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1941 Lincoln Continental cabriolet
Article from The Steering Wheel, Chesapeake Bay Region, CCCA, Spring 1999:
I had been negotiating
with a man in Chicago over the purchase of a 1937 Lincoln Model K, but we
couldn’t seem to come to an agreement regarding the price. Don Peterson, a CCCA member from
Atlanta, had purchased a ‘41 Cadillac convertible sedan at Hershey. When he drove that car home, he made an
overnight stop at my place, and I got to take a good look at the car, thinking:
“This is a handsome automobile”.
That same month, I found an ad in Hemming that read: 1941 Cadillac
4-Door Convertible. May be the
lowest mileage one anywhere...
A CCCA member from
Denver with whom I had been acquainted with for 15 years had placed the
ad. I called Terry about the car
the following weekend. I will not
buy a car that I cannot see, and touch, and drive. This was mid-November of 1997, and we were unable to make
our schedules match until late the following February.
I had scheduled a
business trip in mid-January, but Terry said he would be in Scottsdale. I rescheduled the trip for late
February. When I called Terry in
late January to tell him when I would be able to get to town, he told me that
the car had been sold. Then he
said: “But I have something else you might like.” Something else was a black 1941 Lincoln Continental
Cabriolet, with a tan top and red leather interior, radio, hot-air heater, and
a Borg-Warner overdrive.
When I got to Denver
on February 22nd, I found a straight, clean, well-running car. I spent an hour crawling under, over,
around and through the car. I then
drove the car for an hour. The
conversation in which we settled on the price was almost an anti-climax. I left a deposit, and continued on to
Portland, Oregon.
What I found when I got to Denver.
It took a few weeks to
push the necessary paperwork, and make arrangements to have the car shipped
east. The car ran well enough that
I was contemplating driving her home, and I had several people volunteer to
come with me. Then reason set in. Terry had driven the car 500 miles in
the preceding six years, and I realized that I would be begging for problems
during the 1700 miles between Denver and Washington. I knew that there were things on the car that were going to
need attention, and I decided that I would rather fix them in my driveway,
rather than the side of Interstate 80 in the middle of Nebraska. As it turned out, that’s about exactly
what would have happened.
Cut to the second week
in April, and a large green truck appeared in the street in front of my
house. One hour’s worth of
unloading later, my car slowly crawled into sight on the tailgate lift. With all four wheels firmly on the
ground, the get-acquainted period began.
I started to drive the car around the neighborhood. The tires on the car looked good, but I
had no idea how old they were.
Since I intended to drive the car in the highway, the first item on my
shopping list at Spring Carlisle was a new set of tires and tubes.
With new treads in
place, I began to drive the car in earnest. A friend up in Clarksburg has a hoist, so I took the car up
there for maintenance. I pulled
all four wheels and repacked the bearings, changed the oil, and greased the
chassis.
The next trip was to
another friend’s shop in Frederick for work on the cooling system. We got to within one mile of his shop,
and we began to smell gasoline, and the engine began to misfire. The car died at the top of my friend’s
street, and we coasted into his driveway.
I took the bowl off of the fuel pump, and found copious amounts of brown
gunk in the pump. With this
cleaned out, the car again started and ran, for a while, anyway. I then replaced the radiator hoses and
thermostats, and proceeded to flush the cooling system. Halfway through the flushing process,
the engine again died, and would not restart. My friend vanished into his shop for five minutes, and came
back out with a freshly rebuilt fuel pump and a new pushrod. With the new pump installed, the engine
again started and ran. Throughout
all of the maintenance work, however, I was not able to fix the overdrive,
which shifted only intermittently.
I was planning to
attend the Lincoln Zephyr Owners Club/Lincoln Owners Club meet scheduled for
the first week of June in Burlington, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto). On the day of departure, I had been to
the locksmith for spare keys, and was in the process of packing the trunk, when
I noticed that both of the water pumps were piddling coolant on the
driveway. Two frantic calls to
friends somewhat assuaged my fears that the car would not be able to make the
trip. A friend and I nervously departed
at 6pm into a rainstorm, not knowing if the car would make the trip, or
not. Without a working overdrive,
our speed was limited to 50 mph.
We didn’t get there quick, but we got there. I also discovered that the top leaks a bit of water across
the windshield header, and one of the windshield wipers flopped around without
wiping very effectively.
We met other friends
for dinner in Dillsburg, PA, and put in for the night in Harrisburg. The next day found us heading up US 15
into New York State, and our next stop in the Finger Lakes Region. We visited a fellow LOC and CCCA member
who is currently restoring a 1917 Locomobile, and who was also heading to
Burlington the next day with a 1931 Lincoln Model K. Our overnight stop was in Canandaigua, where we had dinner
with another Lincoln enthusiast, who owns a 1953 Lincoln Capri convertible.
