1964 LINCOLN RESTORATION PROJECT

SOON, OTHER PROBLEMS surfaced, and due to one thing and another (cracked cam gear, lack of oil pressure, etc.), the pistons danced with the valves, so the engine ran no more. I decided to use this as an opportunity and have the engine rebuilt, to start fresh. Ah, the naiveté! The people rebuilding our engine took an absurdly long time to complete the work, and I was never reimbursed for parts, yada yada yada. Well, I finally got the engine back from the rebuilders six months later.

In the interim, I had lots of time to do things like replace every hose, bad wire, electronic part, and nut or screw under the hood with new parts. I cleaned old grease and grime down to bare metal, removed patches of rust, and painted the engine compartment. I cleaned up the hood and trunk, rust-proofed, and painted. Replaced the rotted rear mufflers with classic glasspacks -- the car is designed to use four mufflers! -- and added chrome muffler tips. Polished chrome and stainless parts. Replaced all four shocks with new coil-over units from Kanter Auto. The list goes on.

This stage of the restoration was very pleasant, a relaxing way to spend occasional weekends while waiting for the engine. I ended up doing much more than I'd planned to do, due to the rebuilder's tardiness. Next time I restore an old car, I perform the engine rebuild myself.