My '80 Lincoln Continental Mark VI Coupe "White Lightnin"

[LTDMan83]

Here's the newest addition to my Collection. A 1980 Lincoln Continental Mark VI 2-Door. That I bought from a member of this site, who was planning on parting it out and then scrapping it. She needs some TLC, but overall is incredibly Solid and Rust-Free, exceptional condition for a 30yr old car. I'm still not sure of what the exact Mileage is on the car, but it looks to be a lower mileage car judging from the condition of everything, especially all the suspension parts and bushings. The car does not have a title currently, but I am working on resolving that small issue right now. I'd be interested to know the exact origins of this car. The car has a New York Inspection sticker from 2008, and the glovebox was full of bridge tokens from New Jersey. This car is far to rust-free to have been from up north though, unless it was always garaged and never driven during the winter. Carfax doesn't keep records for anything older than '81, so I may never know.

This is the condition of the car exactly as I received it, I haven't worked on or cleaned anything yet.




Right after it was first dropped off at my house, it was raining pretty hard.





About to use the H.O. Merc to tow it forward a little.







Exterior:



Needs a new Pearl White paintjob, but overall not bad, minor Body damage on the lower part of the PS rear Quarter behind the wheel, nothing that I can't easily fix though. The Vinyl Top is in good shape with no cracks, and all the Stainless Trim still is in excellent shape and has a mirror finish.



























Interior:


White on Red Leather Interior. This Interior is pure sex. In good shape overall, none of the leather is cracked. The seats are incredibly soft for leather seats. It should clean up really nicely.








This backseat has got to be one of the most comfortable and classy, ever made in the history of man. Already has C-Pillar lights above the opera windows, controlled by a switch on the armrest panel. Fun times are ahead back here.








Both the Door Panels are in good shape, the red is slightly faded. Has some greasy fingerprints, that can be easily cleaned off.





Full Digi Dash, Message Center, Speedo, etc. The dash itself is in excellent shape, doesn't look like anyone has ever pulled it off to replace the heater core. Everything works as well.








The 30yr old Dash Pad is Mint.





Really Love those Opera Windows, with the gold Lincoln emblems sandwiched inside them. A seriously nice detail touch.






Chassis & Undercarriage:



Incredibly Rust-Free for a 30yr old car. Seriously greasy/grimy under here, which probably helped quite a bit to keep everything nice. The passenger side A/C drain Bulkhead is totally Rust-Free on this car. I couldn't ask for any more than this right here, from a car this old. Even the axle is near mint. I am impressed.




















LCA's have the 2 holes in them, and are ready for a PI RSB to be installed, which I just happen to have sitting around collecting dust.





Has the rare one year Lincoln only, 1980 Lincoln Mark VI Upper Control Arms.





The good 'ol AOD. I hope this isn't the longer length Lincoln AOD. Not sure which wheelbase this car has.






Engine:


351W, which I'm pretty sure had a VV Carb on it from the factory. This is gonna take a while to figure out because I am not familiar with this early model setup, and have no idea exactly what all has been taken/disconnected in here, what all the Vac/Electrical connections do, and where they are supposed to go. I know that the Carb, Lower Intake, Distributor, and Throttle/TV Cables were taken by Brandon, the guy I bought the car from. Probably gonna go with an aftermarket Intake/4 bbl Carb and Lokar Throttle/TV Cables in here, instead of the stock stuff, just to get it going. Eventually I want to build something serious to throw in here.















Body & problem areas:


Slight Dent in the lower part of the PS rear quarterpanel, won't be a hard fix.





Someone removed the Continental badging off the trunk and then half-assed filled in the holes with bondo. I like it being shaved like that, but all that work will have to come back out, and be done again the right way.





Dent in the DS Rocker Panel Trim. I bet it will be damn hard to find this trim piece. Probably will have to try my hand at straightening it back out.





Front Bumper is dented on the side, and pulled out on the bottom, like some idiot hooked a chain to it to tow the car around or something. Will be a PITA to fix this. I'd imagine these bumpers are nearing unobtainium status by now.





Core support is dented on the bottom, like someone jacked the car up from here at some point. The sad part is, I wouldn't doubt if that really happened. Poor Car. It's not too bad, I should be able to fix this. I really want to keep the car original as possible. I can always get another one from any Box Towncar in the junkyards here though, if necessary.





The Trunklid is really nice and Rust-Free. It has the Gas Lift Shock Hinges supporting it as well, instead of the regular torsion bar setup, so of course it won't stay up on its own now. Gas Lift Shocks = FAIL. This decklid is one heavy son of a bitch as well. I ordered new lift shocks for it.








The PS Hood Hinge has no Hood Shock, or even peg's to mount one to! The plate that mounts to the underside of the hood is also shorter than the DS Hood Hinge, it looks about the same size as the CV/GM Hood Hinge. The DS has the normal longer Towncar lift shock hood hinge, with a lift shock installed. What the Hell is going on here!!! Is this Factory???










