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Old 09-01-2011, 07:23 AM   #1
Vic Piano
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Default ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Like many of the Ford products produced in the ’30’s, ‘40’s and probably beyond, our ’39 Zephyr is proving to be somewhat of an enigma. The ’39 is my first foray into Zephyrs and I hope some of you may be able to shed some light on these questions. I contacted the Henry Ford and was lucky enough to get the “build sheet” on our car. Among other interesting revelations in the documents, the options listed were: Black top and red leather interior. There was no mention of the hot air heater that is in the car. Based on the installation, my assumption is that the heater was installed at the factory, as the hot air vents mounted on both sides of the console are in holes were stamped, not drilled out. Additionally, all of the “plumbing” for the hot air and defroster vents is steel tubing affixed to the interior firewall behind the console. I have seen a number of ’39 Zephyrs with and without the hot air heater installed. I know that the dealers installed both Ford approved as well as after-market heaters including South wind gas fired and hot water. What I don’t know is if the dealer would have installed the hot air heater. If not, why was it not listed among the options?
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Old 09-01-2011, 08:03 AM   #2
Deuce Man
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Vic, cant help much with your heater question, but I just have to say that 38-39 zephyrs are just about as pretty a car as ford motor co. ever put out. years ago a collector car dealer on the west coast of fl. had a 38 two door zephyr for sale car was so pretty it made my heart pound. anyone have pictures of one? Would love to see shots of yours. Rich
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Old 09-01-2011, 08:33 AM   #3
Vic Piano
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Rich, was that '38 in Tarpon Springs? A friend of mine owns Classic Corvettes and Collectables. Several years ago he did have a '38 Coupe Sedan that was a medium brown color. I agree with you that the '38 & '39 Zephyr's are some of the most beautiful cars Ford built. I've been collecting parts and information for our car so I can get started on the restoration. Here are a few photos of her in her present condition.



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Old 09-01-2011, 09:15 AM   #4
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Hey Vic, I have been messing around with these Zephyrs for a wile now.I know I have seen some hot air heater installations that looked factory judging by the nice crisp stamped holes and I have seen some as the case with my Zephyr looks like the hole in the firewall was cut with an axe.Its hard to imagine what a job this would have been for the dealer. You have to dismantle everything from under the dash to get those metal defroster pipes and cables in there. Not mentioning the redo on the exhaust system.
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Old 09-01-2011, 09:24 AM   #5
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

I agree with you Ken, that's what makes me wonder why the hot air heater was not listed as an option on the info I got from the Henry Ford. Are you planning on being at the Moonshine Festival in October? Vic
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Old 09-01-2011, 09:44 AM   #6
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

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Hey Vic, I have a question for you. You mentioned that you contacted the Henry Ford for a build sheet on your Zephyr, I wasn't aware that this was possible. For what years and what models (Lincoln, Ford, Mercury) is that information available?

Your Zephyr looks great as is, outside of some paint work, that car looks good the way it is. I'd love to have something like that!
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Old 09-01-2011, 10:35 AM   #7
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Hi Seth, thanks for the complements. I was lucky that the Henry Ford had the info on our Zephyr, I sent them the body & VIN #'s and they located the info. A lot of the company records were destroyed in a museum fire in 1970; I don't have a scanner so I can't post the actual paperwork they sent me but here is some of the info:

Ledger 96H Model R.H.D-73-76 Page # 207

Model Years Covered Serial #’s Covered

Lincoln 1939-1948 86,200 to 182,129

Accession # Description

Acc 778 40 Ledgers of Lincoln motor records arranged by year (1920-1942), model numbers and body numbers

For our Zephyr they provided the following information based on the
body and Vin #’s.

Date: 3-22-39 (I assume that that was the final production date for our car)
Motor # 78-446
Ignition Key # --- They were provided but I won’t post them.
Deck Key # ---
Color E. Gray
Tires B Tires
Branch Dear. 118
Special Equip. Black Top

Other information: T.IC.M= Red leather

If you want to contact the Henry Ford they can be reached at: 313-982-6070 Ext. 2508
Fax: 313-982-6244.

Vic
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Old 09-01-2011, 10:39 AM   #8
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Thanks Vic, it is amazing that they had that info for you. It is unfortunate that the fire destroyed so many records. I wasn't aware of any of that. Thanks again!

Seth
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Old 09-01-2011, 11:37 AM   #9
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

I always figured that Ford had different build proceedures or lists for different plants depending on the sales distribution for each of those plants. The only example I can confirm would be on the cars I'm more familiar with. Both of the 51 Mercs that I own were built in St. Louis, Mo. within a week of each other. The parts books indicate that most Mercury cars of that time frame came with the vacuum boosted fuel pump for windshield wipers. Many of those cars were intended for markets on the high plains areas where rain was scarce so they used standard fuel pumps on most of them. In Florida or Arizona, the need for heating would be more minimized than for the northern latitudes. If the car was manufactured for a northerly climate, it may have had heating as standard equipment.

I know Ford followed these guidelines but where you could find details of this, I don't know. Dealer installations were as good as the kits and instructions supplied plus the caliber of the individual mechanics doing that installation. Some were probably fair and others not so good but usually not as good as OEM.

Edsel's drawing board had a winner with the 38/39 Zephyr.

