Originally published in the May-June 2009  (# 288) issue of Lincoln & Continental Comments magazine.
Photos by John Walcek and Tim Howley

Eight Continental Mark IIs were entered at the 2008 Western National Meet in Irvine, California, in October, 2008, which has to be a record for Mark IIs at any national meet in recent years and may be an all time record.

Doctor Richard and Carolyn Gray, Tiburon, California, entered a Naiad Green (light green) 1956 Mark II. They purchased the car in 1989 in Riverside from the widow of the original owner. The car was originally purchased in Lodi, California. The original owner was a general doctor in Lodi who went on to become a radiologist training in Portland, Oregon, and stayed on in Portland after his training. Within a few years he became very well known and invented the heart catherization technique used today by cardiologists worldwide in doing angeograms for coronary artery blockage. He invented the catherators that are still used today and they bear his name, Melvin Judkins. Since Richard Gray is a cardiologist he has a special interest in the car. In about 1970, Dr. Jenkins moved back to Loma Linda where he had gone to medical school and became a professor there. When the Grays bought the car it had not been running in many years and the last license on it was Oregon in 1973. The car now has 76,000 miles.

Dr. Richard and Carolyn Gray with their 1956 Continental Mark II

Recently, the Grays had the car dismantled and the paint totally stripped. After extensive body preparation the car was repainted to the original color. The interior, including the carpet, is still original as is most of the trim. Only the bumpers were replated. The engine has been out of the car three times. The valves, rings, and bearings were replaced but the cylinders were not rebored. Every time the engine went back in something else wrong was found. By the way, on these cars you have to remove both the engine and transmission together. Even after the Irvine Meet the transmission required more work, but at last everything is working now and the car is magnificent.

Tom Spiel with his 1957 Continental Mark II

Tom Spiel from Riverside entered a 1957 Mark II that was originally owned by Mike Todd and was featured in Lincoln and Continental Comments #275. It is serial number C56T3978 and was approximately the 11th from the last Mark II built and was probably built in August, 1957. The body color is Lucite Medium Grey Iridescent with a special deep red interior. Tom bought the car in very rough condition in 1969, had the car restored in 1971, and then re-restored in 1998. This second restoration took two years with Tom’s restorer Robbie Rash working on it full time. The car won a Lincoln Trophy in Irvine. Tom also owns a gold Mark II which was not shown in Irvine.

Norm Hoskins with his 1956 Continental Mark II

Norm and Nancy Hoskins, Yorba Linda, California, entered a 1956 Continental Mark II that was built August 13, 1955, making it, Norm believes, the 175th Mark II built. The color is Briar Brown Iridescent, a deep bronze metallic. It was originally sold to a Doctor Robert Engler in Helena, Montana. The doctor owned the car for many years, then sold it to somebody in Orange County. A speculator bought it from him and Norm bought the car from the speculator. When Norm bought the car it had the original paint, chrome, and tom upholstery. Norm took the car all the way down to the frame which is no easy task on a Mark II. Everything has been rebuilt including the engine and transmission. The restoration took 28 months. The odometer now shows 24,000 miles, which Norm believes to be 124,000. Norm is Director of the Western Region.

U.S. Congressman John Campbell with his 1956 Continental Mark II

U.S. Congressman John Campbell from the 48th District in California entered a 1956 Continental Mark II serial number C56C2516. He writes the following about the car.

“I have conflicting information on the original selling dealer and owner of the car. The Biche family, William and Mark, who owned the car for nearly 20 years from 1978 until 2006, say that the car was built on Jan 23, 1956 and was shipped to Harris Miller Lincoln-Mercury in the Bronx, New York, for delivery to its first owner Michael Swartz. This information was apparently obtained from The Continental Mark II Encyclopedia. However, I recently obtained the car’s production order from the Henry Ford Museum (through the ad in Lincoln and Continental Comments) and it shows the car as having been shipped to L&M Motor Sales in Glen Cove, New York, for delivery under a customer order from Mario Giardino. I’m not sure which is correct although I suspect the museum information is more reliable. I would think that 1/23/56 would be too early a build date for car #2516.

Admiring Campbell’s engine compartment.

