Todd Wallace’s 1963 Lincoln Continental from MetalWorks Classic Auto
In 1985, Todd Wallace’s Great Grandmother made him a deal he couldn’t refuse. She would sell him her bone stock, low-mile ’63 Nova for $50 if he promised not to modify or sell the little sedan.
He still has the car and has kept his promise but has always wanted something equally boxy, but a bigger car that he and his family could fit in better. The car that always checked those boxes for him is an early ’60s Lincoln Continental.
“To me, these cars are just as square and boxy as the Nova, but much, much bigger,” Todd said. After years of searching high and low for the right candidate, he stumbled upon a running, lower mile 1963 Lincoln Continental on Marketplace not far from his home in Olympia, Washington. The deal was quickly made, and Todd solidified his plan for a stock-appearing cruiser but with a modern drivetrain and suspension.
To perform these tasks, he enlisted the help of the pros at MetalWorks Classic Auto Restoration in Eugene, Oregon. To cover the stance and ride quality, a call was put into Choppin Block for their Extreme Front Air suspension kit complemented with their Enhanced Air rear kit. A set of 20-inch Raceline Manhattan wheels fill the fenders perfectly with Diamondback whitewalls.
As a Chevy fan, Todd had always planned for an LS-based engine and chose a Chevrolet Performance LSA, the 6.2L supercharged engine. With over 550-horsepower, there’s plenty of oomph to get the Lincoln up and rolling quickly with a 4L80E overdrive trans keeping pace.
MetalWorks smoothed all the sheet metal and tightened gaps to retain the stock looks, but one modification was the removal of the B-pillar, effectively making the car into hardtop (a style that was not available in ’63). The Lincoln is finished in a custom grey metallic from Sikkens sprayed to perfection by MetalWorks.
Todd also wanted the interior to appear stock, so great pains were made to adapt all the factory controls and knobs with modern equipment including Vintage Air and Dakota Digital VHX gauges. Jon Lind Interiors was tasked with covering the original seats in Italian Crest leather while refreshing the door panels and headliner.
The Lincoln went a little further than Todd’s “nice driver” plan, but he couldn’t be happier with the outcome and all the fine work done by the MetalWorks team. In fact, not only did the Lincoln become a finalist for the Vintage Air Custom Rod of the Year, but MetalWorks also earned a finalist for the Chevrolet Performance GM Retro Iron Builder of the Year award! Congrats to both on such a cool hot rod Lincoln.
Photos by John Jackson
