Finally, some signs of life from the power windows. The new pump is installed, and I got the hose on the driver's side replaced. The good news is, the passenger side window goes up. The bad news is the driver's side won't go up. I have a bad feeling the solenoid valve is stuck closed on the driver's side and it's stuck open on the passenger side, because although the passenger window goes up, it won't stay up. Guess I'm not out of the woods yet.
Dad's 1947 Lincoln coupe
- Thread starter Dave Sherman
- Start date
Play the lottery, and sometimes you might actually win. Took an assessment of the two spare window cylinders I had in the parts boxes, and they didn't move. Not good. Got on the interwebs, and tried searching for sources of Lincoln window cylinders, and what did I find on eBay? Two rebuilt window cylinders for 1946-1948 Lincolns. Talk about a couple of unicorn parts! Apparently, there was a guy way back when who rebuilt these, because the labels say they were rebuilt in 1976. Well, there was already a bid on them, but I prevailed and got them for a very reasonable price. Was a little skeptical because they were rebuilt nearly 50 years ago and I don't think this guy is around anymore, but the pictures looked like they were very well stored. They arrived today, they appear to be in excellent condition, and they move freely. There may be hope yet for these windows!
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Spent the last two evenings trying to get the window cylinder out of the driver's side since that's the one that's accessible right now. Lordy, Ford did not make it easy to work inside the door. Got a few skinned knuckles to show for it. 
First big headache was I couldn't unscrew the flare fitting from the cylinder because it had rusted to the steel tubing. Lots of PB Blaster still couldn't get it free, and trying to persuade it with the wrench just cracked the tubing. Great... Finally cut the tubing off. Then some wrestling with the spring clips that hold the cylinder to the window regulator, but it's finally out!
So, a trip to Autozone for some new brake line to replace it, but first I gotta bend it in the right shape. There's a loop in the line to allow the tubing to flex, since the cylinder has to pivot slightly as the windows go up and down. A trip to one of my favorite stores, Hazard Fraught Tools, and a $10 tubing bender did a mighty fine job on it. Bought another length of brake line, because I might as well replace the passenger side too, since the driver's side cracked without too much effort. Oh, and the post-mortem on the old window cylinder confirmed that the solenoid valve was frozen. The piston moved freely, but it had very little resistance, like it was probably going to leak down rapidly if I got the window up.
First big headache was I couldn't unscrew the flare fitting from the cylinder because it had rusted to the steel tubing. Lots of PB Blaster still couldn't get it free, and trying to persuade it with the wrench just cracked the tubing. Great... Finally cut the tubing off. Then some wrestling with the spring clips that hold the cylinder to the window regulator, but it's finally out!So, a trip to Autozone for some new brake line to replace it, but first I gotta bend it in the right shape. There's a loop in the line to allow the tubing to flex, since the cylinder has to pivot slightly as the windows go up and down. A trip to one of my favorite stores, Hazard Fraught Tools, and a $10 tubing bender did a mighty fine job on it. Bought another length of brake line, because I might as well replace the passenger side too, since the driver's side cracked without too much effort. Oh, and the post-mortem on the old window cylinder confirmed that the solenoid valve was frozen. The piston moved freely, but it had very little resistance, like it was probably going to leak down rapidly if I got the window up.
Took some time to check out the "new" window cylinders, because they seemed to be a little sticky. Dribbled some ATF in the pipe fitting, and energized the solenoid valves. Once the ATF burped its way in and I put some air pressure behind it, the pushrods moved freely. In fact, the seals work well enough they don't move very far unless you open the solenoid valves, they will build up enough air pressure or vacuum that they won't move.
Getting the cylinders back into the doors is easier said than done. I got the passenger door apart quickly, once I learned the tricks on the driver's door. Got one of the new cylinders in, but it sure takes some fiddling when the annoying little spring clips are hard to reach. Got the passenger side in, but the driver's side isn't going as well. The upper spring clip is even harder to get to on that one, so I'm going to have to come up with another tool to do that one.
