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This 40-Valve V-10 Lincoln Continental Was Built in a Home Garage
Anyone who gets excited about the ever-evolving promise of our automotive future has probably gotten a little salty at least once or twice by a slick OEM prototype or really cool concept that just disappeared like a shadow in the night, never to be seen again. Some might collect photos or video to keep wistful memories, but others are a little more proactive and try to keep the idea alive. Case in point: the aptly-named YouTube channel Build It Yourself recently took its custom one-off V-10 engine for a drive, dusting off the idea of a Ford dual overhead-cam V-10 from the Ford 427 concept of 2003.
The engine is not completely from scratch, but the most interesting bits were carefully fabricated at home without any input from the Blue Oval. A Ford pickup donated the Triton V-10 short block, which was then topped with custom cylinder heads to double the valve count and increase airflow in and out of the cylinders. The heads were sourced from a four-valve Mustang engine, cleaned up, and chopped in half before the real work started with welding them back together. The welding heat warped the heads and forced the team to line bore the camshaft mounting journals at home since no machine shop in the area would take on the job. This truly was no small feat.
Of course, joining four cylinder heads into a single pair is just the start of the project, and the video I found is the first drive of the project car that the 40-valve V-10 engine ended up in. And what would be more appropriate home for a surprisingly great sounding V-10 than a 2017 Lincoln Continental? Of course, that meant ripping out a V-6 and the front-drive setup from the wrecked Conti because there was no chance that transmission and drivetrain would hold up to an 8000-rpm V-10. The team sourced subframes and a six-speed manual transmission from a Mustang and massaged the Lincoln until everything fit in a rear-wheel drive configuration.
Fast forward through all the small tasks that eat away the sanity of anyone attempting a project like this, and the car is finally ready for a test drive. With minimal exhaust and plenty of small quirks the drive isn’t as smooth as the designers of the Continental would like, but for those of us more interested in the sound of this beast and what it might be capable of, this first outing is quite telling. The power and personality are certainly there, and we can’t wait to see how the build is wrapped up, as so far the fit and finish appear really nice. If that carries through to the final touches this will likely be a very well-executed car that is truly unlike any other.
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The excitement of a first drive in a project car is infectious and just what I needed going into this weekend. I might not be doing any first drives, but the reminder that they do indeed happen as I head into a couple days filled with projects sure is nice.
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(my pappy said) son, yer gonna drive me to drinkin’…
It has some Garage 54 elements to it, but that thing is a beast
Nice to see the younger folks involved, eh ?
Looks like a size 10 foot going into a size 8.5 shoe. I wonder how much more it weighs as is. It’s very interesting to see running.