Projects 37 Zephyr build thread

I plan to get it blasted, I just wanted to get it reasonably solid first. The roof wasn't fitted when I got it just tacked on the outside of the screen pillars. The floors and rockers were non existent and it had no strength at all. I want it blasted inside and out so my blaster has to get inside it to work.
I have left all the rear wheel wells and the rest of the floors until it's blasted.
Then the fun really begins.

Your plymouth is looking great , that's going to be a mad car. I still have my 47 plymouth coupe, just haven't done anything with it yet.

Paul.

 

Bit more progress today (not done as much as I'd planned due to some scummy fuckwit deciding to electric shock my pond in the early hours of saturday morning and steal almost all my fish, so sorting that out has taken priority), got most of it stripped out ready for sand blasting on Friday ( weather permitting). Just got the gearbox to remove and bolt up the axle/spring clamps so it's stable again and it's good to go.
I also managed to strike a deal for almost all the parts I need to finish , including new front light lenses, and good rear lights and lenses, a good hood with hinges to replace my bent ones. plus lots of spares.
Here's how she sits at the moment

 

Hey, thanks for sharing your progress. I'm looking into building one and this helps a lot. I'm no where as talented as you and everything helps.

Thank you

 

Can't wait to see what you do to the chassis and engine trans setup.

 

I have read your posts and other threads, have you got a zephyr ? If so which body style is it . They are great cars.
I am going to run a flathead V8 with the stock zephyr box and stock 39 ford rear end that it came with. If I ever get the money I will look to put a columbia rear back in but that's a way off.

Paul

 

well I have purchased a 4 dr. Still in the process of getting it shipped to my house. Got some quotes. I'm hoping to make it a 2 dr. Too expensive and difficult to find and buy a 2 dr. The 4 drs are still expensive but was able to get a good deal on this one. Wanted one ever since I discovered an unusual picture that I could not make out. At the time I thought it was a 36 ford coupe with unusual headlights attached, so my quest was to find which headlights this person had put on this ford. year and a half later I found out that the car I liked was a 1937 Lincoln Zephyr. LOL.

 

Hi Paul, I have been watching your progress on the zephyr and I am glad I sold it to you, your are going to save a rare car and have something nice for your self. I have decided to sell my other zephyr, this one is a coupe and on the hamb site now, tom.

 

Hi Tom, yes I have seen your advert, shame you are selling.
The old zephyr is coming on quite well. If the weather is good Friday (forcast is rain unfortunately) then it will be sand blasted, then I can really start to get it sorted.
Once blasted I have several avenues of work that I can go at, I can get the floors finished, paint the underneath, plumb the brake lines, start the wiring etc etc. Should hopefully start coming together quite quickly from then on.

Paaul.

 

What a great project! Subscribed.

 

Seeing that your's was a 4dr to start with and they put a 2dr roof clip on top. My question is:

Is the Wheelbase of the 37 Lincoln Zephyr 3 window coupe 2dr, the same as the 4dr?

The chassis doesn't have to be shortened or lenghted... Correct?

 

Correct, the wheel base is exactly the same. So is the chassis, no mods needed there at all.
If you can find a roof section and the sedan is a good solid base then it's not a bad conversion. Mine just had some slight rust issues as well

 

Finally got it blasted today, it's come back looking pretty good. The rear inner arches have some work to be done on them, along with the rear panel, but nothing to serious. The roof has turned out really good, way better than I thought it would.
Now I can get all the welding finished, and concentrate on getting it leaded and into primer.

A couple of pics before it went and some as it came back.

 

Indeed looks a lot better than expected

Good luck with the build and keep posting pics

Hennie

 

There are a lot of guys stateside kicking themselves for not buying this car after seeing this thread. Well done sir keep up the good work.

