Smokestone10

I was thinking more like Ed Roth, but Barris probably would have liked it too. He owned quite a few Lincolns as personal cars over the years.

And I managed to make something of the roadster. It's mostly AMT Phantom Vicky parts with a supercharged Lincoln 430 MEL engine.

I've actually never built one until now. Apparently the head of Revell at the time wanted to do a full detail kit of a factory stock VII but the bean counters shot him down. He compromised by convincing them to do a variation on an existing kit (the Matt and Debbie Hay Pro Street Thunderbird) and that's ultimately how we got what we got.

One from a while back. AMT 1965 Continental with some 3D printed wheels and supercharged DOHC modular V8. I'm currently working on the Mark VII pro Street kit that's currently reissued.

Been a while but... My 2010 is still packed away. My neighbor runs a body shop and he's asking about buying it as a loaner car. He might get it yet.🤣 My other neighbor has a 2017 MKZ with a 2.0 turbo and she's looking at something a little newer. Trouble is, her sister has a 2020 model with the same engine, and it's in the shop for an engine replacement. Granted, hers is under warranty but that doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the 2.0 turbo. I do have the local dealer on the lookout for a 2017-2020 Continental, so far haven't heard from him yet. It's funny, last year they'd have at least a couple on the lot but now all they have are trucks and crossovers. I wouldn't object to a similar vintage MKZ, obviously, maybe without the 2.0, but driving the Townie these last few months has really reminded me how much I always liked the full size cars. What I'm saying is... I still haven't really made up my damned mind. 😂

Stupid me... Here's a pic of the Townie...

Went with option 4. ? 2004 Signature. It's not dark colored but silver looks good. 110k and I'm the third owner. Tomorrow or Saturday the MKZ will be squirrelled away as I begin to gather up the parts to repair it. Rock Auto discount codes, don't fail me now. ?

Well... I'm thinking about doing the thing. Mostly just getting this out of my system, but also want to hear some of your thoughts. My 2010 MKZ AWD has served me pretty faithfully in the five years I've owned it. Aside from needing a higher than normal amount of wheel bearing attention, I have a mere handful of mechanical gripes. The car has never left me stranded due to mechanical mishap. That time I ruptured two tires and bent a wheel on a railroad track was the only time I was left stranded and that was certainly no fault of the car. Yes the PTU did the "make the fluid disappear" trick once but at least I had warranty coverage. But, the car now has 208,000. Still runs like a champ. The transmission still shifts smoothly and almost imperceptibly. Still rides, tracks, and handles great... Which will be surprising when you consider what I'll get into later. Almost all the techy Lincoln doodads work perfectly. And for the age and miles, it has nearly no fluid leaks and still averages fuel economy in the mid 20s. Well, let's get to the bad. Recently the right front wheel bearing started rumbling like a motorcycle. No problem, take it in and change it, right? Well, I'm suspecting the wheel bearing went out due to the... Broken strut. Tie rods and ball joints are also wobbly. No vibration in the steering and only a slight clunk when parking but up on the lift it was obvious. Here's where I'm sitting. If I have a shop do it, it'll be around two grand to fix the issues. Both front struts, all control arm assemblies, sway bar links, tie rods, alignment, and of course the wheel bearing. It could also use new pads and rotors while it's all apart. Rear suspension looks fine but some slop in the wheel bearings. So, again, add the cost of replacing those. Now consider the miles she's accumulated and the ever rustier rockers and... Well I should have a pretty obvious choice here but I don't. I know I could cut that $2000 way down if I did the work (alignment aside of course) myself. I could but given my work schedule and other responsibilities no way am I pulling it off in the estimated six hours the shop quoted for labor. This would be a little at a time stretching across weeks, most likely. And it's still a pretty decent chunk of money. With 200k on it what are the odds I would throw all these new parts on it only for, say, the transaxle to decide it wants to retire six months later? I've done what I can to slow the rust but, as Neil Young says, rust never sleeps. How long before my MKZ does it's best impersonation of a Liberty ship and cracks in two? ? But in addition to that, there really isn't much "wrong" with the car. The auto dim rearview mirror doesn't dim anymore, though the side view still does. The seat vents and cooler don't work but I'm guessing that's just the module. Everything else... Air conditioner, cruise control, all the power accessories... Still work like new. So I'm torn. Here's what I see for options: 1. Fix the thing. See if you can make it to 300,000 before the rust eats it or you just plain can't stand the car anymore. 2. Just accept you need something newer. Stick with an MKZ? Try an MKC because you can get one pretty loaded with 75,000 or less for under 20 grand and there are LOTS of them available locally? I mean I don't care much for SUV/CUV in general but I actually visited a dealer to check out a 2016 and 2018 model today after work. Or go hog wild and finally get a Continental you've been drooling over since they were announced? Though it most certainly won't be a Coach Door. 3. Sort of go the other way and get one of the last few years of Town Car. Executive L would be perfect but really any old dark colored Townie would do. I understand this most likely means going to an earlier model year but these come up for grabs with relatively low miles fairly frequently. After spending all day looking at used Lincolns I was reminded of how low-key bad ass those later model Town Cars looked. I miss my 81, and I'm still kicking myself for not jumping on a cherry 1988 model just after I graduated... Same story with a 1989 Lincoln hearse a few years later. Both had shot oil pumps, weirdly enough. I kinda think a Town Car in my driveway would increase my property value. 4. Kind of a combination of all the above. Get the "new" vehicle but stash away the MKZ and just buy/replace parts as needed. I wouldn't need to worry about transportation while it's getting rebuilt and at the end I would still have the Z as a beater/backup car. And if it does blow up after the new parts are on... Oh well. I still have transportation and I had fun. ? Anyway... I would love to hear what you think. Share your thoughts. What would you do in my position?

