I bought a thing.

by "RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
Published 06/19/2017 at 18:46

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STARS: 4

Ancient secrets of loony Ford things from 58 years ago within (paging Jarod Rose):

Even detail on windshield installation.

This is an original manual, and I found it for only $20 - a real bargain. It’s also available in reprint and on CD, but original is always more fun.

Replies (7)

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
06/19/2017 at 18:56, STARS: 0

I think I recognize the bench seat from the Green Hornet’s ride. Just needs the turntable.

"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
06/19/2017 at 19:03, STARS: 1

Well, given that the Imperials had a swivel seat option from ‘59 to ‘61 and the Green Hornet’s car is usually a ‘64 Imperial, it wasn’t that far from factory...

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
06/19/2017 at 19:25, STARS: 0

I cannot express to you how much I want that! It would be so useful!

"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
06/19/2017 at 19:36, STARS: 1

They’re still out there, and prices haven’t gone completely berserk on Imperials and Lincolns like they have on the Cadillacs. And, the Imperial and Lincoln both have bigger door openings than the Cadillac, as well as the Lincoln having a ludicrously low door sill. You may also notice that the Imperial steering wheel is ovaled, so it’s easier to slip under. If you ever find yourself in need of an 18'+ car, the accessibility is great, and hand controls wouldn’t be all that hard to set up...

Imagine, a car that’s sufficiently accessible *from factory*.

The Thunderbirds are also an interesting option, with buckets that could conceivably be turntabled by a customizer today, and were available in the early ‘60s with a swing-away steering wheel, which was also offered as a (very low take) option for the Galaxie in ‘63/’64.

"JR1" (type35bugatti)
06/19/2017 at 19:46, STARS: 0

OMG that is sweet. Where did you find one of those? I had no idea there was so much detail in the manual.

Think the different seats were for Continental and then the Continental’s little brothers?

"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
06/19/2017 at 20:00, STARS: 0

I got the idea to look for one after seeing how much detail was in my Ford one... which was in turn suggested to me by RockAuto and I picked up as kind of a “sure, why not”. Sort of a domino thing, and it’s a natural thing to have when doing any of the things I’ll be doing. This was on eBay, somebody just had one...

Guess what? It has unibody frame dimensions, so I can be sure everything is jacked and pushed to where it’s supposed to be. Worth. Every. Penny.

I haven’t read that far, but I assume the four-ways were the Capri/Premiere standard and the six-ways were the Continental standard/Lincoln upgrade. It looks like the “six way” seat is actually kind of an eight way seat, because the normal seat has forward/back + back tilt, and the upgraded seat actually has height adjust to the front and back edges of the cushion, independently. Unimaginably luxurious.

This manual even has full trans linkage adjustment information, A/C system maintenance(!) and breakdown of the brake booster - though it doesn’t go quite as crazy on transmission rework as the ‘63 Ford manual. That part’s okay, though, since I have a full ‘58 Ford Cruise O Matic trans manual that covers it...

"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
06/19/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 0

It’s funny to think that the era with the most accessible cars for disabled drivers was probably that 50s to 60s period, when there were very few disabled people with enough independence and mobility to make use of the cars. You could still get huge coupes in the 70s and 80s, and that was the era car one looked for when I was coming up, if you didn’t want a van. But, they didn’t have cool options like those swivel seats by then. You can have one now, but as an expensive conversion on a van.

I would love to have a 60s Imperial or Lincoln for Sunday drives, just like my parents used to do with us in the 65 Cutlass convertible. What a treat that would be!