Ivy moondust metallic 1970 Lincoln Mark III (sunroof)

1970 Lincoln Mark Series Description

1970 Lincoln Mark 3This car is a project, however I've done most of the work.
This car was built in November of '69. Because of this, it was installed with a '69 trunk after the '70 lettering was issued. The '69 trunks were not compatible with '70 lettering, and due to a supply error, this mk iii was built without any lettering on the trunk. This car was ordered direct from Ford by a buyer in California. It has the following options:* Ivy moondust metallic paint* White vinyl roof* White Corinthian leather* Am/fm radio* Factory sunroof/moonroof* Cross country ride package* Full power driver's seat* Full power passengers seat* Full climate control* Matching numbers* Power mirror* And a few other things I can't rememberAlso came with all standard factory options. Essentially, the only missing options are cruise control,Auto dimming headlights, and the upgraded side trim package (has the chrome trim on doors but I don't remember what package that was with)
This car then spent the majority of it's life in southern California, away from the salt, snow, and rain. The owner of the car did future owners the favor of providing excellent documentation, along with original brochures. The original owner also provided a real gold key. I do not know if it was included, or custom made, but I've never seen one before and the original owner was the founder of a chain of jewelry stores, so I presume he made it. In the early 90s, this car was sold and the original owner finally upgraded to a newer car (I believe it was a mark 7).
The second owner purchased the car and rebuilt the top half of the engine, and optimized it for unleaded gasoline. During that rebuild, he had multiple original parts of the engine chromed, both for looks, and for preservation. He then used the car for cross country races until 2001 (at least that's what I was told), when my grandfather purchased the car.
He drove the car from California to Ohio. During the trip, the car crossed 100,000 miles. The car was then put into storage until 2015, when I removed it and began working on it. While in storage, my grandfather came across a treasure trove of original, mint condition parts in the back of a closing lincoln dealership. Those parts are now with the car, and includes all sorts of original interior parts that match this car perfectly.
When I received the car, it was in very rough condition. The paint was beginning to flake off, the driver's seat was heavily worn from years of cross country racing, the car wouldn't start easily, and when I was actually able to get it to run, it sounded horrible, definitely had a miss. The carb desperately needed rebuilt. I began to rebuild the car. I started with the carburetor. I realized that the original carburetor was going to be a mess, and I wanted to begin to address the more pressing issues of the car. I installed a carb that had been shelved and boxed since it's creation. The car that is now on the car is a 1968 Holly 4 barrel from a Ford 460, destined for a Lincoln continental mark III. The carburetors is not tuned very well. I do not claim to be an expert in carburetors, which is why I just got a new one. The original carburetor is boxed up. Then, I turned my attention to the electrical systems. Every time I started the Lincoln, it was with the assistance of an outside power unit. I started with the battery, replacing it with a massive deep cell marine battery that should never need to be replaced. I then turned to the alternator, which was not functioning properly. I replaced it, placing the original in a box, storing it with the other parts I have. The new alternator is not original, it is a new alternator designed for classic Fords. I made this decision in an effort to help improve the longevity of the electrical systems of this car. The starter turned out to be in pretty good condition, and was not replaced. The alternator was not connected to the alternator gauge as the connectors are different and would have to be custom wired. At this point, the car mark III was capable of starting again, but it wasn't running great. I was expecting a thrown rod, or something serious. What I found was an engine gummed up by carbon and one cylinder unable fire, with the other ones barely capable. I began cleaning out the engine, fixing miscellaneous issues, and overall, restored the engine to it's original, functional state. It no longer knocks, shakes, stalls, or stutters. This car runs beautifully. With the engine taken care of, I turned my attention to the vacuum lines. I found a few pinhole leaks and sealed them. There's still a few I have yet to find, but now it takes about an hour for the headlight covers to flip up after the car's been turned off.
At this point, I began driving the car, it was fall of 2016. I realized that the car was extremely unstable at high speeds. While it was fine, and easy to drive at low speeds, it quickly began to deteriorate as you crossed 55 mph. I then sent the car to my buddy, who's an excellent mechanic, to rebuild the suspension. It came back in the spring, rebuilt with all original parts, and all matching numbers. I'm proud to say that the top speed of this car is 129 mph, and it will be easily controllable at that speed.
