Lincoln-Zephyr V12 engine

Infobox Automobile engine
name=Lincoln-Zephyr V12
aka=


manufacturer=Ford Motor Company
production=1936–1948
predecessor=Lincoln L-head V12
successor=InVincible 8
class=75 °Flathead V12
similar=
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 narrow angle compounded the problems already apparent in the Ford V-8. 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. The engine was notorious as an oil burner. 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 convert|60000|mi|km, the Zephyr V-12 could rarely go more than 30,000. 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, and this was resurrected after the war in 1946 for a short time before reverting to the 292 size 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

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ee also

* List of Ford engines