1949 Lincoln

Well, this weekend was rough, Staying up until nearly 3am after the countdown was a mistake. We were all tired, and just not feeling it. Some say the best way to start the new year is to skip the countdown, and turn in early. You wake up refreshed, and THAT is the way to start the new year, oh well. With that said, we still got some stuff done.

Giovanni was working on taking the old hydraulic cylinders out. To do this, had to remove the whole window assembly, which meant the whole frame and guide rail system came out too. We did crack the driver side rear window while trying to pull it out, who knows how much that’ll cost to get replaced! Since I’ve decided to wait until next winter to work on the power window system, We’ve just put the windows on the side, and worry about those next winter. Frankly, I like the look of the car without the top frame.

I did spray paint the door trim on the inside, it was rusted a bit, and I think it came out ok. If you look at it from a distance it looks great, from up close, not so much, oh well.

Liz was in the trunk working on the carpet padding, cutting it to size, and trying to figure out how to get it done. We had trouble with the wheel well, so we will just do the best we can.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to fit a radio, the stock location isn’t standard, and won’t fit a regular radio. I’ve ordered a 5.25 component set for the doors, and I’m working out how to get the 6.5 sub woofers into the kick panels with some fiber glassing, but I’m not sure I have the skill to do that. I’ve also considered building a center area under the dash, and over the drive train hump. It can house the 2 small bass drivers, as well as a din sized radio. However, I’m not a master wood worker either. We shall see which ends up happening.

It was a slow weekend, but, we’re happy with what we got done. Maybe next weekend we will have more energy to get the door panels done.

Christmas weekend we worked on making the various panels, kick panels, door panels, trunk rear panel and so on. Giovanni spent time in the trunk adding the sound deadening material. Arianna worked hard at cleaning the stains on the seats (they seem in good condition, and don’t want to replace.)

Liz worked on cleaning the rust off of the door sills, so we can try to save them, it was a rough process. Once the rust was mostly gone, I sprayed them with Rustoleum white paint, then black (so I make sure to get all of it, I contrasted the paints. Some of the sills were in really bad condition, so I hit them with plasti-dip in an effort to preserve what is left. Our neighbor Henry came by, and recommended using some clear silicone to fill the gaps, then repaint. I think I’m going to give that a try this week.

We finished one of the panels (for the back of the trunk) and I think it came out great for people who’ve never done this before. Giovanni finished the trunk, and we will pad it next, then carpet it. Arianna made great progress on the cleaning (there were a lot of stains, probably there for years) it’s hard work, but it’s coming around. A few extra pictures of the molded door panels we pulled from the car.

We’re hoping to have this car ready to drive by March, and it’s coming along, but there is a lot to do yet. I still have to figure out how to modify the seat so this fat guy can fit! We’ve decided to wait on figuring out the windows. We will be driving in good weather only anyway. It’s an expense that can wait. I’m going to try to get the window systems from a full sized car, like a Crown Victoria, and maybe use those in the car. Also have to figure out the radio, I’m having a hard time sourcing a vintage radio that will fit… I might just make a template with cardboard (as we’ve been doing for everything) and then cut out a malleable material to form it, and paint it to match.. or I will 3D print something, who knows.

We removed the door panels. We had to do this to remove and replace the Hydro-Electric windows. We are glad we did. Lots of what appears to be mold.

Our best guess is that this car’s interior was redone maybe 20+ years ago, and then sometime after that, it sat outside for a few years. UV damage, mold/water damage, and interior rust lead us to this conclusion.

We tried to take apart one of the panels. Not sure how we can rebuild the armrest in these panels, as they are built from metal and other materials. We will try to rebuild the best we can.

We used Rustoleum spray paint to paint the bare metal frame. We are hoping it prevents further rust from forming. I painted the interior and the trunk in white primer, then in black paint. I did this to create a contrast, so it’s easier for me to see that I have painted it all. I think it looks much better. I didn’t paint it to be pretty, simply to cover to bare metal.

Next up will be sound deadening material then padding and carpeting.

We stripped the benches out as well as the terrible carpet. We stripped everything to the metal in the vehicle as well as the trunk. A bit of rust evident. This vehicle has the Hydro-Electric windows, this was the first iteration of power windows available in cars. This was probably because old cars utilized 6v positive ground electrical systems, and they weren’t powerful enough. The power seat used this same system.

There are lines for the hydraulics in each window cavity as well as under the seat. This old system leaked… as they usually did. You can see some of this via the pictures. Next, we will have to do some sanding to get rid of this, and some de-greaser to get rid of the remnant hydraulic fluid.

We purchased this 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan on December1st 2020! We purchased from a nice guy from Fort Morgan. Mike was selling since he didn’t have time to work on it much, and was moving. We are hoping to redo the interior, and a few other items and enjoy this car for years to come. Thanks Mike! Also, thanks the Mike that came with me to help pick this car up!