building that dream car

recently got my hands on the car i'm going to keep for the rest of my life.
65 lincoln continental convertible... check her out 
 
 
 
 
 
at the moment, she doesn't start, but we're well on our way to getting her running.
then i'll restore her, bag her, and cruise EVERYWHERE.  we haven't gone over the car with a fine tooth comb yet, but seems to be in really decent shape
 
this is my first real project car, so i would love to hear any tips or feedback... i've been reading this forum a lot, and the amount of knowledge that passes through here just blows me away.  so if any of you guys are interested, i'll post up more as we work on her.

dude, you nailed my dream car.  i'm a truck guy through and through, but i think a flat black mid 60's continental convertible laid out on 22's is possibly the coolest thing ever.  Congrats on finding it, dude, they are really rare.  you can find the hard tops all day long, but the topless models are much harder to come by.  Congrats again and keep us updated on the build!!

Good stuff! 

Good stuff! 

x2 on the convertible.... good luck!

Yea man, good job on that find. I found a 67 hard top last year and gonna do the same as u. Goodluck on the build man!!!!

just remember only a few verts built = very hard to get that little part that is missing!!good luck with her,gotta love that big back seat

do you mind me asking how much you paid i am looking at getting on and just trying to figure out how much i should pay there hard to find thanks

I gave $500 for mine. Its in desent shape, just needs the normal stuff a 43 year old car needs.

the thing is that it was hard to find this car in that "sweet spot", where its not already restored and costs +30k, and not so far gone that its just a parts vehicle and costs like 40 bucks.   i was looking for a while... i mean a WHILE...   and most of what you find is pretty much restored versions of the car, or piles of rust. But i wanted something that i could build up into my own style- Now i'm no gear head... i can work on an engine, do a bit of body work and electrical... but theres a point where i just have to call a friend or the mechanic.  So i've got no business, nor enough money, to get a total junker and rebuild it back to beauty.  If you do however... then theres some serious deals to be had out there.  I came across one that was pretty much rusted through on every surface for about $1500, but most of the inner workings were still there, and in 'ok' shape.   Also i'll be goddamned if  i'm going to go drop 30k on some already restored car... thats just not the point of getting the car in the first place.   the thing is... people know how rare this car is.  particularly the convertible.  and even though the car is very similar from '61 - '69 (i think?)... every year they modified the design a bit, making each year unique, and all that much harder to find.  I couldn't say i was looking for a '64-'67... i had to look for just, and only a '65   serious pain in the ass.   but if you can manage to find one... that isn't a total junker, and isn't already restored by some customs shop... i'd say 5 - 10k is a pretty good deal considering the condition of course.  i saw one in Iowa a few months back, where the engine was brought back to running condition, with a clean body, go for 11k.  Another one in southern cali in working condition but totally unmaintained since like 1990-something, went for 8k.   one tip if you don't have a ton of money to spend... stay clear of auctions... prices for these cars skyrocket REALLY freggin fast.  Like, turn around to get a cup of coffee and the price jumps 4k.  since most classic car auctions have a registration fee (couple hundred, non-refundable), it will become a waste of time and money. not to mention extremely disappointing.  i'm sure there was a time or two when i just sat there watching an auction and had a single tear come down my face like the native american in those recycling commercials a few years back.   but if you got the ca$h... auction away!