Anyway, the car was clearly originally purchased in New York state. The second owner is unknown after which the car apparently came into the possession of one Ralph Ruoff in Rochester, New York, around 1975. William Biche (who I believe was director of a Lincoln and Continental Owners Club region on the east coast) purchased the car on 10/25/78 for $3,500. He proceeded to do a frame off restoration (done between 1994 and 1999) and the car won LCOC primary, senior, and William Clay Ford Trophy awards in 1999 and 2000. The Biche’s did not drive the car much according to their records. They only put 1,029 miles on the car between 1978 and when I bought it in May of 2008. That’s only 34 miles per year! I have already put another thousand miles on it in less than one year in my ownership. The car now has just over 65,000 original miles. I purchased the car from a dealer, Hyman Ltd., in St. Louis, Missouri. My understanding is that my purchase was the car’s first trip west of the Mississippi.

Diane and Keith Johnson with their 1956 Continental Mark II Parade Car.

Because the restoration now has a few years on it, and because the car had not been driven much in 30 years, I am in the process of freshening the restoration and doing a complete run through of all mechanicals, which need quite a bit of work, to make the car one I can drive and enjoy frequently and reliably.

The car is Cobalt Blue Iridescent Deep Blue (Code 02) with Light Blue Biscuits and Medium Blue Bolsters (Code 1A1A). Biche’s information is that there were only 124 cars built with this exterior color, 31 with this exterior/interior combination, and 16 identical to this one (no A/C or bumper guards).

John Boccardo’s 1956 Continental Mark II.

I have loved Mark IIs since I was a little kid and have always considered them a timeless and iconic design. Before entering politics, I was in the car dealership business for 25 years and was a Lincoln-Mercury dealer in Anaheim, California, for a short time in the early 1990s. I look forward to many years with the LCOC and this car!”

Keith and Diane Johnson’s Cobalt Blue Iridescent 1956 convertible is not really a convertible. It is a parade car made from a parts car that at one time was owned by the late Charles Faye. The roof was badly rotted because there had been a vinyl top. So Keith cut off the top. The car was very good mechanically but everything was gone through. The interior is all vinyl. Keith owns an auto body shop and lives in Calabasas, California.

David Sutliff’s 1956 Continental Mark II.

John Boccardo, Palm Springs, California, who entered a Medium Gray 1956 Continental Mark II at Irvine was unavailable to tell us about the car. David Sutliff, Burley, Idaho, entered a White Lucite 1956 Continental Mark II. His story could not be completed by the time of publication. Christopher Cimarusti, Manalapan, New Jersey, who entered a black 1956 Mark II at Irvine, has written a separate story about his car.

Originally published in the May-June 2009  (# 288) issue of Lincoln & Continental Comments magazine.

ABOVE: 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible with Twenties Visible Style Pump

ABOVE: Cars are still the mainstay of the collection.  Above is a 1951 Mercury Monterey Coupe.

ABOVE: A 1931 Model A Ford Victoria

The pumps in the Astor collection are primarily from the 1930-1960 era. The year 1930 saw the introduction of metered pumps. At last the motorist had something new to watch besides the rise and fall of the level of gasoline in the glass cylinder. Now he could watch the hands of a clock, the hour hand ticking off the gallons and the minute hand the fractions of gallons. Still the attendant had to sell the customer gas in gallons, then compute the price from a card plainly displayed on the pump. Finally, in 1933, the Wayne Company introduced its “Head for Figures”, an intricate clockwork of gears which computed not only gallons but the cost of each 1/10th of a gallon. At last gas could be sold by the dollar’s worth rather than by the gallon. Pumps got smaller and less ornate, but the globes remained for years. The Art Astor collection has pumps of every description from this era.

Hand and hand with pumps go the old time gas pump globes. They were always milk glass. Gilbert and Barker introduced the first globes in 1912 on top of the newest five-gallon hand pumps. The electric globe was the only thing electric on the pump. The purpose of the globes was to serve as a beacon for the traveler after dark and to aid the attendant in dispensing gasoline at night. The beacon also meant that the station was open at night.

