggest Cadillac meeting - held every year at the last weekend of August.
My wife and I are part of the organization team together with some good friends. At this years addition we had the theme “Cadillac meets Lincoln“ and so we invited Lincolns to the show field. My own Continental Mark III just got ready for the show a couple of days before the show, so I drove it there along with my 1958 Eldorado Seville which was piloted by my friend Tayfun.
On Saturday there is always a cruising tour limited to 40 preregistered cars. When we arrived at the host hotel lots of people were surprised seeing me arrive in a Lincoln ;-)
30 minutes before the tour started, suddenly the 58 cut out and did not want to start again. I once again suspected a clogged fuel line and we blew the line through. Unfortunately it did not help at all - the line was free. With the help of Lucky (a fellow 1958 Biarritz owner) we disassembled the fuel pump and found out that the valve inside came loose and was no longer in its seat. Lucky put it back and the car ran beautifully again. It all was fixed in 15 minutes and the 58 was ready for the cruising tour.
At the show on sunday 133 Cadillacs and 11 Lincolns participated. There were many awesome cars on the show field, like one of the worlds best 1953 Eldorados, a spectacular 1958 Eldorado Brougham, lots of 59 Eldorados and everything else ranging from 1921 to 2011. The show was once again spectacular.
My wife and I are part of the organization team together with some good friends. At this years addition we had the theme “Cadillac meets Lincoln“ and so we invited Lincolns to the show field. My own Continental Mark III just got ready for the show a couple of days before the show, so I drove it there along with my 1958 Eldorado Seville which was piloted by my friend Tayfun.
On Saturday there is always a cruising tour limited to 40 preregistered cars. When we arrived at the host hotel lots of people were surprised seeing me arrive in a Lincoln ;-)
30 minutes before the tour started, suddenly the 58 cut out and did not want to start again. I once again suspected a clogged fuel line and we blew the line through. Unfortunately it did not help at all - the line was free. With the help of Lucky (a fellow 1958 Biarritz owner) we disassembled the fuel pump and found out that the valve inside came loose and was no longer in its seat. Lucky put it back and the car ran beautifully again. It all was fixed in 15 minutes and the 58 was ready for the cruising tour.
At the show on sunday 133 Cadillacs and 11 Lincolns participated. There were many awesome cars on the show field, like one of the worlds best 1953 Eldorados, a spectacular 1958 Eldorado Brougham, lots of 59 Eldorados and everything else ranging from 1921 to 2011. The show was once again spectacular.
You can find all the pictures of the show here:
http://www.cadillac-meeting.com/english/pictures/pictures.html
My 1971 Continental Mark III just before the start of the cruising tour.
The cars are gathering for the cruising tour
Lucky repaired the fuel pump of my 58 Seville 30 minutes before the start of the cruising tour - Thank you Lucky!!!!
My friends Claudia and Tayfun drove my 58 Eldorado Seville
one of the many awesome cars at the show - 1958 Eldorado Brougham # 535 - my dream car
a small overview of a part of the show field at the Kremsegg castle
You can find all the pictures of the show here:
http://www.cadillac-meeting.com/english/pictures/pictures.html
Preparing the Mark III for the Cadillac BIG Meet
25 | 08 | 11 | 20:09 |
This years Cadillac BIG Meet had the special theme „Cadillac meets Lincoln“ and so I wanted to take my newly acquired Continental Mark III along with my 58 Cadillac Eldorado Seville to the show. As the car return from the technical inspection on Wednesday night I only had 2 short days to detail the car for the show.
Luckily my buddy Tayfun volunteered to come to my garage for 2 full days to help me getting the car show worthy. Without his help I would not have been able to get the car ready in time. Thanks Tayfun!!!!
As I ran out of garage space my other great friend Richard helped me out and lets me store my 1967 Eldorado at his cool garage for a while - thanks Rick!!
Luckily my buddy Tayfun volunteered to come to my garage for 2 full days to help me getting the car show worthy. Without his help I would not have been able to get the car ready in time. Thanks Tayfun!!!!
As I ran out of garage space my other great friend Richard helped me out and lets me store my 1967 Eldorado at his cool garage for a while - thanks Rick!!
My 67 Eldorado is temporarily stored at my friend Richards garage until I find a solution for my storage problems - thanks Rick!
The Mark III needed the full treatment as it was very dirty from its long journey from the United States to Europe. It needed a complete interior treatment along with lots of paint detailing to look great again. So we worked until 1am in the morning each day. During these few days we had the highest August temperatures ever recorded, so a lot of sweat was produced...
