This is how the car looked when I arrived to pick it up. Serious dust. You couldn't even see into the interior.
Okay, so this is what I'd hoped the car would look like someday. The reality, however was a little different.
This is how the car looked after being trailered home from Dallas. I purchased the car from a friend who lost his storage for $700. I really wanted a '61 sedan or '64 convertible, but for a few hundred dollars, I'd settle for a '62. The car was originally Silver Mink Metallic, but had since been repainted medium metallic blue. It had the optional Biscuit and Buttons interior, air conditioning, power antenna, and all the usual Lincoln power features.
The seller bought the car about two years earlier to use as a parts car for his convertible restoration from a gentleman in Houston. The Houston gentleman hadn't driven it in about two years. So essentially it hadn't been driven in 4-5 years and for the last two at least, it has been gathering dust in indoor storage.
This is how the car looked when I arrived to pick it up. Serious dust. You couldn't even see into the interior.
The seller insisted that the car could be started and just driven up onto the trailer I brought. I said I'd
rather not start the car because I thought the gas would be bad after sitting so long. The seller said he'd started it
recently and it could be driven. I said I'd still rather not start the car. I didn't want varnished gas
being pumped through the fuel system so I set about winching the car up on the trailer with a 2000lb come-along.
The car weights over 5500lbs. I was sweating profusely. (Of course it didn't help that I accidently left the parking brake on!)
Once it was unloaded at home, I gave it a quick rinse and set about evaluating it. Although I had seen the car only two years ago, I remembered it being in better cosmetic shape. I knew it needed paint, but the interior and electrics were rougher than I'd remembered. I guess this is Lincoln buyer's tunnel vision.
I got the car a battery, changed all the fluids and filters and dropped the gas tank. Boy, I sure was glad I didn't try
to start it. Check out the color of 4-5 year old gas! Yeikes! Varnish! That color's just not natural.
I figured while I was cleaning out the tank, I might as well paint it too.
After the tank was reinstalled I gassed up the car, but couldn't get it started. The carbureator was seriously gummed up with redish brown varnish. I cleaned that mess up, crossed my fingers, and she fired right up. It had the usual exhaust leak on the right mainfold, but other that that, it ran well, shifted well, braked well, and rode smoother than my '93 Town Car.
But it was not to last. After sitting undriven for 4-5 years, things disintegrate and dry out. The master cylinder gave out. I replaced it. It soon gave out again. I replaced it again. The brake booster was toast. Power steering hoses broke. And most catistrophically, the front seal began to leak after a few hundered miles. It was a certifiable environmental disaster under the hood, making the Exxon Valdez look like spilled milk. Oil was leaking out where the front timing chain cover meets and overlaps the oil pan. The oil was the being pushed by the fan up the right side of the engine bay, covering everything with a thick coat of oil.
Needless to say, it was a mess. I could have replaced both seals, but if you're going to tear the front of the engine down that far, you might as well replace the timing chain, the nylon chain gears, the twin in-block thermostats, and the water pump. The costs were mounting rapidly for a car in need of so much cosmetic work too. It was just not financially practical. I decided to part with it before I got in any deeper. I guess I'll try for another slab-sided Lincoln somewhere down the road.