The first globes were round and quite small. They looked like the old time globes at each end of the police department’s sergeant’s desk down at city hall. Later, they were circular and convex on each side. The earliest ones merely carried the words “Gasolene” or ’ ’Filtered Gasolene”. The “e” changed to “i” after World War I. In the twenties the globes carried the brand name and symbol.

In the twenties globe makers got the idea of encasing two convex glass plates in a steel frame. By the fifties the glass plates were replaced with plastic. Eventually, the expensive globes were replaced simply with lights atop the more modem pumps.

One of the most sought after globes today is Standard of Indiana’s Red, Blue, and White Crown formed in the shape of a regal crown. But it was far from the rarest. Over the years there were some 900 different brands of gasoline and every one had its own globe.

ABOVE: 1954 Philco Predicta Television Set

ABOVE:  Thirties Console Radio

ABOVE:  Collection of old time radio microphones.

ABOVE: Early telephones in the Art Astor Collection.

ABOVE: Early small screen table model television sets.

ABOVE: 1939 RCA Nine-Inch Console Television Set with radio.

ABOVE: Lesley’s 1959 Lincoln Premiere Landau bought from the estate of the original owner.  It runs and drives.

Originally published in the July-August 2002 (# 247) issue of Lincoln & Continental Comments magazine.

The largest known collection of 1958-60 Lincolns and Lincoln Continentals belongs to LCOC members Hugh and Joyce Lesley, Oxford, Pennsylvania.

While the Lesleys own only two 1958 Lincolns and no 1958 Lincoln Continental Mark Ills, they own 13 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark I Vs and one 1959 Lincoln, 15 1960 Lincoln Continentals and 10 1960 Lincoln Premieres and Lincolns, for a total of 41 Lincoln Continentals and Lincoln Premieres, Capris and Lincolns from the 1958-60 era. In addition, they own 232 other Lincolns from the 50s, 60s and 70s, mostly the 60s and 70s. They own 126 Mercurys from 1939 to 1979, 156 1958-60 Edsels, 38 Fords from 1940 to 1986, and four Thunderbirds from the 1968-70 era. One of the Mercurys is a 1979 Hearse in Robin’s Egg Blue. The 1940 Ford is Hugh Lesley’s first car which he bought when he was only 16 years old. He has been across the U.S. twice in this car. Hugh Lesley writes “ I didn’t realize I had this many cars until I took inventory for Continental Comments.” A few years ago he sold a 1958 Lincoln which someone had customized into a four-door convertible many years ago.

The Lesleys do not hold a record for the number of Lincolns owned by one per son or family. That record still belongs to the late J.C. Daniels with his 450 Lincolns in Pampas, Texas, and as far as we know that collection still has not been sold. But the Lesleys well may hold the record for the largest number of Ford built cars owned by anyone in LCOC. Bert Huffman holds the record for the largest number of HV-12s owned by any LCOC member. We will all get a chance to see Bert’s collection at the 2003 Eastern National Meet in Hickory, North Carolina.

1958-60 Lincolns are definitely on the increase at our national meets. No less than five convertibles from this era were entered at the 2002 Eastern National Meet in Nashville, Tennessee.

BELOW: The Lesley’s former 1958 Lincoln customized to be a four-door convertible.

Originally published in the September-October 2019 (# 350) issue of Lincoln & Continental Comments magazine.

By George Masters

For those of you that are veterans and remember the old smoke break term, “If you got ’em, light ’em up”, I now refer to our classic  cars, and the emphasis here is “cars,” plural.

We recently took in a car that has been in this guy’s garage since 1998. He hasn’t started it nor has he driven this car since the bodywork, wiring, and paint were completed back then. It just sat in his garage needing the finishing touches done. I’d ask him every year or so, “How’s the car coming along?” He’d always shake his head and smile. Well, last April, I asked him that question, and surprisingly, he told me that he was ready to move onto the next step, which was getting the interior done. To secure the deal, I told him I would need $1,000 down, and then I could get it into the upholsterer’s schedule. Sure enough, the deal was struck and  scheduled for late summer 2019. I insisted that it be ready and running. “No problem,” he said. “I’ll have some of my buddies get it running.” Well, long story short, when we went to pick up the car, it would not start, so I got the truck and trailer and hauled it to my shop. Since it was not running, we took the bowl off the carburetor and guess what? There was sludge and gunk in the bowl. This was just the beginning. We wound up pulling the fuel tank, replacing the sending unit, cleaning out the fuel line, replacing the fuel pump, changing the fuel filter, and even buying a new carburetor. Then it was running!