My friend Tayfun in the garage polishing the paint - around midnight...
In the middle of the night - we set up some film light...
Tayfun wet - cleaning the interior
Tayfun cleaning the interior
wet-cleaning the interior
the hubcaps were cleaned in the dish washer - my wife was not very happy about this...
The Mark III now has an Austrian license
23 | 08 | 11 | 20:08 |
Every car imported into Austria has to pass a very detailed technical inspection before it can get an Austrian license plate. You will also have to change the lighting system to go with our law. T3 headlights are not allowed and H4 lights are required, and you need some amber turn signal lights to pass the inspection. The rest of the car has to be in perfect technical condition as well.
I had to install 4 new shock absorbers, all new brake hoses, 2 upper ball joints and 2 outer tie rod ends before it could pass the inspection.
The car then passed the test without a problem and I´m now having all the paper work in hands to have the car registered here in Austria.
I had to install 4 new shock absorbers, all new brake hoses, 2 upper ball joints and 2 outer tie rod ends before it could pass the inspection.
The car then passed the test without a problem and I´m now having all the paper work in hands to have the car registered here in Austria.
The Mark III arrived today!
01 | 08 | 11 | 15:41 |
After a - what it felt for me - endless time of waiting it was finally time to welcome my newly acquired 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III to Austria.
It arrived today - very unexpectedly when I got a call from a lady I know who is the manager of local gas station. She called me and asked if I would expect a Continental. She explained that a truck just stopped at her gas station to ask for directions to my home. Luckily I was still at home and so I jumped into the car to get to the truck driver and show him where I live, as he did not speak our language at all.
I then guided him through town and we started to unload the car close to my home.
When the car rolled of the truck I was shocked! The once perfect vinyl roof was badly damaged. It was immediately clear that it was damaged on the truck of the long journeys last leg.
Problem was that I could not really talk to the driver and write something down. I took lots of pictures immediately though. So I called the trucking company and they said that I should send them the pictures. The next day they called and asked why nothing about the damage was written down on the papers when I received the car and that they probably would not pay because of this!!!
Looks like I will need a good lawyer now to fight with the insurance company.
I got a raw estimate from a good upholstery shop here for the repair which is for 60 hours of work + material.
You have to remove almost the entire interior of the Mark III, including the rear window mechanism with the glass and most of the weatherstripping to get access to the fasteners which hold the moldings in place. Most of the plastic fasteners also are no longer available - so you will have to be very careful when you remove them.
The original top material of the Mark III was called “Cavalry Twill Vinyl“ and the only company which can offer a correct replacement top seems to be SMS Auto Fabrics http://www.smsautofabrics.com/products/vinyl-tops.php
The material alone costs 475.- + shipping. (price from August 2011)
Besides the damage to the roof during shipment- the car is really nice. It drives beautifully and everything works as it should.
I already delivered the Mark III to my restoration shop to prepare it for the inspection for the Austrian license. We will have to convert the lighting system to go with Austrian law.
The first inspection showed that I will also have to install 3 new brake hoses, 2 upper ball joints and both outer tie rods. Got most of the parts already from rockauto.com - only the front brake hoses seem to be difficult to get and very expensive. Luckily I found a shop on ebay where they are available for half of the price of what most Lincoln specialists are asking.
Here are some pictures of when the car arrived - it got extremely dirty from the transport unfortunately.
It arrived today - very unexpectedly when I got a call from a lady I know who is the manager of local gas station. She called me and asked if I would expect a Continental. She explained that a truck just stopped at her gas station to ask for directions to my home. Luckily I was still at home and so I jumped into the car to get to the truck driver and show him where I live, as he did not speak our language at all.
I then guided him through town and we started to unload the car close to my home.
When the car rolled of the truck I was shocked! The once perfect vinyl roof was badly damaged. It was immediately clear that it was damaged on the truck of the long journeys last leg.
Problem was that I could not really talk to the driver and write something down. I took lots of pictures immediately though. So I called the trucking company and they said that I should send them the pictures. The next day they called and asked why nothing about the damage was written down on the papers when I received the car and that they probably would not pay because of this!!!
Looks like I will need a good lawyer now to fight with the insurance company.
I got a raw estimate from a good upholstery shop here for the repair which is for 60 hours of work + material.