Getting the cylinders back into the doors is easier said than done. I got the passenger door apart quickly, once I learned the tricks on the driver's door. Got one of the new cylinders in, but it sure takes some fiddling when the annoying little spring clips are hard to reach. Got the passenger side in, but the driver's side isn't going as well. The upper spring clip is even harder to get to on that one, so I'm going to have to come up with another tool to do that one.
Went to do the driver's side, and was having a heck of time reaching the spring clip. Had to scratch my head on why sticking the ginormous flat screwdriver in through the hole in the sheet metal worked on passenger side, but not on the driver's side. Turns out the window regulator mechanisms aren't mirrored, so the cylinder on the driver's side sits closer to the rear of the door (and further from the hole) than the passenger side. Was trying to figure out what I could use that was skinny enough to slip in between the glass and the door and long enough to reach the clip. My MacGuyver solution? Wife has been repainting our bathroom, and in the paint supplies there were two unused paint stirrers. Brilliant! Couldn't quite reach with one, but glued together they reached with no problem. No worries about scratching the glass either if it slips off. Both cylinders are back in, hard lines and hoses are reconnected, and I can reconnect the wires now.
Oh, happy day. Finally, after sorting through bum power window pumps, faulty wires, old hoses, rusty tubing, and bad window cylinders, both power windows are WORKING. Greased up the regulator mechanism, got the windows off the wood blocks, made sure the valves and switches were working, then with fresh fluid in the pump, reconnected the solenoid and... They went up. And they stayed up. Whoop whoop!
Got a few things done on it this weekend. First thing was revisiting the exhaust headers. Seems my glue job with the Permatex copper stuff didn't work on the driver's side. There was a peculiar whistling when the engine was running, and I could feel some puffing from the joint. So, after cleaning up the mess left by the Permatex, I bought some Remflex gaskets. When I got a mirror down there, it turned out there was some old gasket left on there that my dad hadn't cleaned up. After cleaning up the surfaces, and slipping the new gaskets in, they sealed up nicely.
I picked up some Fluid Film, and sprayed the insides of the doors. The old, leaky window cylinders had leaked the brake fluid that was using before and had taken the paint off. Things were a little rusty inside the door, so I vacuumed up the rust flakes and coated the insides.
While working on the doors, I discovered the rear view mirror was about to fall off on the passenger side, as well as getting caught between the door and frame. Not good. There are two set screws, but they were both pretty stuck on there. Got one free with the PB Blaster, but the other one needed some help from the fire wrench. Got them freed up, and got the mirror tightened back down. Driver's side was a little loose too, so both sides are secure.
Now I just have one mystery to solve before I can put the doors back together. The door locks work a bit differently from what one would expect. The locks don't lock unless the doors are shut. So, it's not possible to push the lock post down while the doors are open. That's not so unusual, the MG's door locks work the same way, it's only possible to lock the last door with the key. Here's the weird part: The key lock does not move the lock post. Turning the key locks the door all right, but if you had a kid inside the car who managed to push the lock posts down, you'd be SOL. Nothing seems to be broken, but even dad can't remember if that's how the locks are supposed to work.
I picked up some Fluid Film, and sprayed the insides of the doors. The old, leaky window cylinders had leaked the brake fluid that was using before and had taken the paint off. Things were a little rusty inside the door, so I vacuumed up the rust flakes and coated the insides.
While working on the doors, I discovered the rear view mirror was about to fall off on the passenger side, as well as getting caught between the door and frame. Not good. There are two set screws, but they were both pretty stuck on there. Got one free with the PB Blaster, but the other one needed some help from the fire wrench. Got them freed up, and got the mirror tightened back down. Driver's side was a little loose too, so both sides are secure.