My 2010 AWD has, overall, been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. But, after the most recent trip to the shop to replace a bad front wheel bearing, I was told that the rear wheel bearings were getting sketchy as well. I have owned this car for five years and almost 100k. In that time, I have replaced every wheel bearing at least once. Now, the most recent failure I am suspecting was caused by the broken strut I never noticed but the tech saw right away. ? The only indication to me was a very slight clunk when turning the wheel at low speeds, pulling into a tight parking space. With the strut in it's present condition and possibly causing an uneven load on the hub that bearing's failure makes sense. But the rear wheel bearings have been replaced already and are about to need replacing again. Lincoln dealership did two, and the used car lots I bought the car from did the other two. Despite the shot strut on the front the mechanic said there's nothing amiss with the rear suspension. Just wondering if these cars eat wheel bearings, or if my car is just an unfortunate example. It's not like it's stanced or anything. ? Stock tires and wheels. I understand I've put a lot of miles on it but I've had a few vehicles with as many miles and never had to replace one wheel bearing, much less all four and counting.

I might do that... but with a bit of a twist. AMT also does a '65 Malibu wagon, so I might do a little cutting and pasting to make a '64 Cutlass wagon. So it would be a model of a stock vehicle, but not a box stock model. ?

If you're feeling particularly brave you could disassemble it and repaint it any color you want. A ten dollar Welly diecast is one thing but I don't think I'd want to try it on one of these! I know of some really nice Continental, Navigator, and even a Corsair in 1:18 scale. But by nice I mean pricey. I mean, If you can afford the real thing you can afford the model too but still.

Another one that might be up @drolds1's alley- the AMT '64 Cutlass drop top. I've been waiting for this one. So have a lot of other people, seeing as how this is the first time it's been reissued since 1964. I've actually been racking up the Oldsmobile themed kits of late.

Another vote for "check the wiring". My 2010's monitor blacks out sometimes, but I've noticed that simply opening and closing the trunk will fix it. Leads me to think it's loose at the terminal in my case. When it happens again I'll pop off the trunk lid liner and take a look-see.

Having second thoughts now, as a new problem has cropped up. The dashboard controls for the radio and HVAC no longer function. I can't change the HVAC settings through the touch screen either. The radio can't be turned off but I can still use the steering wheel controls to change the volume and track. I can turn the AC on and off but that's about all. I can't help but wonder if it's connected to the seat issue. Guess I'll check some fuses and report what I find, if anything... UPDATE- I did nothing but turn the car off and on twice, and the dashboard controls are functioning normally. Still no heated/cooled seats so I'm back at square one. I do hope the dashboard controls don't make a habit of this though.

Just for clarity... this particular module? Online I'm seeing a few variations for the same model year.