So there you have it. Work begins soon, starting with a thorough washing of the body, polishing of all the Stainless & Chrome, cleaning of the Interior, and De-Greasing of the Undercarriage. I will get more pics of her all cleaned up afterward. I also am in the process of obtaining a Title for the car, so hopefully that will go smoothly, we shall see. I have many plans brewing for this thing, and I can't wait to get started working on this classic piece!

[rick99601]

beautiful. cant wait to see it cleaned up.

it wouldve been a shame if this car wouldve been parted out.

[87gtVIC]

You picked up a beauty.

[gadget73]

Looks almost like the lower portion of the passenger side hood hinge is broken off? Can't tell for sure but that looks odd. I can't imagine the factory only installing one lift shock. Not only would it require a grossly large gas shock on one side, it would twist the hood over time from shutting it agains the pressure. Either way, I'd get another hinge and install a pair of shocks so you don't tweak the hood. Finding those in really nice shape is quite difficult. Yours is steel, which might hold up a bit better than the later alumimun ones, but they're just increasingly rare.

A good indicator of mileage and driving conditions is the stainless trim just behind the wheels. The more its used, particularly on crappy roads, the more pitted and worn it will be from stone chips. If yours is still nice and shiny, its probably a low mileage car.

Motor looks clean inside, but you'd better get that covered asap, even if its just with plastic and duct tape. The stuff under the hood actually makes me suspect thats an EEC3 / 302 car, not a 351 car. I see the B/MAP and I could swear I see the wiring from the crankshaft sensor, neither of which would have lived on a 351. I also do not see the MCU, which is normally found on VV cars, though its possible the 80 351 used a 2150. The B/MAP just has me confused though. I have never seen that on anything that wasnt EEC3.

AOD should be the long Lincoln AOD, but the wheelbase on the car ought to be the same as a Vic. It will have a specific and shorter driveshaft to make this work. Don't damage that driveshaft because you'll probably never find another. On the bright side, if the trans nukes and you have a short AOD, you can install it with a Vic driveshaft and life should be good.

[P72Ford]

Looks to be remarkably clean.

Nice acquisition!

[sly]

looks like it's more rust free than my 82. the trunk is for sure. awesome find.

[Jason_GMQ91]

Nice and clean Mark VI! Hey...I do have '80 Mark VI's 8-track and also I do have casstte as well. both are comes with silver stain faceplates. same what your car have that. You can PM to me...if you are interesting to buy both of them from me.

[marquisman]

looks good mang! my bros 88 town car has the same red/white interior. its nice. let me know how you make out with the trunk lid shocks. i need a set too but, i need good ones. the hood shock aint uncommon. my mark had the same thing. along with my dads mark. i just got a hing from a town car to resolve the issue. also,the stailess trim for the rocker will work from a towncar. only if you are using the forward section. and, you ignition set up is the same as mine. i think alot of em had EEC III but, then converted to carb. my mark has the ECM and all the smog solenoids and such. mine is a factory 5.8L/351. and has the same napa ignition box! lol

[P72Ford]

I'd be interested to know the exact origins of this car. The car has a New York Inspection sticker from 2008, and the glovebox was full of bridge tokens from New Jersey. This car is far to rust-free to have been from up north though, unless it was always garaged and never driven during the winter.

There have been known to be some really clean cars from this area, although its not the norm. My '90 P72 is minty fresh underneath, as Mike and Scott can attest to. It was a city of Hartford, CT detectives car. Makes you wonder how it stayed so clean.

If it was owned by someone elderly, it may have never been driven in the slop. It may have just been a mindful owner that chose to preserve it by not driving it in the winters.

Or, like you said, it may have originated elsewhere, and spent a short time in the northeast.

Either way, its clean, and I'll be following your work here.

[79lincolnlover]

The wheelbase should be 117 inches. Same as the MK VI and TC sedans.

[Jason_GMQ91]

The wheelbase should be 117 inches. Same as the MK VI and TC sedans.

nope, 114 inches for 2dr Mark VI, 117 inches for 4dr Mark VI sedans. But oddly for Town Coupe is different story, its got 117 inches same as Town Car 4dr.

[ford man]

Really nice car. Great project. Why is the motor torn down? It would have been really silly to part this car out. You know in 1980 a town car was 15k, while a Mark VI was 25K!

There's is a great 1980 Lincoln promo video on 'youtube'. 12 minutes long with Town Car and Mark VI.

[Brandon]

Yeah. I'm not sure about the motor. the guy said it got to knocking real bad and shut off. I figured it locked up or threw a rod. Has no oil so idk. And yes that is a 351 engine. It did have the old variable venturi carb on it. The guy removed the and installed holley carb and aluminum intake.

as far as putting it all back it should fine. Everything should be there.

I am looking forward on seeing you driving this thing!

