1971 Mark Thermactor Tubes

Hey Bill, hope you had a great holiday season!
I have a question regarding the emission tubes that connect to the back of the cylinder head. I have a 71 Mark III and the tubes have rusted through and are leaking exhaust badly. I live in Idaho and we have no emission regulations so I was wanting to remove them completely but not sure if the holes can be plugged with a bolt or plug. And is it something that can be done in the car. I think the heads are off a 73 460 if that matters.
As always thank you for what you do for us Lincoln owners.
Alec
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Greetings Alec –
We are pleased that you enjoy the Lincoln Land blog. It is our pleasure to help customers such as yourself who are appreciative.
The inlets in the heads for the emission tubes can also be found in the front of your heads. The front inlets are plugged at the factory with small discs that have the appearance of small frost plugs. These can be sourced if not from a Ford Dealer from a local automotive machine shop in your area. Your leaking tubes can be removed and these plugs carefully pressed in place with the heads attached to the engine. You will need to configure the appropriate tools as necessary to tap or press them in with the use of a small amount of high temp sealant as a lube. I did this twenty years ago on my 1970 Lincoln with no problems. An alternative is to retain a portion of the leaking tubes along with the attaching parts and have a local welder improvise a sealed flange for you to attach in place of the tubes. If you have difficulty sourcing these plugs contact myself or our order desk at Lincoln Land and we will try to locate them for you. Be sure to refer to your blog question if you call.
Sincerely,
Bill