1966 coupe’ project by jaydee

By diyauto
( 1 )

3 minute(s) of a 34 minute read

6-14-2008

I'd like to think Scott & Steph were inspired by pics of the russet coupe' and by Jim Ayres, a man of discerning taste. 


Anyway, being the patron saint of all orphaned Lincolns, I knew this car had to be saved! A return trip to Auburn was made a few days after discovering the car languishing in that wet basement garage and a deal was struck. 


It was to be a simple 'clean and resell' vehicle, ya know... Just get it running and find someone to give it a good home. 



According to the build sheet, it was ordered with a black dash.



It took heavy scrubbing with CLR and such to clean that roof.





To cut through the mildew, I used mild bleach solution on all surfaces, Lexol leather cleaner, then conditioner, and 3 treatments of rinse n' vac on the carpets. Looked and smelled better, but the wet musty odor persisted.


6-15-2008


It wasn't long before the car and I bonded (ha, ha) and work proceeded on a restoration. 


The engine wouldn't start due to the distributor being installed backwards. Once the wires were rearranged, it ran, albeit rather roughly. 





Due to its long term damp storage, the interior was removed and all insulation materials pulled. 



Same with the trunk -- carpet, boards, and damping material stripped out.

All the metal was washed with strong bleach solution, then detergent, then lacquer thinner to cut oils.





This surprise was tucked beneath the leading edge of the carpet where it meets the dashboard. 

It brings to mind the 1955 Lincoln ad that said, "Look at the car and you know the man likes action!"



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