[LTDMan83]

Thanks guys for all the compliments and info. Learned a few things about the car that I didn't know before.

Looks almost like the lower portion of the passenger side hood hinge is broken off? Can't tell for sure but that looks odd. I can't imagine the factory only installing one lift shock. Not only would it require a grossly large gas shock on one side, it would twist the hood over time from shutting it agains the pressure. Either way, I'd get another hinge and install a pair of shocks so you don't tweak the hood. Finding those in really nice shape is quite difficult. Yours is steel, which might hold up a bit better than the later alumimun ones, but they're just increasingly rare.

A good indicator of mileage and driving conditions is the stainless trim just behind the wheels. The more its used, particularly on crappy roads, the more pitted and worn it will be from stone chips. If yours is still nice and shiny, its probably a low mileage car.

Motor looks clean inside, but you'd better get that covered asap, even if its just with plastic and duct tape. The stuff under the hood actually makes me suspect thats an EEC3 / 302 car, not a 351 car. I see the B/MAP and I could swear I see the wiring from the crankshaft sensor, neither of which would have lived on a 351. I also do not see the MCU, which is normally found on VV cars, though its possible the 80 351 used a 2150. The B/MAP just has me confused though. I have never seen that on anything that wasnt EEC3.

AOD should be the long Lincoln AOD, but the wheelbase on the car ought to be the same as a Vic. It will have a specific and shorter driveshaft to make this work. Don't damage that driveshaft because you'll probably never find another. On the bright side, if the trans nukes and you have a short AOD, you can install it with a Vic driveshaft and life should be good.

Thanks for all the info that helps me out quite abit.

No part of the PS hood hinge is broken off at all, tis 100% intact. Surprisingly the one hood lift shock on the DS supports the entire hood no problem. I have 2 sets of minty Towncar hood hinges sitting in my parts bin, so I'm gonna replace them both. Hard to believe that was factory.

The stainless trim just behind the wheels is indeed still very nice on both sides, one more clue leading me to believe that this may be a low-mileage car.

I've been an EFI 302 guy for a long time, so I'm not sure of all the specifics of this setup, but I can tell you for sure that this is a 351w. I'm gonna get the motor covered up soon with trash bags and duct tape.

Gotta love those ultra-rare parts! Good to know that I at least have the option of using a CV/GM AOD & Driveshaft if I ever need to.

Nice and clean Mark VI! Hey...I do have '80 Mark VI's 8-track and also I do have casstte as well. both are comes with silver stain faceplates. same what your car have that. You can PM to me...if you are interesting to buy both of them from me.

I may be in contact with you soon about the stock Mark VI cassette deck.

looks good mang! my bros 88 town car has the same red/white interior. its nice. let me know how you make out with the trunk lid shocks. i need a set too but, i need good ones. the hood shock aint uncommon. my mark had the same thing. along with my dads mark. i just got a hing from a town car to resolve the issue. also,the stailess trim for the rocker will work from a towncar. only if you are using the forward section. and, you ignition set up is the same as mine. i think alot of em had EEC III but, then converted to carb. my mark has the ECM and all the smog solenoids and such. mine is a factory 5.8L/351. and has the same napa ignition box! lol

I will post in this thread about the Trunk Lid Shocks, with a pic and a part #, after I get and install them. I can't believe that PS hood hinge was actually a factory thing. Make me wonder in who's mind was that acceptable for these cars to leave the factory like that, lol. Good to know that I can use the forward section of stainless rocker trim from a Towncar as well.

Really nice car. Great project. Why is the motor torn down? It would have been really silly to part this car out. You know in 1980 a town car was 15k, while a Mark VI was 25K!

There's is a great 1980 Lincoln promo video on 'youtube'. 12 minutes long with Town Car and Mark VI.

The guy I bought the car from took the Intake/Carb and Throttle/TV Cables. Wow! I didn't know Mark VI's went for that much money way back in the day.

Gonna go on youtube and check out that promo right now.

Yeah. I'm not sure about the motor. the guy said it got to knocking real bad and shut off. I figured it locked up or threw a rod. Has no oil so idk. And yes that is a 351 engine. It did have the old variable venturi carb on it. The guy removed the and installed holley carb and aluminum intake.

as far as putting it all back it should fine. Everything should be there.

I am looking forward on seeing you driving this thing!

Do you mean it has no oil pressure, or no oil in the crankcase at all? I haven't checked yet. I'd like to try and get this motor running, so that I can move the car around when I need to. If this motor really is knocking bad and ends up being trash, then I can get another 351w from the junkyard pretty much anytime. Maybe even a lightning EFI 351. I probably am gonna start driving it every once in a while, just as soon as I get it running and legal. Can't wait to see how it rides compared to my Merc.

[85crownHPP]

I also think that engine bay screams EEC-III... I can see the test connector... plus the MAP and lack of MCU like Thain already mentioned.