Quote:
Originally Posted by MagicRat
Nice cars!
I think those first Continentals were one of those rare cars which enthusiasts recognised as being a classic virtually as soon as they were replaced with a newer design.
Too bad so many had the V12 engine replaced with the flathead Mercury V8.
As I recall, that engine was 305 cubes, with (only) 110 hp, and had problems with wear and sludge directly related to poor crankcase ventilation.
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The V12 wasn't so bad, but it was basically just a flathead Ford with 50% more cylinders and power. Most of the problems arose when owners tried to drive them as they looked like they should be driven. And perhaps it was hard to turn down a challenge from a Cadillac Sixty Special or a supercharged 812 Cord. The Dearborn V12, originally made on a budget for the mid-price Zephyr line, was not the equal of the earlier KB Lincoln straight-eights for sustained high speed operation.
Some owners put Ford engines in, and maybe the reduced power caused them to change their driving habits. In the early fifties Cadillac OHV V8's were very popular transplants, and would really make the Connies fly. By the mid-sixties most enthusiast owners were putting V12s back in their cars. Modern lubricants, gaskets, belts/hoses, etc. and decades of accumulated assembly and maintenance knowledge has increased their longevity and reliability.