1955 Lincoln V-8 Powered: 1946 Lincoln Continental
Have you ever owned a great car with a lousy engine? Did you ever wish that you could transplant a much better motor into the engine bay and chuck the old one off a bridge? That seems to be the scenario that resulted in the repowering of this 1946 Lincoln Continental for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Knoxville, Indiana. This big, ponderous Lincoln is advertised as original and runs well enough to get it on a trailer. Carefully, mind you, as the brakes aren’t very good at slowing forward motion. What is interesting about this big black Lincoln is the 1955 Lincoln V-8 nestled under the hood. Do you think that the engine transplant is a drag on the price of this full CCCA Classic, or does a reliable engine enhance the value of this luxury barge? Is the $10,000 asking price reasonable for such a car? Thanks to T.J. for this interesting find!
While Edsel Ford’s first-generation Lincoln Continental is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful automobiles ever built, the 1941 styling refresh was, to put it gently, an ugly duckling in the eyes of many. The gracefully flowing lines from the original Lincoln Zephyr had morphed into a ponderously styled car that somehow managed to eliminate every positive aspect of a legendary design. Another issue was with the V8-60-based V-12 engine under the hood. Underpowered and prone to overheating, the engine’s shenanigans were barely tolerable in the 1939-1941 cars, but the added weight of the 1942-1948 versions only added to the car’s woes. It wasn’t long before owners were looking for a powerplant transplant to add horsepower and improve reliability. These transplants largely happened when these Continentals hit the used car market.
The aforementioned styling update happened in 1942, but only 334 Continental coupes and convertibles were built before production ended due to World War II. There were changes in the engine to provide more horsepower and the radiator was also thicker to counteract some of the cooling issues. These were the automotive equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. Compared to the powerplants offered by Packard and Cadillac, the little V-12 was outclassed in every way. Despite its shortcomings, it was offered until 1948 in Lincolns across the board. It ended up being the last domestic V-12 produced for automobiles.
The Lincoln you see here is one of the immediate postwar models made in 1946. There were minor changes from the 1942 model, mainly a different grille and some updated trim. Nearly every automaker rushed to put their 1942 models back into production when the war ended rather abruptly. Lincoln was no exception to this, and the Continental remained in production until 1948 with minor changes. While we aren’t told much about this car, the seller’s claim that it has all original parts might be true. However, it seems to present more as a car that has been restored to a certain extent. The paint and exterior all look to be done within the last quarter century or so.
Perhaps some of the damage we see is a result of poor storage. It is hard to believe that the picture above shows the interior that the car left the factory with. This may not be the original material at all. Perhaps we have a reader who is an expert in these Lincolns who can chime in with their opinion in the comments. One piece of information that the owner discloses is that the windows do not roll up. That is because these cars came equipped with hydraulic window lifts run by a pump run by the engine. Perhaps the system has leaked down over the years. Or the pump never got attached to the newer engine. At the very least, the new owner should install new hoses before trying to make any repairs. Hydraulic fluid from a burst hose is not fun to clean up.
Another curious condition you can see in the pictures is that there are numerous water stains in the upholstery. The hardest ones to figure out are in the headliner. I can understand how leaking seals around the windows can facilitate water stains in the upholstery. However, how does one get the headliner wet in a hard-top car?
Finally, we come to the engine. In 1952, Lincoln began offering its version of what became known as the Y-block. If the 1955 origin is correct, then this is a 341 cubic-inch engine. That year, it put out 225 horsepower and 332 ft. lbs. of torque. This would have been a measurable improvement over the earlier V-12. There is no mention of any enhancements to the cooling system, or if the car still retains its original transmission. We can see that somewhere down the line a newer carburetor and an alternator were added.
The curious thing about the 1942-1948 Continentals is that they seem to be very plentiful on the classic car market. We have featured many of these cars on Barn Finds over the last decade, and the prices on them have always been what you would consider reasonable. Nearly all of that has to do with the ponderous styling, as they are basically the same car as the more valuable 1939-1941 models. Regardless, they too are considered classics with the Classic Car Club of America. While they are not the cars that the K model Lincolns were, the luxury market had changed by 1940 to a point where custom bodies were going the way of the dodo bird and the passenger pigeon. Even luxury cars would be mass-produced from this point and use mainly off-the-shelf parts and pieces.
If you are a fan of these Continentals, then this repowered Lincoln may be one you can drive and enjoy. With any engine conversion, there were surely bugs that had to be worked out. Or those bugs never got worked out and the car was unceremoniously parked. This is one of those cars that you wish came with a story. Regardless, someone may get a good driver with a solid body out of this deal. Having a later-model engine probably doesn’t hurt the value much. You just won’t want to open the hood at any CCCA meets or tours.
Do you think the later Lincoln engine detracts from the value of this car? Would you rather have the big V-8 anyway? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Comments
They shoulda threw the ford stuff in the bin and put a 350 in there.
No sir. That’s even worse than saying LS. Plenty of Ford engines and possibly a gen 3 Hemi. Just say no to the C word
I say get a Ford V10 out of a Super Duty truck. Now you’re rolling.
Ok I’ll go with that, how would you like a 351 clevo in a Vette????
It would be a far superior Vette.