You have to remove almost the entire interior of the Mark III, including the rear window mechanism with the glass and most of the weatherstripping to get access to the fasteners which hold the moldings in place. Most of the plastic fasteners also are no longer available - so you will have to be very careful when you remove them.
The original top material of the Mark III was called “Cavalry Twill Vinyl“ and the only company which can offer a correct replacement top seems to be SMS Auto Fabrics http://www.smsautofabrics.com/products/vinyl-tops.php
The material alone costs 475.- + shipping. (price from August 2011)
Besides the damage to the roof during shipment- the car is really nice. It drives beautifully and everything works as it should.
I already delivered the Mark III to my restoration shop to prepare it for the inspection for the Austrian license. We will have to convert the lighting system to go with Austrian law.
The first inspection showed that I will also have to install 3 new brake hoses, 2 upper ball joints and both outer tie rods. Got most of the parts already from rockauto.com - only the front brake hoses seem to be difficult to get and very expensive. Luckily I found a shop on ebay where they are available for half of the price of what most Lincoln specialists are asking.
Here are some pictures of when the car arrived - it got extremely dirty from the transport unfortunately.
As you can see it was squeezed in pretty closely into the truck - watch the beam just above the vinyl top...
The damaged “Cavalry Twill Vinyl“ roof
My first ride in the Lincoln.
At home - saying “Hello“ to the Cadillacs
in front of the garage
In my old garage - together with our Roadmaster
First sunset in Austria
Dressed for the first night...
At the restoration shop - awaiting inspection
A sailing date for the Mark III
10 | 06 | 11 | 09:23 |
I finally got some shipping details for my Mark III which is still sitting in the harbor of New York waiting for its shipment to Rotterdam in Europe.
It will sail on board of the “Hanjin Palermo“ Voyage 008E
Cut off at harbor NY: 24-JUN
Sailing: 28-JUN
ETA in Rotterdam: 14-JUL
So it will be around August before I can see the car for the first time... Its still a long wait.
It will sail on board of the “Hanjin Palermo“ Voyage 008E
Cut off at harbor NY: 24-JUN
Sailing: 28-JUN
ETA in Rotterdam: 14-JUL
So it will be around August before I can see the car for the first time... Its still a long wait.
The Mark III will sail across the ocean on this ship - the Hanjin Palermo
The Mark III is on it's way to Austria
23 | 05 | 11 | 12:02 |
The Mark III is now on it's way! The truck came just before noon today to pick it up from Brian who also snapped the following great pictures. The car was loaded and left Farmington Hills, Michigan just before a big thundershower.
Sitting regally atop the trailer, the Mark III begins its journey to Austria, to begin a new chapter in its existence. It will be quite a sight as it travels to the harbor of New Jersey from where it will cross the ocean in a container. I cant thank Brian enough for all the things he did to get the car to perfect condition - I have never meet such a great gentleman-seller before!
Sitting regally atop the trailer, the Mark III begins its journey to Austria, to begin a new chapter in its existence. It will be quite a sight as it travels to the harbor of New Jersey from where it will cross the ocean in a container. I cant thank Brian enough for all the things he did to get the car to perfect condition - I have never meet such a great gentleman-seller before!
Thank you Brian!
New speakers, new alternator, new trunk lining material and a new windlace for the Mark III.
01 | 05 | 11 | 18:08 |
Today I got some new pictures from Brian, the previous owner of my Mark III, who is doing the final refinements before the car will be picked up next week.
He got a new set of replacement speakers for the car The right one had a tear in the cone. The left wasn't that bad, but the mounting part was starting to crumble. Brian removed the wiring harness from the old speakers and soldered them onto the new, so they would plug in correctly. He is a professional philharmonic musician and he said that they sound much better, no distortion and better frequency response. Brian got the speakers from the same source where I got the ones for my Cadillacs before - from Greg Thompson from Turnswitch.
Skip, the upholstery guy, installed the new trunk carpet - and as you can see on the pictures below - it turned out beautifully. He also installed a new windlace on the drivers side - which turned out perfectly as well. As you can imagine I´m really looking forward to finally get the car ;-)
When Brian thought that everything was fixed the alternator went out - so he replaced it as well and even installed a new battery! AWESOME! The speed control was also fixed and works perfectly too!
He got a new set of replacement speakers for the car The right one had a tear in the cone. The left wasn't that bad, but the mounting part was starting to crumble. Brian removed the wiring harness from the old speakers and soldered them onto the new, so they would plug in correctly. He is a professional philharmonic musician and he said that they sound much better, no distortion and better frequency response. Brian got the speakers from the same source where I got the ones for my Cadillacs before - from Greg Thompson from Turnswitch.
