Lincoln-Zephyr V12 engine
| Lincoln-Zephyr V12 | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford Motor Company |
| Production | 1936–1948 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Lincoln L-head V12 |
| Successor | InVincible 8 |
Ford Motor Company's Lincoln division produced two other L-head V12 engines from 1932, but required a more compact unit for their new streamlined Lincoln-Zephyr line. As Ford had just introduced their Flathead V8, this was the logical starting point for a new Lincoln V12 line. The Lincoln-Zephyr V12 would quickly replace the previous-generation V12, just as the Lincoln-Zephyr car replaced the rest of the Lincoln line, and would be the company's primary engine through 1948.
Overview
The 90° Ford flathead V8, introduced for 1932, was revised with a narrower 75° between cylinder banks and four more cylinders were added. It used aluminum-alloy heads and cast-steel pistons.
Although it was low and compact, the four extra cylinders compounded the problems already apparent in the Ford V8. Since hot exhaust gasses passed out of the cylinder into the confined space between the banks, the engine was prone to overheating and required an extensive water cooling system. Since cylinders warped due to overheating, the engine was notorious as an oil burner. Overheating also caused aluminum heads to warp and gaskets to fail. Also, the lower bearings and crankshaft were not sufficiently strong and bottom-end failures were common. In an era when engines typically required rebuilding at 60,000 miles (97,000 km), the Zephyr V12 could rarely go more than 30,000. Lincoln worked hard to solve most of these problems in the first year, but only after substituting stronger iron heads for the original aluminum ones in 1942 the water leakage problems were solved. The post-war (1946-1948) engines benefitted from several improvements such as higher-capacity oil pumps which made them somewhat more reliable and long-lived than pre-war engines. The V12 was eventually replaced by the InVincible 8, simply a version of the flathead V8 found on Ford's truck line.
The Zephyr V12 was also used by Allard, Atalanta, and Brough Superior in England.
267
The first Lincoln-Zephyr models of 1936 used a 267 in³ (4.4 L) engine which produced 110 hp (82 kW). This engine was upgraded with hydraulic lifters in 1938 and produced for one further year.
292
The engine was enlarged for 1940 and 1941 to 292 in³ (4.8 L). This engine was reused from late 1946 through 1948 and was the last of the line produced.
306
The single month of 1942 production used a 306 in³ (5.0 L) version of the engine. This was resurrected after the war in 1946 (with 7.2:1 compression and 2-barrel {twin choke} carburetor, rated at 130 hp {97 kW})[1] for a short time before reverting to 292 ci for the rest of 1946 through 1948. The reason for the reversion to the smaller size was that the cylinder walls on the bored-out engine were found to be too thin. Many disappeared altogether in the block casting process at the factory causing many blocks to be scrapped before installation, cylinder wear in the field was extreme, and re-boring during engine overhaul was impossible.
References
- David L. Lewis (2005). 100 Years of Ford. Publications International. ISBN 0-7853-7988-6.
- Weiss, H Eugene. Chrysler, Ford, Durant and Sloan: Founding Giants of the American Automotive Industry. p. 62. ISBN 0-7864-1611-4.
- "Lincoln Anonymous". Retrieved August 22.
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Notes
- ^ Flory, J. "Kelly", Jr. American Cars 1946-1959 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Coy, 2008), p.46.