Kerby
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Old 09-01-2011, 12:21 PM   #10
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

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Originally Posted by Vic Piano View Post
I agree with you Ken, that's what makes me wonder why the hot air heater was not listed as an option on the info I got from the Henry Ford. Are you planning on being at the Moonshine Festival in October? Vic
I will be there, should have the same spot at the courthouse,#9. I will be in my trusty rusty 40 coupe.
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Old 09-01-2011, 12:30 PM   #11
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help


Hi Kerby, from what I’ve read over the years, it looked as though all Lincoln and Lincoln Zephyrs were built at the Livonia, MI plant. Our car, being a Convertible Club Coupe, was sent to Briggs for the conversion from Coupe to Convertible and back to Livonia for completion. I also read somewhere that for 1939 only, all the ’39 Ford Convertible Sedans were built alongside the Zephyrs at Livonia. Perhaps this was because of the relatively small production numbers of both cars. A total of 638 ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Convertible Club Coupes were built and 3,561 ’39 Ford Convertible Sedans were produced. I further understand that all the ’39 Ford CS’s were also modified by Briggs.
I know that our Zephyr was delivered to a Ford dealership on the East end of Long Island. I also know that the first owner of the car was a doctor who served as an Air Raid Warden during WWII. He had a spotlight installed on the left “A” pillar and subsequently removed (I assume sometime after the war). I’m not sure of the original destinations of other ’39 Zephyr’s that I’ve looked at but I have seen several without any kind of heater so that makes me think that, like the ’39 Ford & Merc, the heater was an option.
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Old 09-01-2011, 12:32 PM   #12
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

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I will be there, should have the same spot at the courthouse,#9. I will be in my trusty rusty 40 coupe.
Excellent Ken, I'll be driving our '39 CS up from Tampa. I'll be sure to look for you. Vic
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Old 09-01-2011, 01:22 PM   #13
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

On a single point of origin like the Livonia Lincoln plant perhaps there was more dealer input to the process. Kind of like GMs Central Office for Production Orders (COPO for short). The Long Island dealer may have had a standing agreement for heaters in all of his Lincoln customer orders. Not all dealers had that kind of pull but Long Island could have been a big time sales leader of the Lincoln products.
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Old 09-01-2011, 01:24 PM   #14
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

In early Ford times there were few options in the sense of assembly line installed pieces...I did read somewhere, though, that assembly plants would install pre-ordered accessories
(same as dealrs) and that this was done AFTER the assembly process. Cars ordered the right way went into a little auxiliary garage as they came off the assembly line for installation of heaters and radios and such, presumably done the same way as the dealer would have done things from the packaged kits and instructions.
Question...were the cars of the late '30's pre-punched for accessories that went through the firewall like the later cars? I don't know Fords of that period all that well. My '48 Ford had punch-outs for both types of heater, so no real cutting was required even for fairly complex parts going in. Early V-8's, nothing like that. Look at the '32 radio installation instructions!
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Old 09-01-2011, 01:29 PM   #15
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Beautiful car Vic, my cousin saved his money and just out of hi school bought a 1941 zepher convet , continental kit . Just jaw dropping beautiful to see, sitting on a 48 chrysler platform , old auto shift tranny straight 6 ,so sad!! He never caught on why I seemed to want to cry when he came to visit, some day fore we die I need to tell him !! LOL ernie n tx
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Old 09-01-2011, 01:32 PM   #16
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Ford employees that were doing jobs like that on a daily basis would have been pretty good at it. FoMoCo would have made sure it looked good or they would hire someone else that could make it that way. Especially on the Lincoln products.
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:19 PM   #17
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

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In early Ford times there were few options in the sense of assembly line installed pieces...I did read somewhere, though, that assembly plants would install pre-ordered accessories
(same as dealrs) and that this was done AFTER the assembly process. Cars ordered the right way went into a little auxiliary garage as they came off the assembly line for installation of heaters and radios and such, presumably done the same way as the dealer would have done things from the packaged kits and instructions.
Question...were the cars of the late '30's pre-punched for accessories that went through the firewall like the later cars? I don't know Fords of that period all that well. My '48 Ford had punch-outs for both types of heater, so no real cutting was required even for fairly complex parts going in. Early V-8's, nothing like that. Look at the '32 radio installation instructions!

Bruce, both our ‘39’s, Zephyr & Ford have accommodations for accessories (punch outs) on the firewall. In the case of the Zephyr, the heater vents are attached to the sides of the console inside the car. These photos are not that good but should help my explanation. In the second photo you can see where someone "hacked" a hole in the side for something. I also read that when ordering a new LZ you could have the factory install a Columbia rear axle, something that Ford & Merc only did at the dealer.


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Old 09-01-2011, 09:13 PM   #18
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

My 1946 Continental coupe has the punch outs for the hot air heater, but it had a hot water heater installed at the dealership. The holes that are 3" or 4" were made by drilling a series of 1/4" holes and cutting the spaces between the holes. My 1948 Zephyr convertible was originally bought in Fla. and has no heater. There are punch outs for the hot water heater that are still in place.
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Old 09-02-2011, 06:40 AM   #19
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help


Thanks Bill, the '39 Zephyr also has the punch outs on the firewall for the hot air heater, there is actually a tube (about two inches long) attached to the firewall that accepts the tubing from the blower motor on the hot air unit. What makes me think that our cars heater was not dealer installed is that the holes in the console appear to have been stamped, not drilled. Vic
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Old 09-02-2011, 12:09 PM   #20
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Default Re: ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Help

Vic

Did you call Merv Atkins to see if he had a heater Merv has a lots of parts for Zephyrs and Continentals.

Frenchy
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