The next morning, the
two-car caravan headed to Lockport, where we were joined by two more ‘53
Lincolns, and we proceeded across the border at Niagra Falls and on to
Burlington. The combined LZOC/LOC
meet was very well done, drawing 60 cars from the Midwest to New England. There were 20 Model Ls and Ks, and 30
Zephyrs and Continentals.
While at the meet, I
attempted to repair the overdrive, installing a set of bypass wires. On the drive home, the overdrive did
work, but not every time I wanted it to.
We did made the drive home in one day, however. I was absolutely thrilled when we
pulled back into my driveway. The
trip was 1000 miles, and the car consumed two gallons of water (leaking water
pumps, remember), and two quarts of oil.
She started hot or cold, had good oil pressure, ran cool (except when
climbing hills), and got 14-15 mpg.
While in Canada, I had
received several suggestions regarding the cranky overdrive. The first was to replace the overdrive
wiring harness, the second was to flush the overdrive’s internal lubricant. I had begun to order new wiring for the
car, and the overdrive harness was the first to arrive. I then used ATF to flush the old grease
out of the overdrive, and replaced it with fresh gear oil. This helped considerably, but did not
completely cure the problem.
The next trip was a
short one, to Baltimore, for the Grand Classic in July. The car ran wonderfully, and the meet
was great, even if I still had mud marks on my whitewalls (my garage had
flooded).
The big trip of the
summer began in August. I had been
contemplating flying out to the Midwest to attend the LZOC Mid-West meet in
Milwaukee. A friend in Chicago
suggested that I drive the ‘41 out for the Zephyr meet. I was also planning on taking the car
to the Lincoln Continental Owners Club meet in suburban Chicago in September,
and didn’t have enough time for two round trips. He offered to store the car for me in between the two meets,
and that made the difference. So,
off I went, departing at noon on a pleasantly cool Wednesday, with the top
down. The sun set about the time I
was passing Cleveland, and it soon became a bit brisk, so I finally put the top
up. My overnight stop was near
Toledo. The next day, I encountered the traffic on the south side of
Chicago on my way to the rendezvous at the Lake Forest Oasis on the Tri-State
tollway. The sight of the three of
us caravanning up I-94 to Milwaukee was spectacular (one friend has a ‘48
Continental Cabriolet, the other a ‘48 Continental Coupe). The LZOC meet drew more ‘41
Continentals (eight) than I had ever seen in one place before. I received the award for the longest
distance driven in an H-V12-engined car.
With the meet over, we three returned to Chicago. I dropped off the car, and caught a
plane back to DC.
While the car was in
Chicago, the leaky water pumps got worse, and I had them replaced. I flew back to Chicago two weeks later,
and attended the LCOC meet. This
meet drew 150 cars, notable among which were four ’41 Continental Cabriolets,
two Model Ks: a ’38 Brunn Touring Cabriolet and a ’39 Willoughby Sport Sedan,
and eight postwar Continentals. I
got beat for longest distance by a fellow from Boston who drove his ’62 Lincoln
convertible sedan. I did, however,
get a big charge out of seeing the looks on peoples faces when I told them that
I had driven 1100 miles to get to Chicago…
After the LCOC meet
ended, it was time to head back home.
The trip took two days, as I decided to stop over in Ohio to see some
friends. The temperatures were in
the upper-80s and low-90s, and the only time the car was unhappy was in
climbing a couple of those long uphill grades on the Pennsylvania
Turnpike. The total round trip was
1800 miles, and the car used one quart of oil. With the overdrive working (most of the time, anyway), the
highway mileage climbed to 18mpg.
After returning from
Chicago, I was asked to display the car at a Frank Lloyd Wright commemorative
festival at the Pope-Leighey House at Woodlawn Plantation. Mr. Wright had owned both a '40 and a
'41 Continental, and I got to hear his grandson talk about driving one of the
cars from Arizona to Wisconsin sometime in the 1950s.
Next was the Rockville
Car Show the week following Hershey.
I had joked about wondering if the car would go that far, as the show
was only 3 miles from my house. Two
weeks later, I drove the car to the Fair Hill Equestrian Trials way up north of
Baltimore. A couple of weeks
later, a picture of the car appeared in Old Cars Weekly.
The last time we were
on the road together was to attend the CBR Christmas Party on that wonderfully
warm day in December. I remember
waking up that morning, pondering what I was going to drive to the party
in. When I stepped outside, I
didn’t wonder any more, and I knew that the top was going to be down, too.
And now she’s down for
the winter’s maintenance work. The
’41 traveled 4,000 miles in 1998. This was more miles than I drove both of my
modern cars combined over the summer.
I had a great time doing it, but I wonder how I’m going to explain this
to my insurance company?
Since this article was written, I began taking the car apart
to replace the all the wiring. The wiring under the hood looked okay, but the
wiring under the dash was, well, fugly. I also wanted to replace the vent
window gears that were stripped, and repair the windshield wiper that didn't
wipe very well.