I like the smell of what you’re stepping in. We need more 351 Clevelands in contemporary (C3) Corvettes
The ad says automatic trans., so maybe it got the whole ’55 setup. Could you even get a ’46 Lincoln with an auto. trans? I know early 50’s Lincolns used G.M. Hydramatics. It looks like it was converted to a 12V system. You have to wonder how much there is to sort out. And you want to make to replace those hydraulic lines. Many years ago a friend’s father had ’53 Cadillac convertible that popped a line when raising the top. Everything went down windows and all. He fixed the line but could never get the smell out.
What was the seller thinking with that Mickey Mouse sized air cleaner?
I saw one with, of all things, a 440 from a wrecked police car! It was in a used car lot in my hometown that I’d
pass by nearly every day. Seems that the guy who started this project was
gonna make a street rod out of it. What else was he gonna do? By 1978, a lot of those cars already went
to the crusher for lack of parts and
resources. I do recall that a lot of
Zephyr owners ditched the V-12 in
favor of whatever available V-8 they
could get at the time. As for the hydraulic windows, replace them with
either crank of electric lifts and you’ll
come out far ahead of the game. Nice car. Hope it finds a good home.
The front of this car always reminded me of that guy that could hold 3 billiard balls in his mouth. Everything about this car reeks of excess. I read, this car cost a whopping $4475, which made it the most expensive US car made at the time. I thought the V12 was an outstanding motor, but costly to repair, and this motor was an acceptable replacement. The reason we so many of the few that were built, is they generally went to, um, respectable( rich) people, that didn’t drive them in the winter, or at all, and rarely were sold. The fact it’s “only” $10gs, and not sold, for this fantastic car, tells me buyers today don’t know their rear end from home plate. All denial aside, the hobby is going down, folks. It’s auction time again, this time from the “Circle”, and I was shocked at the”low” prices. For example, COPO Camaros will always bring 6 figures, but a really nice, spotless ’55 Dodge coupe, WITH a hemi, barely sold for $12,000. That’s the way it’s heading, like it or not.
@HoA
I say it’s about time. Not that the hobby is going down, but that prices are finally going back to being reasonable.
This went from a hobby for the love of cars to a business for the love of money.
Period.
As for these Lincolns, these are the best for restomodding. Drop a powerful V-8 in it, an auto trans, upgrade the cooling, brakes to 4 wheel disc, voltage to 12, electrify the windows and top if it’s a vert, add door locks, directional signals, third brake light, electric wipers, LED lights, stereo, a/c, but keep it looking like a 48 Lincoln.
The hobby as you call it is not going down, you just spend too much time in front of the TV. Maybe you should build something or at least get your butt to a rod run.
The engine is in the car, should be a good driver, installation looks clean. Fix the interior and the broken stuff and hit the road. Enjoy it for what it is not what you think it should be.
THanks Bob Mess, I think this is quite a beauty, if one has the $$$ it could be a swell one to roll on nice sunny days. Could be at my age that my being sick of Japanese cars I love ours even more!
If this Continental was built early in the 1946 model year, it would have had a bored-out 306 cid version of the V-12. The resulting thin cylinder walls resulted in a high rejection rate at the plant and exacerbated overheating problems in the field. It was quickly abandoned and displacement returned to 292 cid. If this car was built with the 306, a transplant is almost to be expected.
Look up ugly and you will find a picture of this thing
Original listing pictures 8 9 and 10 appear to show a mice habitat. Pictures 8 and 9 show sagging and a hole. Picture 10 shows what appears to be a piece of white paper that was chewed on and now appears to have small black grains of rice, a.k.a. mice poop. Small pile of insulation in corner. Probably went through trunk into headliner.
The mysterious staining on the headliner is caused by condensation. My Father in Law owned the twin to this car back in the day-except it had a Ford FH V8. All show. No go.
This would be a nice clean up and drive car. Nice to see that it was repowered with a Lincoln engine. Should make a reliable, competent driver.
I don’t think so, most of the time, those stains were caused by smoking. My grandparents smoked like a Studebaker, and all their cars had those stains. Who knows how much 2nd hand smoked we took in?
The price was reduced to $6,000 USD.
I saw one of these recently online that had the roof line reprofiled to a fastback. It was on bring a trailer. It was fantastic and bought all kinds of money. Shame I live in new zealand or I would be very interested in a hot rod Lincoln.
I, for one, always like the ’46 – ’48, it is a BIG car, by today’s standards, the V 12 was always a problem, the exterior of this looks great. With strong shocks to offset the sway of the transverse leaf springs, front and rear, it would be OK, with a ’55 Ford automatic (3 speed) it ought to do well on the road. For $6,000 a great way into the hobby.
Good price for a good looking classic. It would not fit in my garage w the continental spare.
It’s fine. No one cares enough about these anymore to get their undies in a bunch about the later engine. Whatever cache they had in 1946 is gone. They were as ugly as Henry Ford’s soul and age hasn’t improved them. They aren’t a real fun to drive either. However there is always a place in this world for a big, black, heavy, formal coach that allows you to appear more important than you are.
what transmission is in the car? is it drivable? how much rust on body/frame? cash buyer ,tommyboy, 813-508-8757, thank you,ps does it have clean title? state?
I’m amazed at the negative comments directed at “rich” buyers of collector cars. Keep in mind there are a number of wealthy folks on this site, if large collector car collections are any indication. Frankly, the only “rich” folks I would disparage are those who (A) inherited their wealth and then (B) wasted it on wine, women and song. People who can afford pricey collector cars – even those which are overpriced – are at least keeping them from the crusher.
roger that kenn!