1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car

Here is a short video of my 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car.
I purchased this car back in 2006 locally here for a steal. I literally saved this car from becoming a victim of another demolition derby. I paid only $650 for the car and it was nearly rust free other than the rear bumper. The owner no longer had the space for it and just wanted to get rid of it.
I replaced the rear chrome bumper as part of the restoration (or refurbishing) with a nice used one from Connecticut. The inner structure of the rear bumper was rebuilt at a metal fabricator where they welded in brand new thicker plate onto what was left of the inner bumper. Looking at the car you would never know I rebuilt the entire rear bumper section. It now is as good as new if not better. The rear bumpers of these cars (Ford LTD's and Mercury Marquis' of the same year were similar) are quite complicated in design and heavy.
Other than the rear bumper issue the car still had the factory undercoating and oil guard on the underside. The rest of the car was in great condition.
I gave the car a complete clean-up and detail and with new brakes and tires a few months later, the car was like new again.
This car has been an ongoing project, but nothing major or anything I can't tackle myself. I did replace the carpet myself last year and had the door panels re-sewn to match at the bottom (due to fading over the years). I also replaced the dash cap with a matching Dark Jade one.
I do plan on having the vinyl top redone next year and a complete quality repaint in the factory Light Jade Metallic at some point.
As of now I drive this car in the summer moths only. The eight track tape player still works and the a/c blows ice cold. This is a very comfortable car to cruise in and despite it's weight, the 460 V8 pulls hard and runs smooth.
What a shame it would have been to see this beauty ruined in a derby. Not too many of these around here in this condition for a price like that!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• MVI
• 1825

[Thetrevorboi89]

I have an 1989 town car and i would like to get it running and looking better where do you get your parts?

[Rockord79]

@Thetrevorboi89 Hi I get all my parts through Baker's Auto in Putnam Conneticut. They are great to deal with.

[Rockord79]

@Thetrevorboi89 For some reason it wouldn't let me type in their web address on here. Just google the company name and it will come up. They have a huge inventory of restoration parts for all years of Lincolns.

[xmdude626]

Those cars are really long

[Rockord79]

@xmdude626 Yes just about 20 ft. It won't fit in my single car garage I can tell you that!

[Rockord79]

@SuperOffgrid I know, those small cracks can create many serious problems down the road. I think there might already be a bit of rust above the rear window, but luckily the car has been in dry indoor storage for the last 2 years out of the elements. I think when I pull it out of storage this year, replacing the vinyl top will be the first thing I do. You're welcome.. saving one at a time!

[SuperOffgrid]

@Rockord79 watch out for the cracks in the vinyl. they allow water to get into the padding and will quickly rust out the steel roof underneath the viny. Great car, thanks for preserving this beauty.

[Rockord79]

@bigcarlove Well I am kind of a Ford guy I guess you could say. But I did start out as a GM guy when I bought my first car at 17. I still have it also. It is a 1975 Chevrolet Impala coupe. It's here in a few of my other videos. I am hoping to get both the Lincoln and Impala out of the garage this summer, as I missed last year's cruising season entirely due to work and other obligations that kept me from driving them.

That 1981 Mark VI I bet was nice.

[Rockord79]

@bigcarlove You're welcome. I slowly picked away at a few things the car needed over a span of about 3 years. All it really stills needs is a new vinyl top. It still looks good from 5 ft away, but up close there are a few cracks starting. But I agree, too many people out there would rather derby these or "scrap them" which seems to be everyone's new trendy pastime these days when it comes to classic cars that need a bit of work.

[bigcarlove]

Thank you so much for the right move to save this beauty.Im very thankful to guys like you to have enthusiasm,time,money and have the balls for buy these cars and take care of them.Good to have young people like us around with the interest in these classic cars.This way it is possible to keep them alive for few more decades.(or less?depends on the fuel availability)Seems like you are a "Ford man".Just because of the Grand Marquis and Town Car.I had lincoln too.A 1981 Mark VI.Thank you and Enjoy!