Prepping Land Yaht for use

[mtnbkr]

My wife's grandparents (both deceased now) left her a lightly used and garage stored Lincoln Continental Town Car Collector's Edition (just like this http://autocollections.com/index.cfm?id=3520&action=details&tab=sold but with velour interior and other minor trim differences).  The problem is, it has sat in the garage for the past decade or longer without having been driven or even fired up.  It sprung a leak at some point and leaked out either the auto tranny fluid or coolant (dark garage, very little room around car).

What should be done to get this car road worthy beyond fixing the known leak?  My plan is to find a local garage facility to store this car once it is road-worthy and maybe even enter it into the odd classic car show or two.  It is all original, in excellent shape, and we even have the original sales brochure.

Accessories of note: 8-track radio, factory CB radio, factory weather gauge on side mirror, original tool kit.

I'll totally get a fur fedora to wear while driving this thing. :D

edit to add another link: http://automotivemileposts.com/mark51979collectorsseries.html

Chris

[Jamisjockey]

Oh my, Huggy Bear!

Check the tires for flat spots from sitting, espeically if they are lower than factory recommended pressure at current.  Hoses might need to be replaced, too.

[Devonai]

I think it's spelled "yahht," at least  on Cape Cod.

[Hawkmoon]

Before attempting to turn over the engine, remove the spark plugs and spray a light oil into the bores. Something like a 50/50 mix of Marvel Mystery Oil and 5W20 motor oil would be good. Then (if possible) put a socket wrench and breaker bar on the nut at the front of the crankshaft and try to turn the motor over by hand (spark plugs still removed). If you can't get at the nut or it won't turn by hand, leave the plugs out and try "bumping" it with the starter motor. The idea is to get the pistons and rings moving and lubricated before putting any load on the engine.

Drain the gas tank. Any gasoline in it will be varnish. Replace the fuel filter.

The tires are probably dry-rotted. Inspect carefully. They may be able to hold air for moving the car around to work on it, but I wouldn't drive on them.

Have the brakes pressure bled. The old brake fluid is probably filthy and contaminated. Have a mechanic check the steel brake lines. They may be corroded from the inside if there's any moisture in the brake fluid (it is hygroscopic -- attracts water vapor). Don't even mess with the three rubber flex hoses in the brake system (two in front, one in back). Replace them.

[HankB]

There are ways to prep a vehicle for long-term storage, but I'm guessing this wasn't done. So after 10+ years in a garage (presumably without climate control) and without being properly mothballed, I'd be concerned that moisture has gotten into parts of the drivetrain and begun the process of corrosion. Start it up or drive it and you might be circulating rust particles through the entire power train.

This would be a bad thing.

At a minimum. I'd say all hoses, belts, tires, filters and fluids (oil, coolant, brake, transmission, differential) ought to be replaced . . . probably the battery, too.

Unless you can do a lot of the major work yourself, I'm guessing it won't cheap to fix up. You might want to check on what the value is on one of these before you spend too much.

[charby]

Be prepared to spend $4-6k to get it road ready.

[geronimotwo]

cartier clock.....sweet!

good luck, check all rubber for dry rot.  likely idling problems will be varnished carb, and bad vacuum hoses.  i agree with the fluid change strategy, although i would have typically ran the car for a few miles first.  maybe better to change it first, and then in 500 miles?

[41magsnub]

You need to make a new version of this picture:

[brimic]

Before changing the oil, I'd pour some oil in the cylinders and let sit overnight before turning over- you might have some corrosion on the rings/cylinders (hopefully not). You really don't want to turn the engine over with dry cylinders that have a bit of rust in them.

edit: oops, HM beat me to it...

[mtnbkr]

Sounds good folks.

No, the car wasn't prepped for storage, they probably didn't intend for it to sit for so long.  Unfortunately, the grandparents aged, became less able to drive such a car, and the rest of the family didn't have time or forgot to do anything with it.  It has sat in their garage all this time.  There is no time constraint, so I can do much of the work myself as time allows.  If it takes a couple years to get from its current state to "safe to drive", that's OK.

Chris

[roo_ster]

You need to make a new version of this picture:

Yes, we expect the Selleckian 'stasch if you renege on the furry fedora.

[280plus]

What size motor? My old man had two of those things. a little earlier 1974 ish maybe. Both had 460 CI. I tooled around in them when I came home on leave.  I was so cool...  



They would lay down a non stop patch of rubber btw. Nice motor that 460.  

[brimic]

They would lay down a non stop patch of rubber btw. Nice motor that 460.

A buddy of mine had a Mercury marquis with the 460, yep gobs of torque

[mtnbkr]

I think it's the 400ci engine. 