 

The rear inner arches have quite a lot of pin holes now that it has been blasted, but the roof and screen area is better than I thought it would be.
I started getting some lead on it tonight. First leading I have done, it,s going to be a slow process but should be worth it in the end. Was going great guns until the lid came off the flux paste tin when I picked it up and the whole lot ended up down my legs and on the floor. Didn't swear much

There's a few guys I know of over here who like me had been watching this car when it was advertised, some probably still think I am mad for taking it on, lol.

Paul.

 

Cant believe I missed this thread so far! Glad to see someone as looney as me for making a car out of two rusty relics! At least you were smart enough to do it with a valuable car lol! Great progress, and I am really looking forward to watching it come together.

 

Wow! All I can say is that you are more ambitious than 95% of people out there. There was one thing you overlooked when you started...I don't think that American car will run on petrol! Hahah! Very nice work, I will be following this build.

 

You can add me to the list of people impressed with this build thread so far. Are the plans for an early style custom, mostly stock, or? Would love to know what's in store for it.

 

Glad to see you got it blasted and it turned out the way it did. Great project!

 

Wow you have started really good!
Good that the parts I sold you arrived safely, I hope you will have use for them.
I hope to get started on my project soon myself.
Take care.
/Jocke

 

Very cool ride and nice build. I have seen two of these in my area with that appeared to be plastic replicas. Anyone know if they reproduced these in plastic with radical chops and other body changes?

 

I've only seen a the 39 in fiberglass being made.

 

I'm sure you're right. I don't know the differences between the years.

 

http://www.decorides.com/fastbackzephyr.htm

 

Thanks for the comments guys.
Squablow, plans are for a traditional custom, no chop, traditional lowering job (not slammed, definitely no bags), keeping the 16" wide fives, a few subtle changes to the body but nothing to severe (radiused door corners, drip rails removed etc ).

Joakim the parts are spot on and will definitely be put to good use. Many thanks. Look forward to when you start your build.

Model A fan, it will be running on GAS, but it will be lpg . With the price of petrol at over £6 a gallon (about 10 usd) it's the only way I will be able to afford to run it on a regular basis. I intend this to be driven almost as a daily in through out the summer months.

 

Interesting. Haven't heard of people using lpg. Is there someplace I can learn about this. As in a forum or website of people doing this.

Is finding and keeping up with the gas inconvenient? Do you have to do any modifications?

 

In the Netherlands about 50 % of the owners with V-8 cars are running on LPG, it's about half the price of Gasoline

 

There's lots run on it in the uk now too. My 51 stepside runs on it all the time. Its the only way I can afford to use it as a daily. It's runnig a 351 so only gets around 14 mpg .
Apart from the gas kit (tanks,vapouriser, inlet etc) there's no real modifications needed, apart from adjusting the timing to suit. They do need to be tested and have a certificate issued over here though.

The dodge in my avator runs lpg too, I converted it over in the late 90s, thats running a 429 ford big block so definitely needed it.
Paul.

 

Got a bit more progress to report.
I have been doing the lead work on the sides of the roof where I welded it back on. Considering I have never done it before it's going reasonably well. Well until I bought some more lead sticks from ebay only to find that they are totally useless. I think they may well be neat lead, they melt all of a sudden and instantly go solid again. They are impossible to work.
So while I was waiting for the right ones to turn up I decided to make a rollover jig for it so I could get to the underneath easier. It works but I need to make the arms adjustable so I can centre it up to allow it to spin all the way round, but it's doing the job at the moment.

Beverly came out in the shop this afternoon and showed me how leading should be done , lol. A pretty damn good job she did too.

Hopefully I will get it leaded up quite quickly and then I can get some zinc primer on it. It's amazing how quickly it starts going rusty after heat and solder paste has been applied. I was watching it turn a rusty yellow colour before my eyes as I was applying the lead this afternoon.










Paul.

 

It is probably the acid in the flux that was used to tin the vehicle before the lead was applied that is causing it to flash rust. Try using a mixture of baking soda and water over the area when you remove the lead it will neutralize the acid and should help contol the flash rusting. Even here where nothing flash rusts because it is too dry rust will quickly appear after flux is applied and heated.