Barn find 69 Lincoln 460

I've wanted to put a 460 in my 56 F-100 for..a long time. I ran across one out of a 69 Lincoln Continental with allegedly 66,147 miles.

I'm not sure the last time it ran, or how long its sat. I've gone through a few cans of $1 oven cleaner to clean it up. Its looking really nice. The crank mounted power steering pump is..strange. I hope it works.

What have I found so far?

Pulling valve covers revealed hardly any carbon buildup. Even the springs are still blue. Rockers and pushrods appear fine.

Two broken bolts in water pump. One to the block, the other just to the cover. I pulled the pump and I think it may be a never ran remanufactured one. The gasket seemed newer and the impeller and internal are shiny like new. The pump is a C8XX, still original I believe, but SO clean?

The exhaust manifolds have hairline cracks. Not a huge deal, I have other manifolds for now until I can do headers.

The oil was overfull and appeared clean with a hint of trans fluid.. Smart move for storing an engine. I have not pulled the pan yet.

What would yall recommend I do to clean this thing out internally?

I'm tempted to pull the screw in block plugs for the coolant, just to see what it may be hiding. I've heard CLR,  muriatic acid or wood bleach work good for cleaning water jackets. Its on an engine stand,  so I can tilt or spin it if I flush anything out.

Is there a way of flushing and/or backflushing the oiling system? Maybe use trans fluid and spin the oil pump? Spin pump, turn crank, repeat...?

I also can't tell what kind of shape the valve stem seals are in. I hear broken ones can be a nightmare to oil pumps. Cheap insurance to just replace, or how can I tell if they're ok?

What else should I check, this is my first 460.


Ok enough babbling.....for now


Oh, btw, the C6 has the unusual corner 'cut off'. I had never seen that style case...ever. Lincoln only apparently? Still researching.

If those heads have never been off the block, it's likely you'll want to pull 'em off and freshen 'em up, adding hardened seats for the exhaust valves...assuming you plan to run unleaded fuel. The valve stem seals will be replaced then, too. And even if leaded fuel is in your plans, replace the seals anyway...I bet they're brittle by now, and that thing will smoke like a cheap cigar without good seals.

A Mustang wrecking/salvage yard that's local to me is being forced out of business (California ), and he's got a couple of 69 or 70 Lincolns with the 460's in them, never been apart. Im trying to get ahold of them before the cars go to the crusher.
So much has already been scrapped, it heartbreaking!!

BBFTorino wrote:A Mustang wrecking/salvage yard that's local to me is being forced out of business (California ), and he's got a couple of 69 or 70 Lincolns with the 460's in them, never been apart. Im trying to get ahold of them before the cars go to the crusher.
So much has already been scrapped, it heartbreaking!!

That is sad. Here in Wisconsin, same thing.  Cash for clunkers killed nearly every yard in my area. You'd be lucky to find 90's crap there now.

The guy I got my 69 from knew what he had, but....didn't know. I don't think he did much of any research before he sold it. Apparently just the PS pump is worth silly money. I see the pre 73 heads go for crazy prices too sometimes.

I'm trying -not- to dissemble any more than I need to. This thing still has 80% of the original paint. Looking in behind the water pump, the water jackets seem spotless. I still haven't pulled the pan, but if its anything like the valve covers, that should be gunk free as well.

I heard Marvel Mystery Oil added to the gas can somewhat help with the unleaded/ seat issue?

I start tearing into this thing I fear it will snowball...quickly. New timing chain? Aw hell slip a cam in... Hmm, roller rockers? Pulling heads?  May as well smooth out the ports and open up the exhaust some.. Man that intake is heavy, maybe a Performer?

See what I'm sayin?  Just a cruiser.....

Yeah, this guy said he has a buyer for both of these cars, but he's only got until the end of Feb. to have the whole yard cleared out and this buyer hasn't been heard from in some time.
He offered to sell me the motors (I have to pull them) if his buyer does not come through before the deadline.

The PS pumps are built into the timing chain covers on these things. They go for a bit of money. I told him I don't need those covers anyway.

BBFTorino wrote:

The PS pumps are built into the timing chain covers on these things. They go for a bit of money. I told him I don't need those covers anyway.

I would grab them if I were you. The pumps, and special timing covers must becoming darn near collectors items now, aren't they?  Heck, I'd put em on Ebay or Craigslist and see what happens.

Ok, now can we get back to the OPs topic? Wait, that's. ..me.

So short of disassembling it, is there a way to flush it out? Honestly, it seems extremely clean. I think every part on it is still original from '69 minus the oil filter.

I'm thinking ill pull out the jacket drain plugs. If it looks nasty, ill use CLR or oxycilic acid to flush then pop in the freeze plugs to get the big chunks? I'm very likely overthinking this.....

I would believe it to be a 66,147 mile engine. Not 166, or 266... The guy I bought it from had a great story behind it that seemed legit. He still had the speedometer. True stories? I may never know but I'm a pretty good judge of carrot cake tours. People too I guess...

If it were me, I wouldn't just flush it and put it in the vehicle. I would tear it down, do a complete inspection of everything, and if it's as in good condition as you describe, run a quick hone thru each cylinder, clean all the parts, replace the freeze plugs, repaint it all fresh looking and re-assemble with all new gaskets/seals and a new timing chain.
That's the easy and cheap way!! LOL
And yes, I'd very likey replace the heavy stock iron intake with a Edelbrock Performer intake while Im at it.
You don't need to throw a ton of money at it if its just mainly a cruiser. Stock is just fine.

I think I'll wait on seeing what its like under the pan. As it is i found a few 'quirks' that need to be addressed. I still need a carb, distributor, starter and a rear sump oil pump and tube. I have the rear pan already. Fab mounts, radiator, driveshaft...

Of what I've found, the general consensus is that 460s don't really need high volume pump. Why are pickup tubes so much? Its as much as the pump?! Just..silly.

So...curious.....minus the intake, maybe $150-200 for gaskets, cheap (umbrella) valve seals and timing chain? With it being a '69, the timing should already be 'correct' at straight up, true?

I don't have honing stones, and likely wouldn't be  too comfortable trying it on something I actually want to run again. Lol

Is $120 a fair price for a used Performer intake? (Not RPM) Again,  what i found there is no better than stock for low end torque. I ain't gonna be spinnin 6 grand much anyway, or not really planning on it

I think its Lem that offers recurved Duraspark distributors? I had great luck with my Mallory Pro Comp 9000, but that was on a brand C 383 stroker.

See...already.... 2 weeks ago I would have been fine with a simple 302 or 351.


Thanks for any and all advice. I am trying to weigh my options along with my budget and relative timeframe. The driveline is just part of the equation at this time. Lots to do yet!

Maybe ill post some pics, maybe that will help in my description of how clean I think it is. That whole thousand word thing...

It won't cost you anything to walk into any good automotive machine shop and ask their opinion of the hardened exhaust seats...
just sayin'.

maverick wrote:It won't cost you anything to walk into any good automotive machine shop and ask their opinion of the hardened exhaust seats...
just sayin'.

True, except there's not much around here for 'reputable' shops. Just the opposite actually..bad reputations. While I may ask around to friends that have had work done, I'm not convinced its absolutely necessary for a weekend cruiser. I doubt it would see 2500 miles a year.

I've read horror stories here about seats falling out due to incorrect machining. That would...suck..

I will look into it though, I plan on keeping this truck a while. I've already had it since...1988 lol

Btw...its a Big Window