From Hobby to Business; LCOC Member Turns Passion into Profit

LCOC Member John Kiszla has once again proven the truth of the old saying that “if you love what you do you never work a day in your life.”  After 40 years of car building and tinkering for fun John has recently started a new business, The Lincoln Whisperer, diagnosing and fixing those pesky issues that make Lincolns different from all other cars.

We’ve listed him and his business in our updated database of trusted vendors and suppliers available on this Website only to members who log into their accounts to access the Members Only data.

And why not? Over the years he has owned a number of slab side Lincolns from 1961 to 1965, a 1962 Thunderbird convertible and several Mark IIIs.  Partner Jim Finley adds a 1978 Versailles to the mix. Either out of curiosity or necessity he has become intimate with the innards of these vehicles.  His knowledge, decades of  experience and innate car talent have done the rest. For years, John has been a ‘go-to’ guy for Lincoln buffs needing help.

John is based in Vallejo, CA, but fortunately he is just a phone call, 415-215-1701, or email, john@thelincolnwhisperer.com, away. If necessary he will (for a price) travel to other locations to help a Lincoln owner in need.  He works on an hourly sliding scale of rates depending on the complexity of the job. John is as thorough as he is patient. Club members may recall his expert management of the registration information for 200 attendees and nearly 100 cars at the 2015 LCOC Western National Meet in San Diego.

He lovingly restored his own beautiful yellow 1961 Continental convertible, nicknamed Mary Todd, which has been featured in the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, the LCOC Continental Comments magazine and many others, and on the Lincoln Website.

He began the transition from his long-time career in hotel consulting by helping a fellow LCOC member fix his 1962 Lincoln heating and A/C systems. That evolved into getting a ’62 convertible ready for a show working from October to December on the windows, clock, A/C and heating systems.

John is a stickler for authenticity, but has enough savvy to replace the original equipment with more modern and reliable electrical and other components when it makes sense and the customer wants it. Currently he is doing a $250K complete resto-mod on a 1962 Lincoln convertible. The objective is to keep the classic look of the original, but bring it up to today’s standards in terms of reliability and performance. To date, he has dismantled the electronics and had the body media blasted and sealed. Eventually it will have a new engine, air bag suspension and other improvements.

He’s also helping other club members and friends with smaller projects. Don’t  be surprised if The Lincoln Whisperer shows up in a Lincoln owner’s garage near you—or maybe even your own!