Paul LeClair newest project July 2023

Paul LeClair

Paul LeClair

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Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
so I couldn't find any Laverda's to rebuild...... when I am desperate for my next project, this is what happens, bloody hell.......:eek::oops::rolleyes:

a "barn find", sitting with stale fuel, flat tires and dead battery for roughly 6 years in a wooden farm building outside Calgary. Thankfully covered by a car cover but presently in as found condition with original farm dust and dirt.

1979 Lincoln Mark V 2 door coupe "Collectors Series". Last year and last production of the biggest and most heavily optioned and most luxurious of the American land yachts. 19.5 feet long, monster V8 producing a massive 160 hp slowly propelling almost 5,000 pounds of metal floating down the road. Interior upholstery and carpet so ridiculously plush the car had to be de-optioned when ordered to downgrade to leather, but this one does not have the lowly leather. Gold grill and hood ornament. Trunk space measured in how many dead bodies can be accommodated. Hilarious. Original paint, rust free, mint interior (once I chase the mice nests out of the air vents) I have been wearing a spray-painting mask with filters for the initial interior and vents cleaning. Then I will run an ozone generator in the car with all windows closed for a day or two.

some info here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Continental_Mark_V

I hope it will be straightforward to get running, we'll see. Does not fit inside my garage, barely fits in my driveway. :rolleyes: ;) :eek: The age old story - "running when parked". This should be interesting. Not sure what I will do with it once completed.
 

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Wearing a respirator, I blew out the air vents and interior blower fan with 150 psi air. A couple of very lively startled mice and a lot of mouse nesting came flying out, the mice went scampering off down the driveway. Country mice now city mice...:sneaky::sick: I then stuck a vacuum up all the vents but going to take the blower motor and ducting out and clean and sterilize before ever turning on the interior fan.

about 12 hours to get the Lincoln running after 6 years in storage. Oil and filter change. New battery. Drain and flush fuel tank. Blow out fuel lines. New fuel pump. Prime fuel lines and new fuel filter. Remove carb, strip, run through the ultrasonic for an hour, reassemble. Topped up coolant. Fired right up, idles well, let it warm up and took it for a drive (wearing my respirator, may have looked a bit odd to the neighbours), drives well in the neighborhood, like piloting a large boat. Then gave it a bath. The original paint is in remarkably excellent condition, and very shiny, have not clayed, polished, or ceramic coated yet, there is an exceptionally large surface area to be done.......

tomorrow (Sunday) will be deep interior clean including vacuuming, then carpet and upholstery deep cleaning with Bissel Big Green Machine. https://canada.bissell.com/big-green-machine-professional-carpet-cleaner-86T3C.html Got to get rid of any remaining vestiges of former mouse presence so I can stop wearing my heavy-duty filtration mask in the car.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

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Wow, 160HP (Specs say 159 - you were exaggerating!) from a 400 cubic inch (6.6 litre) V8. I think that's what you call an under-stressed engine. In a 2 tonne car, it must be a bit of a slug on the road but should run forever. Congratulations on acquiring such a sporty coupe.
If the upholstery "downgrade" is leather, what's the normal spec? Is it harp seal hide with mink trim?

My 1976 (3 years earlier than your Lincoln) Datsun 260Z makes 165HP from its 2.6 litre straight-6 engine, and I thought that was a pretty lazy engine. (BTW, the Datto is for sale on Carsales if anyone is interested)

Red's Laverda race bikes aren't far behind that HP figure. How's that for keeping it Laverda-related? :)
 
rowdypat said:
I love it 😍
More photos please.
A cassette player was available as a delete option!
Click to expand...

We were clearing out some stuff from inside the TV cabinet. Pulled out a box of cassettes, and the early 20’s daughter asked what the hell they were.

When I told her they were music cassettes she grabbed one, turned it around, upside down and shrugged her shoulders.

Rolled her eyes 🙄

“You’re so full of shit dad”
 
chrisk said:
We were clearing out some stuff from inside the TV cabinet. Pulled out a box of cassettes, and the early 20’s daughter asked what the hell they were.

When I told her they were music cassettes she grabbed one, turned it around, upside down and shrugged her shoulders.

Rolled her eyes 🙄

“You’re so full of shit dad”
Click to expand...
Ahhh cassettes were shit when they were new, don’t beat yourself up. So long as they know what vinyl is then you’ve done enough 👍
 
Excellent, Paul. Right up your street, you crazy person. I would expect nothing less from you :)

Have fun!

(It IS freakin' enormous ... White wall tires, too. Mais quelle classe!)
 
Looks like a fairly simple rescue! I would recommend Dramamine for the first few outings until you get your sea legs. The rated horsepower figures are offset by the massive rotating mass to produce diesel like torque without the smell or economy of an actual diesel.
 
My Dad had a 1969 MKIII that I drove a few times. It needed an lsd in the rear, hard acceleration just spun one rear tire trying to get all that mass moving. Not the point I know, but I was still a teenager!
 
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Since you love to improve your vehicles, you should look into pulling off the smog carburetor and replacing it with a fuel injection kit. The 400 was a low compression engine that was further strangled trying to meet emissions rules. Just getting rid of the carb for EFI would probably improve emissions and mileage as well as drivability. Holley probably make a direct bolt-on for the various FE engines.
 
Alzero said:
Since you love to improve your vehicles, you should look into pulling off the smog carburetor and replacing it with a fuel injection kit. The 400 was a low compression engine that was further strangled trying to meet emissions rules. Just getting rid of the carb for EFI would probably improve emissions and mileage as well as drivability. Holley probably make a direct bolt-on for the various FE engines.
Click to expand...
already looked, good suggestion. A little spendy, going to sort anything else and put some miles on the car first. Likely the Holley Sniper for the 2 barrel, https://www.holley.com/products/fue...niper_1-_and_2-barrel_systems/sniper_efi_2gc/

or Summit Racing carries a 4 barrel intake manifold for the 400M engine, also a bit spendy, then add a 4 barrel carb or a Holley Sniper for the 4 barrel manifold..

big low horsepower high torque motor that gets dismal fuel mileage. Not sure I want it swilling even more fuel :eek: but will look at it if more efficient. Car runs well as it is, for now.

Just put in a large Rock Auto order, belts, brakes, brake lines, rad hoses, blower motor, spark plugs, filters, etc., etc.. Will sort the basics first. Also ordered from an online vendor a CD of the entire factory service manual, thousands of pages.

I tried to get the car into the garage today, almost made it.... if I clear everything off the back wall of the garage, I can probably get it the rest of the way in and the door closed behind it, barely.
 

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Hi Paul, what you have there is a land yacht and one of the biggest two-door sport coupes ever made. My ex-father-in-law drove one, it had great AC, 4 ashtrays, and no cup holders. Floated like a boat, sucked petrol like it was 60 cents a gallon, oh wait it was 60 cents, wouldn't stop, but cruised through the desert to Vegas without feeling a ripple in the roads. You could turn the steering wheel lock to lock with your little finger, and power everything in 79, wow, who needs a van with a trunk like that? Great desert car, a very cool ride, are you sure you didn't bring it back from Palm Springs?
Great Air Con.:eek::cool:(y)
 
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