Lincoln "L" Technical Questions

I found a complete vacuum tank assembly at Hershey a couple of years ago. It looked like it had not been on a car, so they are out there.

Remember to do what I did not, take the chance to check valve clearance with the intake manifold and carb out of the way.

Do you have a copy of the service manual? There is an inspection hole to check deflection distance of the timing chain. I personally have not had to do anything with this (yet), but perhaps others have.

Frank

Well if I have to take the vacuum tank apart again sometime to check on the JB weld, I will. I have another inner tank from a parts tank but is was not an exact match and didn't seem to interchange. Guess I'll have to look for some additional parts vacuum tanks at swap meets.

The fuel shut off is not leaking. There's packing in there? Sheesh.

I am Now removing the carb and manifold. It was leaking due to a missing screw in a horizontal drilled passage. Now replaced. Yes, while I was there I removed and cleaned out the drip pan. The forward drain tube WAS plugged with dirt.

I have learned about running the carb out of fuel when putting it away. It is a habit I was taught on my 29 Cadillac. I am basically 1950s car guy, these updrafts are strange.

I got the floor boards all up so I figured I should check the timing. The manual suggests doing all the checking with the lever (distributor) on full retard. Seems a strange way to do it. Rather than watching the amp gauge I used an Ohm meter to see when the points open.

However when turning the flywheel back and forth to check and recheck the point opening the flywheel marks where things happened were not consistent. Maybe my timing chain is stretched? How to you check this without taking everything apart?

I agree with Frank about JB Weld constantly immersed in fuel. Not a Good Idea, use solder.  When operating a car with vacuum tank fuel feed it is VERY important to have a tight shut-off valve on the line to the carburetor. The float operated needle valves to not seal absolutely tight, and if there is a flow path to the vacuum tank, a trickle of fuel can continue to flow into the carb, where it will drip, or probably just evaporate. The result is a source of gasoline vapor in the garage, (FIRE HAZARD) and ultimately, an empty vacuum tank when you want to start the car again. The Lincoln vac. tank holds a full gallon, mush more than any other ones I have seen. most hold a quart or two.
When putting my car in garage after a run, I usually shut off the fuel and run the engine a little faster than slow idle, until it stops from the carb running out of fuel.  
As Frank says, you do not need very much vacuum for the vac. tank to operate, but on a long pull up a hill,with wide open throttle, there is no vacuum, and you can run the vacuum tank dry. The large size of the Lincoln tank is intended to alleviate this problem, but on a mountain pass, for example, you may need to periodically slow down to let the vacuum tank recharge. Or pull over when it feels like you are running out of gas, and let the engine idle for a few minutes. 

See my notes in this month FandB about vacuum tanks. I would be careful about using an additional in line filter - there should be an original flow through on the frame, below the driver side. It should be a solid fuel line that goes to the inlet of the vacuum tank. You do not need too much vacuum once the system is operating (10-12 psi when cranking). Watch for loss of vacuum at connections at fire wall and lead to wiper.

I worry about using JB Weld in a constant fuel situation, agree with Alan R to use some solder. I worry about that flap valve also-is yours metal or a pressed fabric type? I had reliability issues with the later fabric type. See pics in the FandB.

You will want to also be sure at this point that your fuel shutoff on the firewall/under the dash works. The old packing can leak, and cause flow problems as well. It is a pain to get the tank remounted and lines hooked up to find out you have an issue here, which is quite common- and can be dangerous. See FandB this month on what can go wrong and hood fires. I brought mine to a local machine shop and they press fitted some really nice gas resistant neoprene. Well worth the $30 and to do it while the vacuum tank is out. This is also a good time to get some compressed air and blow out the fuel collection cup and drain that sits below the carb. Again, this was put there due to fuel leaks. Worth the effort before you start running fuel back in.

Sounds like you are getting there!!

Frank

Vacuum tank now working! :-)
I ordered a rebuild kit. The inner tank had corrosion and pinholes which I sealed up with JB weld.
Polished the needle valves with toothpaste. Light sanding and toothpaste lapping to seal the flapper valve.

Blew and sucked and everything seemed to be holding (or releasing) vacuum. Assemble the lid and inner tank then connect to my running 1966 Mercury 410. (20" of vacuum) Weak vacuum :-(

Disassemble, put Vaseline on the gaskets (as recommended by the kit maker) and it then holds (and releases) vacuum.

Install on the car. Fuel line already cut near drivers feet area for a filter, so I put a hose into a cup of gas and connect the vacuum to the Mercury and it sucked up the gas and emptied the cup.

Put the fuel line into a gallon can and with the 1966 V-8 vacuum it nearly emptied the gallon can and even cycled as the float opened and closed.

Hooray! one more step done.
Now on to cranking it and see if I can hear it run.

Clever fix. Unfortunately the aluminum foil contact will not last very long. You might try putting a drop of solder on one of the switch elements. If the "wafer " part of the switch is bakelite or hard fiberboard, the temperature of a soldering iron will not harm it. Clean the surface with fine sandpaper and melt a small blob of 60/40 solder on it. This will last quite a long time.
Ask me about vacuum tank when you get to it.
Happy Thanksgicing

Follow up - I was able to open up the combination switch. Sometime in its life it had a bunch of current going through it. The knife switches were hot and carbonized.
I was able to clean it up and bend some connections and now (at least) the ignition side of it works.

The wafer design of the contact point sending power to the coils would not make a connection. Prior owner had added another switch to power the coils. I opened the wafer part of the switch and slipped in a piece of doubled up aluminum foil to make a connection. It doesnt short to the case, and it now powers the coils when the ignition switch is turned on.

Maybe I will replace the combination switch if I find a better one, but with power to the generator and coils (it cranks a sparks) I can move onto the vacuum tank and maybe someday it will fire and run.

After spending the weekend sorting out my starter/generator I have confirmed that my 26 combination switch is not delivering power to some terminals when switched. Can they be opened up for cleaning? What are the tricks for doing so?
I would like to have a key made also. Any advice?
Thanks