Now I just have one mystery to solve before I can put the doors back together. The door locks work a bit differently from what one would expect. The locks don't lock unless the doors are shut. So, it's not possible to push the lock post down while the doors are open. That's not so unusual, the MG's door locks work the same way, it's only possible to lock the last door with the key. Here's the weird part: The key lock does not move the lock post. Turning the key locks the door all right, but if you had a kid inside the car who managed to push the lock posts down, you'd be SOL. Nothing seems to be broken, but even dad can't remember if that's how the locks are supposed to work.
@Dave Sherman, I recall that to lock the doors on some of the cars from that generation was a little different.
If you pushed down the door lock and then closed the door, the door lock came back up, and the door would unlock. To lock the door, you pushed down the door lock button, then holding outside door handle as if to open the door, and then closed the door, it would lock. I don't know if this is the method on your Lincoln, but it may be worth a try.
If you pushed down the door lock and then closed the door, the door lock came back up, and the door would unlock. To lock the door, you pushed down the door lock button, then holding outside door handle as if to open the door, and then closed the door, it would lock. I don't know if this is the method on your Lincoln, but it may be worth a try.
Good catch! I had a 1966 Plymouth Valiant and that's how you locked the doors on exit.
Thanks @BHopkins and @MParr, but like I said, the lock posts can't be pushed down unless the doors are closed. Looking with my borescope inside the door, it appears the key cylinder just moves a tab that blocks the outside button so it can't be pushed. The inside post moves a lever on the door latch assembly, so maybe there isn't any connection between the post and the key and that's just how it's supposed to be.
Finally, after more than a year, both doors are back together, and both windows are working again. Next might be enlisting my wife's uncle to see if he can weld up the split seam in the muffler, and seeing if I can resurrect the electric overdrive.
Getting back to this beast. Today, doing some fact finding on the electric overdrive. Quite a remarkable piece of engineering, I found a scan of the Borg-Warner overdrive manual online, along with the troubleshooting guide from Ford. My dad had rigged a wire to engage the overdrive manually, since the governor switch wasn't always closing as it's supposed to. Connected the clip lead he rigged up, and... Nothing. Found that the wire had corroded under the screw terminal, so I stripped it back and put a ring terminal on it. Now the overdrive relay clicks on, but no noise from the big solenoid on the overdrive unit that's supposed to engage. Some more troubleshooting turned up a laundry list of things to address:
-Possibly stuck overdrive solenoid
-No kickdown switch operation
-No light from the dash indicator
-No closure from the governor switch
Only part that I can confirm works is the kickdown relay that's supposed to kill the ignition momentarily to unload the torque from the overdrive so it can disengage to downshift on a hill. Running a jumper to the kickdown relay does stop the engine.
This is the overdrive control box, thankfully the relays seem to be working. Gonna have to crawl under the greasy side to figure out what's up with the rest of it.
-Possibly stuck overdrive solenoid
-No kickdown switch operation
-No light from the dash indicator
-No closure from the governor switch
Only part that I can confirm works is the kickdown relay that's supposed to kill the ignition momentarily to unload the torque from the overdrive so it can disengage to downshift on a hill. Running a jumper to the kickdown relay does stop the engine.
This is the overdrive control box, thankfully the relays seem to be working. Gonna have to crawl under the greasy side to figure out what's up with the rest of it.
Man, what a great project and such a great looking car! Thanks for the stories.
Not a lot to report right now, been busy with other things and it's been a bit chilly to work in the garage.
My family could use some happy thoughts right now, dad's been declining rapidly over the last week. The hospice folks are keeping him comfortable and my sisters are with him, but I'm dreading the phone call will be any day now.
My family could use some happy thoughts right now, dad's been declining rapidly over the last week. The hospice folks are keeping him comfortable and my sisters are with him, but I'm dreading the phone call will be any day now.
