Question on thoughts on impact on valuation of restoration upgrades

[Rob Lutts]

Hello Mark II Wizards:

I?m a relatively new 1956 Mark II owner- about 3 months.
The vehicle I purchased has a good history it is thought to be one
of the first 30 Mark II produced in 1955.
I believe the restoration is in the excellent category- great paint, interior
is close to perfect and looks brand new, and the engine runs very well.
There have been four upgrades that many would consider great improvements to
the drivability of the vehicle: 1. Front brakes are now disk brakes, 2. a duel power
master cylinder was installed for safety purposes, and 3. it has chrome wire wheels
that are not original but look great and avoid the well known problem with hub caps
not staying with the vehicle, and 4. the vacuumed operated wipers are now an electric
motor operated wiper. Do these upgrades significantly impact the value of the vehicle.
To a purist I guess they are looking for a vehicle exactly as it left the factory. However to me
the vehicle still seems very original and is now easier to drive and enjoy. I have never owned a trailer
queen and never will - these classics need to be driven to properly keep them in good condition.
I paid $53k for the car this summer and compared to the hagerty valuation of closer to $75-80k seemed
like a value. I realize values are very subjective. What are your experiences and thoughts regarding
these upgrades and impact to value?

Rob Lutts
Salem
C5681015 Deep Red

[lld]

Rob,

I think the wheel covers will definitely impact the value since the Mark II covers are quite unique. However, the impact would be relatively minor since (with some effort) Mark II wheel covers can still be found at a cost of around $3000 for a nice set of 4. Mark II wheel covers can be securely mounted with a relatively modest effort.

The electric wipers are not really necessary if the vacuum system is operating correctly. The fuel pump is also a vacuum pump that will maintain the windshield wiper vacuum even when the engine vacuum drops. If the entire vacuum system is still in place and only the wiper motor has been changed then the impact should be relatively minor since original motors are still available.

The brake system changes are definitely better from a safety standpoint but they do change the look of the engine compartment. Not sure of the impact if you get a buyer that wants to drive the car. The work and parts required to bring the car back to original brakes would probably be in the $3-5K range so not too large for a purist. I changed my front disc brakes back to original without much effort but the prior owner gave me the original parts.

Larry

[Rob Lutts]

Thanks Larry. I appreciate your insight.
Yes all the vacuum systems are working fine…prior owner just wanted
an electric driven motor.
As to the wire wheels - I do really like the original with the detailed covers.
I have grown to like the wire ones and expect I will keep them…they actually look
like they match the style of the car quite well. Here a photo of the car with wire wheels.
27285

[lld]

Rob,

Your car looks great and I like the wire wheels. My comments on the original wheel covers was related to resale value not appearance.

Larry

[Barry Wolk]

If it were mine I'd fix it right and turn everything back to proper working order. And yes, to a future buyer of a car to show in LCOC events everything would have to be reversed to be competitive. BTW, there's nothing wrong with the drum brakes. They were used on many thousands of Lincolns with no problem.

The car comes with a vacuum pump. Properly restored it provides vacuum any time the engine is running, regardless of the throttle position. They wipes work fine. You've lost the targeted spray coordinator when you went electric on the wiper pump.

The thing modified are, IMO, bandaids, when all the parts are available to return it to the Authenticity Manual standard. You should try and drive a restored, sorted out, car before making a final decision. Just saying.

It looks like a good car to return to its origins.

There are three upgrades I do endorse. Seat belts to keep you in your seat and in the car, Pertronix ignition, and new wheels so that you won't lose original wheel covers.

[Shelly Harris]

I agree with Barry but from experience I report that I have new wheels and a cover has flown off. About our precious wheel covers... some history ...mine were on the car when purchased. The first month the right front flew off on a bump and is a smashed bent up loss excepting for the individual spoke things if I ever need one. Fortunately (this is 7 years ago) I was able to get a single replacement for what is now a bargain price. I then rode around town stupid ly with the covers in place w/o additional attachment...again another came off and with luck and slow speed it ran up a neighbor's front lawn. BTW it's always the front ones that fly off. So I then proceeded to drill a self taping long screw thru the cover into the wheel. They stayed on well since.... however with the screw downs in place the balance of the wheels changes and hello to 60 mph shake So now my final solution.... since a nice set of covers are valued somewhere is the stratosphere it's INSANE TO HAVE THEM ON THE CAR EXCEPT FOR SHOW.. worth too much to damage. They are in the trunk and a set of Lincoln-Mercury caps are on the wheels for driving round town (they seem to hold on ok).

[lld]

Funny, the one I lost before securing the used wheel covers was the rear one on the passenger side. When I looked at the "bite" marks on that painted wheel I could see that some of the wheel covers tabs were not putting heavy pressure/bite on the wheel.

I think that most of the issue is the condition of the wheel cover tabs that "bite" into the wheel to secure the cover. When I installed a set of NOS Mark II wheel covers, they were very hard to put on and they were very hard to remove, tremendous metal screech as I slowly pried them off moving the pry bar around the cover at least 8-10 times to remove a given cover. The fit was a night versus day difference from my used covers which were in excellent cosmetic condition.

To be on the safe side, I added two stainless steel lanyards and extended valve stem retainers as well on each wheel cover. After driving the car quite a bit over very bumpy roads, I checked the two lanyards on each wheel cover and they all were slightly slack indicating that the wheel covers had never loosened.

I removed the wheel covers about 2 years later when shipping the car to Australia and the lanyards were still slightly slack.

Larry

[jdsnoddy]

Rob:
What is the reason you bought 1015? Was it to drive it and enjoy it? Or do you want to show it in competition?
Isn't your engine bay painted black?

I vote for driving it and enjoying it as is. The cost of making 1015 competitive would take most of the fun out of owning it ,unless the previous owner saved some of original parts for you. I really feel it would be cost prohibitive to turn back the clock. And, most likely, you'd never fully recover your costs. So unless you have the original parts in your trunk, or you really want to compete, just get out there and drive; enjoy it as it is.
Upgrading to a #1 condition could be expensive and could involve much more than your initial assessment.
So my suggestion is: make your changes sparingly and make those changes which are really important to you, regardless of the cost.
You could easily spent another $75,000 on your car and have it appraise at $100,000. Just sayin'. In short, don't expect to get back dollar for dollar.
These cars are a hobby; not an investment.
IMHO.

[Rob Lutts]

Thanks to all for your advice and perspective.

I bought 1015 because I love the styling elegance and it’s a vehicle
with awesome history with the A listers of 1956 the year I was born.
I own six classic cars and none if them are show cars they are all meant to
be driven. I do occasionally enter my vehicles in a car show…like the Concourse
car show at Endicott College in Beverly Massachusetts - it’s fun to share the cars with
car enthusiasts.
The groups comments are kind if what I expected. I love the 1015 and expect it
will be a keeper - at the moment it’s my all time favorite.

Rob Lutts
Salem Massachusetts
1015