Then
things began to get in the way. It's been over two years since the car was last
on the road. I have finally resumed work on the car and hope to have it running
again before the end of this year.
November, 2002
The above
statement was written sometime in 2001.
I didn't make that deadline, either. The car continued to sit into 2002. I went to Europe for five weeks in
May. When I returned in early
June, I was out in the garage connecting batteries, and checking to see that
nothing had been disturbed while I was gone. I took a long, hard look at the '41, thinking that I just
didn't have that much to do to the car.
I began thinking that if I didn't do something to the car right then, I
never would. My goal for the
remainder of the summer was to spent one or two hours per day, and five or six
days per week, working on the car.
The re-wiring was largely completed in mid-September. I say 'largely' because there are two
pieces, the stoplight harness and the battery ground strap, that have not been
installed. I have the wiring, but
cannot remember where in the garage I put them.
The car
started for the first time in over 3 1/2 years early in October, and is finally
back on the road. The above
picture documents the first time since the end of 1998 that the car left the
garage under her own power. I ask
myself why I dawdled for so long...
January, 2003
I have
finally found the missing harness, but the weather (cold and snowy) has done of
wonderful job keeping me out of the garage. I also need to replace the overdrive solenoid, as the
overdrive has again evidenced a lack of willingness to shift when asked. The last time the car was on the road
was early in December.
April, 2003
I took the
car out for a 200 mile drive last weekend, attending a Packard Club event at
the Speedwell Garage in Parkton, Maryland. The overdrive is still sometimes reluctant to shift, but it
did so often enough to make the highway portions of the drive pleasant.
At the Speedwell Garage, Parkton,
Maryland.
June, 2003
I have
received an invitation to display the car at the Radnor Hunt Concours
d'Elegance in September. Time to
spiff up the paint a bit.
I ran the car
in a Memorial Day parade in Virginia.
I had been assured that the parade would keep moving throughout the
route. Right. We would sit and start and sit and
start. I watched the temperature
gauge slowly climb up to the hot mark.
I was about ready to pull over to the side of the street and shut the
motor off when the car stalled and would not restart. We finished the parade courtesy of six leg-power. At the end of the route, we pushed the
car into a parking lot and waited 15-20 minutes for the engine to cool
down. She restarted regularly and
seemed to run okay, until I tried to drive home. The car idled terribly and had no power. In checking the problem, I discovered
the spark plugs in the right bank looked fine, but the plugs in the left bank
were all sooty. I first replaced
the ignition condensers, but the engine ran as poorly as before. I then replaced the carburetor, which
made a significant difference.
At the Grand Classic in
Ellicott City, July, 2003.
The car was entered in the CCCA Grand Classic in Ellicott City, and I
ended up making two round trips to the host hotel. During one of these trips, the overdrive made a
“crunch-bang” noise and began to shift every time I asked it to. No, I don't know what happened, but I
ain't complaining.
September, 2003
We did a
fair bit of traveling this month.
First, the ’41 was entered in the Radnor Hunt Concours in suburban
Philadelphia. The following week,
we were off to Hickory, North Carolina for the LCOC Eastern National Meet.
Taken at the Radnor show (L), and at the LCOC Hickory meet
(R).
June, 2004
I received
a call in early June asking if I could provide some old cars for a fund raising
dinner for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation being held at the Glenview
mansion here in Rockville. This is
the first time I’ve ever had all three cars away from the house at one time.
July, 2004
I drove
the Continental over to the Eastern Shore to attend an RROC July 4th
party. In looking at the photo, I
sometimes forget just how good the car really looks.
There was a walking tour of Chestertown, during which it rained. Our tour guide asked if he could have
his picture taken in the car. Here
he is. On the way home, the
overdrive began to act up again.
Drat.
A week later, we were out again, to attend a local LCOC show
at Safford Lincoln-Mercury in Silver Spring.
June, 2005
I have not had the Continental out much the past few months. I had intended to drive her up to
Vermont for the LZOC meet this month, but the long-range weather forecast (hot,
muggy, rain, rain, rain) proved to be a powerful deterrent, and I drove
modern. We did get out for the
Chesapeake Bay Region, CCCA’s Coming-Out Party in June.
August, 2005
It looks like Baby will be very reluctantly be going to a new home. Details at Eleven.
May, 2006
Well, I was wrong. With the
impending purchase of the 1936 Lincoln, one of the existing toys had to
go. I was having a very hard time
in deciding whether to sell the Continental of the Packard, so I put both up
for sale. The Packard recently
went off to a new home, and I get to keep the Continental.
September, 2006
Vern Parker’s (no relation) annual ‘Out of the Past Revue’ was held over
Labor Day Weekend. Here we are at
the show and on the way home. The
cover is not on the spare tire because I had to obtain a new wheel, as one of
the old ones split on me a couple of months ago. The new wheel has been painted, but not striped, yet. I’m not going to put the cover back on
until it is…