It was now 2017, and life was taking up more of my budget, and time, than I wanted. I began treating any surface rust I came across, and sealed all chipped paint with a sealant that stains black. It's worked for the most part in preserving the metal, but the paint will definitely need to be replaced, it is worst on the hood, and passenger's side. I turned my attention from the paint to the interior, heavily cleaning up years of use. The rear half of the interior is in mint condition. It looks almost factory new. The front seats, not so much. The passenger's seat power didn't work properly, so I rebuilt it, it now works. The rear window on the driver's side didn't work, I fixed it, the mirror was stuck... Well, I didn't fix it, but I have another power mirror that's in mint condition boxed up and ready to be installed. It'll take about an hour. I planned on doing it this spring. At this point, winter was approaching. I was happy with my progress, and decided that it was time, in late October of 2017, to put it in storage. I've checked on the car every week since it went into storage, and I've noticed that a seal gave out and there is now a very, very, slow oil leak. The car is in about the same condition it was in when I stored it. If it's above 32°, it'll start, and it'll run. I stand here now, in 2018, realizing that I am not going to have any time available this year to finish the car, nor will I have the money. I'm turning my focus to aviation and working to earn my A&P cert, and unfortunately, this car doesn't fit into that plan. I spent a few hard months deciding what I should do, and I finally made the decision to sell. I posted the car on letgo and Craigslist. All of the responders we're interested in chopping and modifying this piece of American history. I am aware that this car is the same color car owned by Lee Iacocca himself, I'm aware that this is one of 1,100 built with a moonroof, I am aware that this is one of only a few hundred ivy moondust mark iiis, I'm aware that this is the only mark III ever built with these options, and yes, I am aware that it needs work. I turned down the possible purchasers on letgo and Craigslist, and decided to list the car here on eBay. This is an all sales final sale, and a pure bid auction, no reserve, no bs. That being said, you're probably wondering a few things.
How did I do all of this? Did I do it right?Short answer: yes.Long answer: I happened to have been provided with a shop manuals for the Mark 3. Not the basic manual that goes over general items, and pertains to Continentals, Thunderbirds, and Mark IIIs, no, this is the Mark III shop manuals produced by Ford in 1970 for specifically the Mark III. There aren't very many of these left, and they're a pain to find. This manual gave step by step instructions for just about everything you'd ever need to do, fix, or change. I did everything by the book, and when I felt like I couldn't effectively complete the task to original design, I passed it on to someone that could.
What will you get? What comes with the car?You'll get:* the Mark III, with all options functional* All parts removed from the car* All spare parts accumulated over the years* All 3 sets of keys (including gold key)* Shop manuals* Original brochures and paperwork* Pictures and contact information (outdated) of past owners (in case you need to help them down)* Other papers I have* Car cover* OEM fan shroud that was never installed (sorry)* Anything else I can find that will help you with this car.
It has the sunroof? Does it work? Does everything else work?
Yep, has the sunroof, and the sunroof works. Also has a working clock. Everything power (minus the mirror) works on this car. The 3 cigarette lighters all function. The 2 in the back have never even been removed from their sockets.
Has the car ever been driven in the snow/rain?
Nope, never seen snow. It's been in the driveway during a few rainstorms, and I've been caught in the rain while driving it. The sunroof doesn't leak and the flaking paint has been sealed, so there's no real deterioration as a result.
What's left to do?
Make it pretty, needs interior work and paint. The gas gauge doesn't work, but I used a borescope to look at it and found a connection that's not connected. I'm working on building a tool to fix it without the need to drop the tank, so I think it'll be fixed here pretty soon. So, yeah, cosmetics. On the plus side, you do get the original floor mats, which is uncommon
Will I ship it?
I'll help set up shipping if you need shipping, including international, but the buyer is responsible for paying for shipping.
What's the deposit?
It's $500, but only because eBay made me
I really want this car to go to a good home, and I really want it to be carshow ready by the end of 2018, even if I can't be the one driving it to the shows. I really hope this is the car for you, because it is truly a piece of American history. Thank you for reading, have a nice day.
Message me if you want the VIN, you can't use it for much, and I don't remember it offhand, but I can go get it if you need it.
(Notice how in the most recent pic of car in garage, the headlight covers are down. This is my way of proving to you that it does in fact run)