My point is, why do we have these cars? Why do we have one, or two or more cars? Is it the prestige of being able to tell our friends which cars we own? Is it for the investment? Are we saving them for our children or grandchildren?

I have another story. My buddy had a beautiful car which he babied, washed often, waxed regularly, and generally treated it like a king would. He decided to buy a newer one and took his “Pride and Joy” to the dealer where he traded it. After we unloaded it, the car sat outside on the lot for three weeks exposed to the elements. Did he enjoy his ownership? Well, I’m sure he did, but for whom did he save it? I know another fellow who also has a beautiful car, and it just sits. He doesn’t take it out but maybe once a year. If there are clouds in the sky, it stays in.

So, in summary, I’m asking you to think about why you own one or more collectible cars. They were made to be driven, so think about your beauties and, “if you got ’em, drive ’em’!”

George Masters is a member from Minot, N.D.

ABOVE: Dated August 9, 2940, this 1941 Lincoln V-12 engine is illustrative of the powerplant in the author’s Continental Coupe.  (Photo courtesy of Continental Comments # 95, Winter 1969.)

by Dr. Charles Burton
Submitted by Richard Koop

Originally published in the May-June 2020 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 354.)

Recently I had a near-catastrophic occurrence with my 1948 Mercury Convertible’s fuel system, which is very similar to my 1941 Lincoln Continental fuel system. One afternoon, I drove my car hard up the mile-long road to our home and parked it in the garage attached to the house. The next morning, my son come over for coffee, and after raising the garage door and coming into the kitchen, he said: “there is gasoline on the floor in the garage.” My reply was that “all old cars smelled after being driven.” He said, “no,” I went and looked, and there was a large puddle of gasoline that had flowed from the engine area out from under the car. There was a large freezer less than four feet from the pool. I opened the other garage door and turned on a fan to blow the fumes out of the garage. I then used paper towels to absorb the gas that was not under the car. Looking under the car, I did not see any gas dripping. I called my expert old car mechanic, and we agreed a carburetor leak would not have produced such a large amount of gas overnight. Looking in the engine compartment, there did not seem to be any evidence of a leak.

Because of the pooled gas under the car, the Mercury had to be moved outside. Using a heavy rope attached to my truck, I pulled it out into the driveway. Since the driveway is up a hill out of the garage and with the front of the car pointed downhill, gas started dripping from around the engine oil pan onto the pavement. I put a container under the engine and cleaned up the garage puddle. Inspection under the car revealed gas coming from the oil pan, where the oil tube attached. The gas was floating on top of the oil in the pan. The Mercury’s fuel pump is attached to the oil filler tube. It was clear that the rubber diaphragm inside the pump developed a tear. The auxiliary electric fuel pump had helped force gas into the oil filler tube and then into the engine. I have used non-ethanol gasoline since I’ve owned the car, but the previous owner had used ethanol gas, which is destructive to older rubber products. Our Lincoln’s stock V-12s don’t have an oil stick, and gasoline in the crankcase cannot leak out. However, some owners have converted their cars to Ford V-8s, so this is a genuine possibility for them.

My expert mechanic had an engine explode and burn. A similar scenario that caused that disaster had also happened in my Mercury. A new mechanical fuel pump should be rebuilt with ethanol-resistant components. You may reduce your chances of a catastrophe by using only the electric fuel pump and bypassing the original one. If you continue to use the mechanical pump, replace it if you have used ethanol gasoline. Turn off the auxiliary electric fuel pump when not needed, and pray this will not happen to you and your car. I am blessed I did not lose two vehicles and my home.

ABOVE: A 1947 Mercury Convertible Coupe, similar to the author’s 1948 model.  (From The Old Car Manual Project.)