Skip, the upholstery guy, installed the new trunk carpet - and as you can see on the pictures below - it turned out beautifully. He also installed a new windlace on the drivers side - which turned out perfectly as well. As you can imagine I´m really looking forward to finally get the car ;-)
When Brian thought that everything was fixed the alternator went out - so he replaced it as well and even installed a new battery! AWESOME! The speed control was also fixed and works perfectly too!
The windlace before
and after it was replaced...
The old connectors were soldered to the new replacement speakers
The old speakers
The new speaker installed on the drivers side...
...and the passenger side
The new trunk carpet - perfectly installed by Skip
The new trunk carpet - perfectly installed by Skip
The new trunk carpet - perfectly installed by Skip
The Mark III got new seat padding
27 | 04 | 11 | 20:34 |
While my 1971 Lincoln Continental Mark III is still in the USA and waiting for the shipment to Austria, the seller was so kind to have some things fixed on the car.
The padding underneath the drivers seat became very dry and crumbled. So he took the car to his upholstery guy to have some new foam installed. While the car was there, they also installed a new trunk carpet set, a windlace and repaired the front window mechanisms to work perfectly.
I cant thank Brian enough for having all these little things done before the car is leaving. He will also install a new set of original front speakers, fix a heater valve and repair the acceleration function of the speed control. He also already installed a new inside rear view mirror as the old one was “blind“.
Thank you Brian!
The padding underneath the drivers seat became very dry and crumbled. So he took the car to his upholstery guy to have some new foam installed. While the car was there, they also installed a new trunk carpet set, a windlace and repaired the front window mechanisms to work perfectly.
I cant thank Brian enough for having all these little things done before the car is leaving. He will also install a new set of original front speakers, fix a heater valve and repair the acceleration function of the speed control. He also already installed a new inside rear view mirror as the old one was “blind“.
Thank you Brian!
The foam underneath the drivers side was crumbling
pretty big hole
not much left
the new seat padding under construction
the finished new seat padding
I bought a Lincoln Continental Mark III
07 | 04 | 11 | 21:11 |
After searching for a 1970 Lincoln Continental Mark III for a while, today I purchased a 1971 Mark III from Brian Ventura, a very nice Lincoln Collector in Michigan. Before I found this car from this gentleman I tried to get my hands on 3 others, but always the deal fell through... Two were taken off of ebay before the auction ended. I had another one appraised in Michigan, which looked like a very nice car, but the seller did not keep his word. Although we had already fixed the deal and agreed on a price, he suddenly wanted $ 4.000.- more on what we had agreed on when I wanted to send him the money... I do not like this kind of games! As it turned out the car was also involved in an accident which was not repaired properly...
I then placed a “Wanted“ ad on the forum of the LCOC and Brian sent me a message that his car would be for sale. At first he was not sure if he really wanted to let it go, but after he saw that it would go to a good home he decided to let it go.
Today I sent the money. The owner will still generously fix some minor issues and at the beginning of May it will start its journey to Austria. It has been a pleasure to deal with Brian and I cant wait for the car to arrive.
It is a very nice Mark III and Brian took great care of it and fixed all mechanical issues and invested a lot of money into it.
Here are some very nice pictures of it which Brian sent me:
I then placed a “Wanted“ ad on the forum of the LCOC and Brian sent me a message that his car would be for sale. At first he was not sure if he really wanted to let it go, but after he saw that it would go to a good home he decided to let it go.
Today I sent the money. The owner will still generously fix some minor issues and at the beginning of May it will start its journey to Austria. It has been a pleasure to deal with Brian and I cant wait for the car to arrive.
It is a very nice Mark III and Brian took great care of it and fixed all mechanical issues and invested a lot of money into it.
Here are some very nice pictures of it which Brian sent me:
Thats how it looks today waiting for the pickup - still in Michigan
a very clean and perfectly detailed engine bay with all correct clamps and hoses with all mechanicals done properly
The Mark III at the Motor Muster car show at Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum in 2010
I love the cloth interior
The Mark III at the Motor Muster car show at Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford Museum in 2010
The car was exhibited at the 100th anniversary of Ford at the Wixom Plant where it was born in 1971
The car was exhibited at the 100th anniversary of Ford at the Wixom Plant where it was born in 1971
In front of the Ford building in Detroit
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