Restoring " Ina Mae"

gt350lady · Aug 27, 2008

Brad54 said: ↑

Reskin the door frame if you're squeamish about replacing the entire door. That way you can keep the majority of the original steel.
HOWEVER, a door from a donor rolled down the same assembly line...you'll be redoing the original Valley work whether you replace or repair the door, so it's George Washington's axe. "My family bought an axe from George Washington's estate when he died. This here's it. 'Course, we've had to replace the handle six times, and the head three..."
Slick paint is the same problem concours muscle car restorers have too. Factory paint was very eggshell. Today's paint isn't. We judge vintage cars--whether we like it or not--by today's frame of reference. It may be CORRECT, but it'll look like a cheap paint job. You'll know it's CORRECT, and a few others will, but that kind of thing always strikes me along the same lines as guys who poof about vinyl over CDs and HD over regular tv. I can't imagine anyone looking at that car when it's done, being displayed, and then poo-pooing the paint for having too much sheen or no runs.

-Brad
Oh, and for crying out loud, don't upgrade it! no discs, no alternator, no late-model stereo. I'd add lap belts if it doesn't have them, and i'd also install a dual reservoir master cylinder to keep from wrecking it. (unless you're never going to drive it) Other than that, as it rolled out.
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My first thought was to reskin the door, though I think someone who really knows how to work metal could repair it. I have seen my late husband fix worse. Whatever repairs are done, please don't use plastic filler (Bondo) as lead was used on all the original work. Other than the original factory paint, all the color stages of the Lincoln were done in lacquer. Being into the muscle car era, I've seen many ground up restorations of Ford products with too slick paint jobs. Ford factory paint was enamel and had a certain amount of "orange peel" to it. Color sanded and buffed urathane is not original.

Mary Ellen
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gt350lady · Aug 27, 2008

Tom davison said: ↑

Not necessarily. I have seen plenty of decades-old nitro lacquer jobs (solid colors/no clear) that have held up perfectly.

It was the clear lacquer which was applied over candies (starting in the mid-50's) that cracked due to weather. If the metal is solid underneath, the lacquer will hold up fine.
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I'm surprised that after 50 years, the car is still as green as it is. I know for a fact that it wasn't always garage parked. The people who bought it from us in 1962 (the second owners) used to park it on the street. I would have expected the roof to look as bad as the hood, but I suspect that the hood was left outside at some point while the car was either garaged or covered. The first pictures I saw were from the owner previous to Johnny and the hood was not on the car.

gt350lady · Aug 27, 2008

jonnycola said: ↑

Maybe the underside the hood paint is still the original lincoln factory paint. See if there's paint underneath it... I would assume that if there isn't, it's probably factory. It didn't seem like the car was ever stripped.

Or maybe it's the white color from the second version?

Maybe they louvered a different hood?

I have a feeling the engine compartment was painted black when they put the 390 in it. You could pull up that fleishman automotive tag and it would probably show what color it was when they changed the engine, which was done when it was gold.
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The original color was yellow with a black roof. The white would have been from stage 2 as it would have looked really bad to leave the underside of the hood maroon. We don't know why it wasn't painted gold or green in the later stages because after 50+ years we are getting old and sometimes can't remember shit. I do remember sitting in the front seat as a child and watching the hood be removed, louvered, and put back on the car. We just can't remember offhand where it was done. It wasn't at Valley Custom though. So, that's the original hood.

gt350lady · Aug 28, 2008

studedudeus said: ↑

Don't forget, Ina May wasn't too concerned when she sold it off, what happened to it. It's nice that it survived, and that you can still see some of what she was doing back then, but you don't owe her or the car anything. It's your car, make yourself happy.
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To my mother, an automobile is just a material object without an emotional attachment. You see, when I was 4 months old, my father was killed in the Korean War leaving my mother a widow for the last 58 years. When you have lost the love of your life, material items are no replacement. She has owned many great cars over the years, but being a single mother who had to work for a living, she couldn't afford the next one without selling the current one. She cared enough about each one that she wanted to remember them as they were when she had them and not see what someone else had done to them. That's one reason she doesnt' want to see the Lincoln in its current condition. Once the Lincoln is restored I know she wants to see it. She just hopes it is done before she is no longer with us. She really appreciates the interest everyone is taking in something that gave her such enjoyment for ten years.

palosfv3 · Sep 4, 2008

Just for those interested . I have posted the first set of detailed exterior pictures of the Lincoln. The link is listed below.
http://picasaweb.google.com/wgmauto/ValleyCustomsInaMaeOvermanLincoln

I'll be posting pics of the engine compartment, interior and trunk in the next couple of days.

Rikster · Sep 5, 2008

Fantastic Larry... thanks for sharing those.

Almost a shame to remove all the wonderful patina. nah... but still its wonderful to see the paint peel of the surface rusted metal. And that rusted Spotlight... WOW.

Great to see all the details up close... I will be watching this for hours.

Kustom7777 · Sep 5, 2008

wow,,,,,,this is great,,,im really glad this will be documented so well..

Magnus · Sep 5, 2008

That's a helluva nice lookin' custom. WOW

gt350lady · Sep 5, 2008

Rikster said: ↑

Fantastic Larry... thanks for sharing those.

Almost a shame to remove all the wonderful patina. nah... but still its wonderful to see the paint peel of the surface rusted metal. And that rusted Spotlight... WOW.

Great to see all the details up close... I will be watching this for hours.
Click to expand...

Those spotlights were NOT put on the car until after it was sold in 1962. I hope they will be removed as they do not work with the lines of the car and technically don't fit into any pre-62 restoration.

I notice that the Lincoln has considerably more rust on it than when Johnny bought it. That Wisconsin weather is sure hard on cars. How I love California.

Rikster · Sep 6, 2008

gt350lady said: ↑

Those spotlights were NOT put on the car until after it was sold in 1962. I hope they will be removed as they do not work with the lines of the car and technically don't fit into any pre-62 restoration.

I notice that the Lincoln has considerably more rust on it than when Johnny bought it. That Wisconsin weather is sure hard on cars. How I love California.
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Hello Mary, thank you for giving all Hambers all this additional information on your Mohters car. Its been really great to folow this.
And yes I knew the Spotlights (dummy's) where not on the car... and I dont think you have to worry about them beeing used in the restoration. Larry is doing the best research you can imagine and this car will be restored to a version as it was when the car was in your family.. and that is without the Spotlights.
I just mentioned the Spotlights since they looked so wonderful with the rusted cone and still plated ring on the bottom.

bonesy · Sep 6, 2008

I love it in Gold.

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Restoring " Ina Mae"

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