Chris

[280plus]

Oh well, the 400 was pretty good too, I had a 1970 galaxie 500 with a 400 for a while, it was the same frame as the Lincoln, and that car thought cruise speed was 110. 

I loved that car. My ex got it in the deevorce and did what she does best to cars. Destroyed it. 

Then I had a buddy who had a Bronco with a 400, if he put it in 4 low and punched it all four tires would jump off the ground. It was cool. 

I never quite got the whole Cadillac thing. Lincolns are much better cars. 

[roo_ster]

What's the scoop on the Ford 400? 

I recall GM had a couple small block 400s (Chevy & Pontiac) and a big block 400.

Where did the Ford 400 come from?

[Brad Johnson]

Same engine family as the Windsor series.  Larger bores.  They never got much credence because they came out loaded with smog-era crap that killed the performance.  Actually a pretty good starting point for a build as you can get almost as many cubes as the larger 385-series 429/460 but with the exterior block dimensions of a 351.  Strong bottom end, too.

A factory 400 will really wake up with nothing more than a removal of all the smog crap and the addition of a decent carb/intake/header setup. 

Brad

[AJ Dual]

If it takes a couple years to get from its current state to "safe to drive", that's OK.

Chris

Well, don't take too long. If you do, all the bolt-on pipes and Hydro conversion boxes a-la Blade Runner will just totally ruin the lines of the thing.

[brimic]

I recall GM had a couple small block 400s (Chevy & Pontiac) and a big block 400.

The Early Pontiac and Oldsmobile short-stroke 400s (65-67ish) were serious high performance engines, the later 400s were blah. The Chevy 396s were fairly close to the earlier Olds and Pontiac engines.

[richyoung]

New belts
New radiator. heater, and vaccum hoses.  Posibly new power steering hoses as well - I would not be suprised if that is what leaked out on the floor.
Probably should go ahead and replace the thermostat and water pump.
Check A/C system for pressure - if none, go ahead and pull the hoses, have them re-made at a hydraulic hose shop, and convert system to 134.  This can wait until you have it running.
Replace hose components of the brake system, check each wheel for free piston/caliper movement of brakes, full bleed of the system.  You can check liner thickness at this time, and replace as needed.
New tires, wiper baldes, check all bulbs.
If grease fittings on U-joints, lube them, as well as front suspenion.
Grease in front wheel bearings may have liquified, at least pop one dust cap and check - may need to re-pack them.
Drain fuel tank, new fuel filter, carb rebuild, new plug wires.
After the oil in the cylinder trick, if it runs, pressure test the cooling system after a flush.
Drain and change all fluids - this may involve tapping and plugging the torque converter.  Don;t forget the rear pumpkin.

[Grebnaws]

Sorry Brad, the Ford 400 is not a Windsor engine. It's a 335 series related to the 351 Cleveland design.  It's a smog engine but not an unreliable one. Just underpowered for their size. I dealt with the 351m (a destroked Ford 400 engine) in my first car. They can be built pretty stout but the best starting point is to remove the emissions, put a non-retarded timing set on it, and bump the compression. My first Thunderbird was older than I was when I began driving and it was remarkably reliable for a car that was already over 25 years old. It was my first and I learned a lot about all the things that rot on old cars even when they're kept in nice shape. For the record, my T-bird was a dog with the 351m, 2bbl carb, and 2.11 rear end with a 3 speed auto. It was extremely underpowered and had terrible gas mileage even in good tune. It never left me stranded for what it's worth.

[grampster]

I had a 78 or 79 Lincoln Towne Coupe, can't remember for sure.  All white with red leather guts.  I couldn't close the garage door.  Too long.

[Jim147]

Find out what fluid leaked out first. If it was coolant, you need to make sure something didn't freeze up and crack. A pressure check would be good for this.

For the motor, I've seen them set for ten years and not have a problem with the internals. The tires, hose's, and a big one would be the brake system and wheel bearings. It might not even move and might have to be pulled out of the garage.

If you want to work on it a little at a time, it looks like you have plenty of people on here that will help you.

jim

[Perd Hapley]

I thought a "land yacht" was a very large SUV.

[RoadKingLarry]

2 years ago I resurected my '83 Chevy pickup from a 10 year slumber in my late uncle's barn. 63K original miles on it when I brought it home. I spent about $1K getting it more or less road worthy and reliable.
Battery, all 4 tires, hoses, belts, fuel pump, all the fluids(rear end, trans. oil, coolant, power steering, flux capacitor) and a host of little things like dry rotted vacumn lines, plugs, wires, cap and rotor, rebuilt the carb. I also had to fix some rodent chewed wiring and replace the head light adjuster mechanism.
The AC doesn't work and I have no plans to fix it. I may break down and replace the AM only radio.