1962 Lincoln Continental: Reader Ride

By: Craig Jamieson, Photography by: Steve Nally

Date: 23.02.2015

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Reader ride: 1962 Lincoln Continental

Craig Jamieson's 1962 Lincoln Continental...

Craig Jamieson's 1962 Lincoln Continental

Craig Jamieson's 1962 Lincoln Continental

Lincolns are beautiful cars; there’s something architectural about those big flat panels. When they’re stock, they’re a bit of an old man’s car, but if you change the ride height and give them a bit of attitude, et voila! Gangsta.

A mate of mine in Tassie imported the car from Japan, but he went through a messy divorce and had to get rid of it and I scored it. I already had a ’61 and I’m in the Lincoln club, so he thought I’d be the bloke to take it. He even brought it over to Melbourne on the ferry for me.

It’s an ex-US military police car (in Japan) and still has the flashing red lights and siren, which is not hooked up at the moment. It was in poor nick when I got it, with rust and few dents that needed fixing.

I’m a spray painter by trade but a panel shop talked me into letting them do the bodywork and when I got it back it was so bad I had to dig everything out and re-do it. It actually came back worse than when it went into their shop! I had to take it back to metal to get it into paint.

The chrome is all original, nothing is repro, everything on it except the interior, is original. The interior was already done when I got it, but most of the ‘62s that I’ve seen have red interiors.

It’s got the 430-cube V8 with a two-barrel carbie, but I’ve got a four-barrel manifold with a Holley ready to go on. People said it couldn’t be done but I fitted it to my ’61 so I know it works. It’s hard to get parts for these engines, though. When you say you’re looking for a part for a 430 people say,"Don’t you mean a 429?" But the Ford 429 and Lincoln 430 are completely different engines and parts are not compatible.

I’ve fitted Air-ride suspension and the rims are ‘60s Supreme Astros with drums all ‘round; it pulls up okay for a 2.6-tonne car. At just under 5.5 metres long and 1.8m-wide, it handles a bit like a boat, but I used to drive trucks and you get used to the length. I find it hard to part with cars, so it’s a keeper.

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