Dr. Burton is a retired 83-year-old surgeon from Macon, Ga. who practiced for 40 years. The 1941 Lincoln Continental was his dream and he purchased it in the 1970s from the original owner’s family.

by Charles Clark

Originally published in the May-June 2020 issue of Continental Comments (Issue # 354.)

Among old car aficionados who do restorations, there is a tug-of-war that goes on. Pulling in one direction are the purists who strive to make the car exactly as it came out of the factory. They obsess not only over “matching numbers”, but also over inspection paint marks on the frame. Those details have nothing to do with how the car runs. Instead, it has to do with the compulsive nature of the restorer. They insist on a level of perfection, which, in a lot of cases, never existed. Corvette restorers perhaps epitomize that approach. On the opposite end of the spectrum are those who seek to “upgrade” the car by modernizing various systems, such as engine carburetion and brakes. At the far end of this spectrum, we have the “restomod” where only the body is saved, and almost everything else is replaced with modern systems.

Our local LCOC region has members of each type, but the emphasis seems to be more on preserving and driving the car while having some personal enjoyment with it. I have engaged in both aspects of the hobby. With my 1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Continental Cabriolet (whew), I strived to do an exact restoration. Why else would I pay $500 for an air cleaner or $300 for an original taillight, and let’s not even talk about the NOS steering wheel? My goal was to make the car just like it came off the showroom floor. But this is 2020, not 1940 and things have changed. Thanks to our beloved “corn gas” and its ten percent alcohol content, if you want to drive the car
here in the Centennial State on a hot day at this altitude, it is essential that you have either an auxiliary electric fuel pump or good hiking shoes when the car vapor locks. Unless the car is to be a permanent resident at the Forney Transportation Museum in Denver, Colo, it must have the electric pump. Otherwise, the Lincoln is as close as I can make it to factory original.

The Continental is, therefore, in line with the stated purpose of the LCOC, which is to preserve the various Lincoln and Continental models. The emphasis is on exact restoration with judging and awards that foster this end. I am proud to say I have received some of those awards, even though I had to take some liberties by making modifications for the sake of practicality.

My 1940 Ford Coupe is at the other end of the spectrum. It looks original, but it has a modern overhead-valve, fuel-injected engine, power disk brakes, independent front suspension and a nine-inch rear-end, plus air conditioning. It is not quite a “restomod,” but it certainly is a “hot rod.” It required special skills beyond my ability to build each car. Machining the engines, painting and upholstery are tasks that require craftsmen regardless of your objective for the final restoration.

I have become heavily involved with carburetion in both “restored” and “upgraded” cars. I use the word “carburetion” in its most basic definition, which is the mixture of air and fuel to provide an optimally combustible vapor. Once the mechanics of the engine have been established, such as bore and stroke, camshaft profile and valve train, there is only ignition timing and carburetion left to determine the ultimate performance of the engine. The design approach to carburetion will have a significant effect on the performance of a car. It took me many years to study and to practice how to carburete an engine optimally. I am still learning.

The “old school” way to carburete a car is to use what we commonly call a “carburetor,” or just carb for short. The “new school” way is to use electronically controlled fuel injection (FI). What may not be obvious is while they both do the same thing, they do it by different methods. A “throttle body” style of FI presents an appearance very similar to a carb.

Why the change? To make the carb engine run at high altitudes here in Colorado, you need to change jets and metering rods. This requires mechanical assembly and some trial and error with replacement parts to get the car to run optimally. You also have to set a fussy thermostatic spring choke to get it to start and run when cold. There is also a power pump and fuel bowl needle valves, which need attention. Fuel starvation due to vapor lock is a common problem.

With FI, you have to make changes to the fuel pump and plug in some new sensors to measure engine performance. Once that is done, a computer takes over and provides the exact amount of fuel the engine requires based on what the sensors measure. There is nothing to change or to adjust with temperature or altitude.

For a judged show car, you want to keep the carbs. For a more regular driver, there is a good argument to convert to fuel injection. The issue then is not so much old school versus new school, but rather what your expectations are for the driving experience with the car and how dedicated you are to the exactness of restoration. That said, be prepared for controversy as “old school” aficionados do not give in to “new school” easily. In fact, they never give in!