Lincoln in the Bushes

"JR1" (type35bugatti)
03/10/2014 at 11:30 • Filed to: Barn Find, Lincoln Capri, Oppositelock

In 1992 my family members stuck the biggest unibody car ever made in America in the back yard. Over the next 22 years mother nature slowly began to take back what is hers. The car in question is a 1959 Lincoln Capri. It has been left neglected for all my life and I just recently found out about it.

From 1958-1960 Lincoln lost 60 million dollars on the third generation Lincoln platform. Two problems helped the Capri and its unpopularity on the market. One of the main problems was the recession of the era and the cars high price. The public simply could not afford the car. Furthermore many people thought the car was too ugly. It was an unloved platform that today can be found in good running condition for 10,000 dollars. At almost 19ft long and over 5,000 pounds this land yacht floated down the highway with the grace and the ease to match anything from the era. Luxury was the Capri's forte and the interior has the dimensions of a limo. Unfortunately the Capri and its knight and shinning armor never arrived, until now.

I am fortunate enough to have a family that is willing to give me the title to the Lincoln free of charge. No strings attached, it is mine. Now the question arises what to do with it? I have already put in 5 hours worth of work just digging the Capri out of its slumber. The car is in pretty rough shape.

The interior is trashed almost beyond repair. As with everything however where there is a will there is a way. But I am not so sure I have the will or resources to fix this car to showroom condition. I have neither the money nor the time to make it a showroom car. There is always the option of perhaps making a rat rod out of it. Of course it would need new paint, interior, and windows. The mammoth cost to repair it is due to the mammoth size of the car. Maybe a rat rod doesn't need windows though? Anyway the chrome is nice and certain parts of the Capri is solid so maybe I could part the car out however that just seems sacrilegious.

The Lincoln Capri however has a secret. Under the hood lies a 430 cubic inch big block engine:

It doesn't seem to be in too bad of shape. There is a great possibility to tear out the engine and scrape the rest of the car and maybe build a rat rod. I have little money though so it would definitely have to be on the cheap and I would have to be liberal with the car I choose to rat rod it with. Maybe I could put the engine in a Mustang. Fingers crossed the block is not cracked.

It is really disappointing my family left an old American land yacht trashed in the yard. It would be a fine classic today if they had simply taken car of it. With a bit of luck I will be able to get this basket case at least out of the weeds. An old Lincoln Capri is certainly worth saving.

What is the Oppo opinion on what I should do with it? Remember I am a poor college student. Thanks for reading and happy driving everyone!

TLDR: I got this basket case and have no idea what to do with is. The engine is a 430. Thoughts??

DISCUSSION (38)

puddler > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:32

awesome! fix it, but don't paint it.

if you can't fix it, drag it down here, i'll fix it.

EL_ULY > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:33

dude that is awesome. Ask your parents if they can hold on to it for a little bit. That car is beyond epic!!!

505Turbeaux > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:34

it doesnt look too bad at all. Mostly complete. Patina for days. Like puddler said, dont paint it. What state are you in, Ohio? In Maine that thing would be so rusted to all hell

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:37

that is a pretty awesome car man. I'm sure there's some parts out there to make that engine ROAR.

If I can give one word of advice, it's to concern yourself with that glass. The windshield and rear window are impossible to replace, or just cost a million bucks. My go to advice on classic cars is if the glass has a hard curve in it (see back window of this lincoln) it's a fortune or not replaceable. DO NOT BREAK IT.

Step one if you want to save it is to clean out the gas tank and fuel lines

step two is to start up dat old engine with some engine primer

step three is to check on those brakes so you don't die when you put in drive lol.

Good luck and save this old beauty! If you decide to rip the engine and drop into something else, a TBird prolly has a better chance of fitting a big block than a fox body would.

quarterlifecrisis > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:37

If you don't paint it...do clean it. Mildew and mold aren't cool, patina is, but dirt isn't.

JGrabowMSt > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:37

Kinja'd!!!

First, remove Decepticon.

Then simplify + add lightness.

Profit?

I would bring that thing back to life and leave it exactly as it is, just clean it, re-upholster it, and enjoy it. It may not be the most desirable thing, but it's whatever you want it to be. If I had a chance to do this kind of thing with any of the cars my dad used to own, I'd be sitting in some of the rarest cars of the 60's right now. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I think the car looks gorgeous with that patina. In all honesty, the chrome doesn't even look like it's in bad shape. A couple windows, a fresh interior, and some TLC to clean it up, and you've got the coolest car in the world as far as your family is concerned, because it's a single family car and numbers matching (probably at least?). You've got a piece of family history right there. Just treat it right.

Party-vi > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:38

put it in the garage and get the engine/trans inspected. If you can get this running and stopping under its own power you could clean the interior and sell it as a rat rod.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:38

"Rat rod" is not the term for what you should want to do with it. It might be what some would choose to call the finished product, however. To explain: you would be best off actually fixing the rust, but building it to "bedraggled driver" condition. You can't afford to get it showroom perfect, don't try, but at least work on what paint's there and touch it up, making sure it doesn't get worse. You want this thing to look like it would if it'd been driven all these years - some sections touched up with close-match rattlecan spray will preserve it while not falling into a "welcome the rust" mode, and it'll dull to match the rest.

Fix the glass, seal it where needed, get it mechanically okay (like you'd do with a rat rod anyway), and find some 70s car seats in okay shape to replace the originals with. Keep the originals in case you want to do a proper restore in future.

That's the big focus of what you should do: fix it to drive now, but not in such a way you can't fix it better later. Preserve, protect on a budget, make it live and get into recovery before you try any surgery to make it live *better*.

Coty > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:40

Save the whole car. Get it running and stopping, put new tires on it, and drive it. Fix more stuff as you get more money, but drive it while you fix it.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:55

No. No rat rod plz. It's too wonderful for that.

