Assembly comment

These were provided by Barry Wolk:
The engines came into the plant from Lincoln and put into a storage area, were mated to a transmission from Lincoln and a rear end from Lincoln. The engine and trans were mounted on a dyno and went straight to the assembly line. There is no place on the floor plans for the monumental task of breaking down each engine, nor would there be a need for that. That was all hype. Wheel covers were actually a Cadillac design rejected as too expensive. The outside contractor, Lyon Manufacturing, made the wheel covers. The only hand work was done by low-skilled workers as the 40 vanes have locating tabs making it impossible for there to be any error. I?ve had many off. One nut, washer and lock washer per vane.

The bodies were totally made by an outside contractor that stamped and welded and primed the bodies on a production line, the same one used to make other low production vehicles. The Mark II bodies used the same build techniques and workers as other cars in the Ford family. The workers were just older.

The chassis were delivered from an outside source. They were only painted in the plant. Everything else that was attached came from outside sources. Nothing was actually built there, no welding, stamping or cutting of metal, so what was hand-made about the car? Workers rotated in and out of other Ford factories. The car was built for the average assembly worker to assemble. These were average workers with average skill sets. The quality comes from the engineering, not the finish materials or the assembly. I?m wondering if you?ve ever had one of these apart.

As to the claim of advanced inspections. I have the records of executives complaining about huge dealer complaints with lists of missing options and for bad workmanship, most especially excessive use thick lead which outgassed and ruined paint jobs before the cars got to the dealers.

Sounds truthful, but you may be tried for heresy! I thought the same thing about hand building wheel covers, and how time you would waste as a company....etc. Makes me feel better about my 368 probably being just some dumb old Lincoln Motor at birth!

John,

Based on what you (actually Barry) wrote in this post am I correct in thinking the Mark II 368 is the exact engine used in other Ford products such as the Turnpike Cruiser and Lincoln? if so is it possible some Mark II engines were blue and not stamped?

Jim:
The same exact ECU 368 Y-block was used in other Ford and Mercury products minus the valve covers and dress up kit. With the exception of maybe some pre production, all Continental units were painted gold with a light green tint, same color as the bumper jack. Production units were not painted blue, green or red. Other colors could indicate the engine was removed and possibly rebuilt or overhauled or replaced and then repainted the incorrect color. Only Continental engines were numbered by the distributor and had hydraulic lifters. Not sure what lifters were in the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser.
John