Sorry to hear that of your father. That is tough, You are very lucky to have had him around for so long. I know the cold & this doesn't bring a lot of motivation but just think about this piece of iron getting put back together so you can think about the times for as long as you can. I really enjoy this post very much as do others. It's cold here too so the things slow down a bit. Have a great day!Not a lot to report right now, been busy with other things and it's been a bit chilly to work in the garage.
My family could use some happy thoughts right now, dad's been declining rapidly over the last week. The hospice folks are keeping him comfortable and my sisters are with him, but I'm dreading the phone call will be any day now.
If I could make a suggestion. If you still talk with your father, try to record any stories he has about when he owned the car. Just simple things, like where he bought gas, what was his longest/best trip in it, etc.
I wish I would have recorded my older brother's talks that we had on the long trips to Florida. He was a non-stop talker though, but I just wish I could here them again.
I wish I would have recorded my older brother's talks that we had on the long trips to Florida. He was a non-stop talker though, but I just wish I could here them again.
Well, with some slightly warmer temperatures, back to this beast. Starting it up last weekend did not go very well. It ran, but it was running poorly again. Get out the spark tester, and the right bank is showing weak, intermittent flashes, and the right side cylinder head is staying much cooler than the left side. Think I muttered a few colorful euphemisms on why it can't seem to stay running properly for any length of time.
Turns out, I had made a boo boo. Originally, there were 4 condensers attached to two sets of terminals on the coil. Two of the condensers are the ignition condensers that go across the points, two are for noise suppression for the radio. Guess which ones I replaced? Yep, the old ignition condensers were still there, and I had replaced the noise suppressors instead
. After conferring with some Lincoln experts, and the folks who sold me the new condensers, it turns out you can ditch the noise suppressors. After measuring the old ignition condensers, it turns out I had 0.8 uF on the right, and 0.5 uF on the left. Spec says 0.31-0.34 uF. Well, no wonder the right side is giving me trouble! Got things rewired, replaced the old condensers, cleaned up the fouled up points again, and it's running beautifully now. Now stay that way!
Dad's probably having a chuckle looking down on me right now. He's no longer with us, unfortunately. I got to chat with my uncle when we had his celebration of life, and I found out he and dad both rebuilt the engine many moons ago. My uncle drove it when he was going to college while dad was in the Navy, and he was also pleased that I'm getting it roadworthy again.
Turns out, I had made a boo boo. Originally, there were 4 condensers attached to two sets of terminals on the coil. Two of the condensers are the ignition condensers that go across the points, two are for noise suppression for the radio. Guess which ones I replaced? Yep, the old ignition condensers were still there, and I had replaced the noise suppressors instead
. After conferring with some Lincoln experts, and the folks who sold me the new condensers, it turns out you can ditch the noise suppressors. After measuring the old ignition condensers, it turns out I had 0.8 uF on the right, and 0.5 uF on the left. Spec says 0.31-0.34 uF. Well, no wonder the right side is giving me trouble! Got things rewired, replaced the old condensers, cleaned up the fouled up points again, and it's running beautifully now. Now stay that way!Dad's probably having a chuckle looking down on me right now. He's no longer with us, unfortunately. I got to chat with my uncle when we had his celebration of life, and I found out he and dad both rebuilt the engine many moons ago. My uncle drove it when he was going to college while dad was in the Navy, and he was also pleased that I'm getting it roadworthy again.
…and you get to spend time with your Dad (reminiscing) while you continue to bring this Lincoln back to roadworthiness…cool and thanks again for sharing
Bill
Bill
Finally getting to the guts of the overdrive. Searching around underneath, I couldn't find the overdrive solenoid. Turns out it's inside the pedal box. Also took the transmission cover off the floor, and I can eyeball the governor switch. Getting the pedal box off turned out to be a good thing, now I can see the grease fittings for the pedals and the clutch arm pivots. Anyway, I got the overdrive solenoid out so I can clean up the contacts and get the oil out that has seeped into it over the years. Looks like some more re-wiring is on the menu since the overdrive wires are also fraying and falling apart.