I think it would be wonderful if you could simply restore the mechanicals to working order, and perhaps make a few upgrades for the modern world. Leave the patina as it is, parade the history of the car.

Firstly perhaps, give it a clean. See what its like under all the grime and dirt. In short, just get it to run and drive well. Maybe you'll save up in the future to turn it into something truly magnificent...

JR1 > quarterlifecrisis
03/10/2014 at 11:56

Trust me I plan on cleaning it, this is my college spring break project getting it out of the weeds and cleaning it up... I need a hose

JR1 > puddler
03/10/2014 at 11:56

I will be keeping everyone up to date on the car. I hope I can do something with it. Cleaning is my number one priority.

JR1 > Coty
03/10/2014 at 11:57

That is a pretty good idea!

JR1 > Party-vi
03/10/2014 at 11:57

Or keep it as my own rat rod!

JR1 > 505Turbeaux
03/10/2014 at 11:58

Yep I am from Ohio, I am worried about the frame and suspension underneath the car. The tires are flat and I am sure all the metal is in contact with the dirt and mud.

PilotMan > JR1
03/10/2014 at 11:59

Save it somehow.

JR1 > EL_ULY
03/10/2014 at 11:59

I have one summer to keep jot derelict in the yard. That is what my dad said. Gotta get it running by then.

JR1 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
03/10/2014 at 12:02

If you look at the picture closely the gas tank lid won't close and the entire thing is exposed to the elements. I am worried that the corrosion and dirt inside might have made the thing beyond repair. And the front windshield has a nice big whole in the bottom left corner. That is another big worry of mine.

Party-vi > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:02

Keep the junker exterior and then make a super clean interior. That would be nice. Also, keep the 430 - it's a neat engine to have.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:03

You may be surprised by what you find. Actually being embedded in dirt can be preservative if it stays mostly dry - even occasional moistening isn't a given for corrosion. We've got a Land-Rover that was abandoned in a dry creekbed in dirt up to the frame, and those were some of the least rusted sections - even with a lot of the soil in this area tending acid.

JR1 > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2014 at 12:05

That is what I think too. It would kill me to crush the car, part it out because it has been in the family so long. I just think getting it to running and driving condition might be harder than what it looks like. The car is sitting on the group and that had to ruin the frame and suspension underneath since it was in contact with mud and dirt.

JR1 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/10/2014 at 12:07

Great information thanks for the advice. I will take it into consideration for sure. I would love to have it driving by August at the latest.

JR1 > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
03/10/2014 at 12:10

That seems to be the general idea around here maybe I will post interior shots later on today. That might be this cars biggest flaw the inside is trashed.

JR1 > Party-vi
03/10/2014 at 12:11

That is what I was thinking a 430 is quite an entertaining engine. Supposdly in the cars heyday this mad 350 gross horsepower and near as makes no difference 400lbs/ft of torque. Quite an engine

JR1 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
03/10/2014 at 12:13

Interesting, I am going over today to try and dig it out your making me more hopeful. The gas tank is ruined though I am sure the cap has been open and wind and dirt have gotten into it over the years.

Blind Willy > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:14

3 Words:

Gas Monkey Garage.

JGrabowMSt > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:14

That's fine. Get it into the garage, and put it up on jackstands and take a look. The moment you start saying "it's probably a loss" is when you need to stop thinking and get looking. I would keep those wheels too, just get similar radials. It's a time capsule, so make sure you open that glovebox and see what got left inside, and take all the change and put it towards the car. You've got the car for free, so now you take the money you saved, and just take it slow. Rome was not built in a day, so being worried that this thing is going to take time is silly; let it take time. Try and get your parents involved a little, it'll take them back, and that's a very good thing. I would try to carefully pull the motor, and really clean the whole thing. Whatever you do, NO POWERWASHER. You don't know the state of that metal, and you don't want to put a hole in it. just take it slowly. just grab a large sponge, and start wiping it down. Once you can get an idea of how it really looks, go from there. You could probably even replace that glass yourself. Also, now you get to use holidays and birthdays to get parts for the family car. And you when you finally get to take it to a show, make your parents ride along. They've been waiting 22 years for it.

You're very lucky to have that Capri, so don't start looking at the cost or the condition. It's a member of the family too.

JR1 > Blind Willy
03/10/2014 at 12:15

I really hate those guys. Not Aaron but Rick just rips people off.

Party-vi > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:15

If you could find the 10.5:1 pistons and a 3x2 intake you'd be seeing 400hp or more.

Coty > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:19

It's the only way to do it.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:20

We'll see, the internets shall be the judge of that!

JR1 > JGrabowMSt
03/10/2014 at 12:20

I know I couldn't have been luckier to get this car for free. Thanks for the no power wash advice I might have otherwise done it. Would it be a problem to spray it with a hose though? I was planning on doing that. And in the glove box is the original manual I was pretty excited about that (It was water logged though). Time will tell what needs to be done that interior will need totally replaced though. Thanks for all the advice.

JR1 > Party-vi
03/10/2014 at 12:21

I was looking around the MEL engine forums and I discovered that. Lets just hope the block is not cracked or else the whole project might be a bust.

Agrajag > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:23

This is great. You might be surprised on how well the body cleans up. It's the underneath I'd be worried about, but you could probably get this running fairly easily.

Blind Willy > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:24

True. Tricky Ricky Rawlings is definitely a cheapskate.

JGrabowMSt > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:32

A hose with a spray attachment should be fine. Watch Larry's videos on /Drive Clean before you really attack the car.

Party-vi > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:34

If the block is cracked you can pick up an old 460 from the '70s and build for the same power on the cheap.

EL_ULY > JR1
03/10/2014 at 12:58

Kinja'd!!!