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desoto1939

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Everything posted by desoto1939

  1. Below is some info on the distributor lead wires and sizes this was taken from my Echlin catalog. It tells the lead wire number and the then the picture of each wire and length. The part number in ( ) is the autolite part number on the wire picture. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com
  2. Ivan: I purchase a tool and there is a posting about it in the Show your tools posting. It cost me several dollars but it tests the brake fluid for moisture. Even a bottle on DOT3,4,5 that has been opened and the lid put back on tightly will still get moisture back into the bottles. I tested some DOT3 that has been on my self and had been opened and i tested it and there was moisture to the point that i decided to get a brand new bottle. I then tested on my DOT5 bottle that also had been opened and resealed and this did not have any moisture according to the pen and that bottle had been opened well over a year ago. rich hartung desoto1939@aol.com
  3. The other day I was not able to get the idle and rpm for my 39 Desoto to a point that was maing the engine run at the proper rpm on the Carter Ball and Ball Carbs. I took the side panel off the car on the passenger side I moved the idle adjustment arm and saw that on the Throttle Shaft Dog that also control the fast idle and also works with the sisson choke has a flat spot and also had a groove inthe dog. This piece should not have any grooves It should be perecftly smooth so that as the sisson choke is getting released the idle then settles down. The dog in the pictures is the small metal band that is on the left post and rotates back as the fast idle from the choke is released. These dogs get the groove because the idle set screw rides against the dog and as the idle come down the point of the screw wares a groove in the dog. I am looking to see if anyone might have one of these in their parts bin. Will pay for the item plus shipping. So if you always getting a fast idle check this on your carb. If anyone has questions please feel free to contact me Refer to the attached picture of the Throttle shaft Dog Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com l
  4. on my original 39 desoto I only have the plug that is shown in the first picture. I will have to also investigate to see if there is a small drain plug on the bottom of my 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  5. An if you look an ebay you can get a dwell meter and tach meter to adjust your engine from approx $15 and up to $100. But for most of our cars the cheaper meters are just fine. Rich hartung
  6. I was always told not to spill any brake fluid on anything that is painted because it will ruin the painted surface. If this is true then the brake fluid excect for DOT5 will remove and or stain your painted parts. This is one of the reasons I use DOT 5 because of the high humidity aspects here in Eastern PA and DOT 5 does not draw moisture into the fluid. I am not concerned about the amt of heat that the fluid can protect but for the moisture aspect. I have been using DOT5 for over 35 years in my 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  7. some rear end did not have a drain plug you would take out the fill plug and then insert a suction tube and suction tool to pull out all of the rear end fluid. Some cars also had a drain plug that was on the lower left side near the bottom of the side flange. Just have to look on yours to see what you have. Rich hartung
  8. The radio that you have in picture two is the correct Philco radio for all 1939 Mopar cars. I have this same model in my 1939 Desoto. The radio can be setup two ways for the antenna setup. 1. roadway - the antennas are under the running boards and there are two rods under each running. This is how my factory radio was setup. 2. Skyway - the outside antenna is mount on the driver side of the cowl and the antenna is mounted on an angle to run on a line going up the window frame. Also it is a two post mounting attachment. 3. There isa small cap on the bottom or top that can be prided off and there is a small wire inside that will go into the skyway or roadway hole according to which radio atenna style you are using. 4. When you take off the drivers side panel for the engine you will also need to mount a brass strip that attaches to the cowl welting and then goes down approx 2-3 inches. When the side panel is put back on then the brass strip also acts as a ground. Most people do not have the strip and also you willneed to get a radio condenser to mount on the generator to remove the static from the engine Contact me i have some literature on this radio and the mounting and tuning. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com H: 610-630-9188
  9. Go to your local walmart store and get the 80-90 weight rearend oil in a squeese bottle. This is what you need it is a gl5 oil for hypoid gears and is extreme pressure oil. I run this in my 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung
  10. Mike: since you put on new cylinder and master cylinder, the big question is did the car originally have Silicone Dot 5 did you just put DOT5 into the master cylinder after building with new parts. If the car had the old Dot 3,4 or even 5.1 you CAN NOT mix Dot 5 with any of the other fluids. You wud have to flush the entire system with denatured alcohol and then rebuild all the rubber hoses and rubber parts in the Master and each wheel cylinder. So that is my first question. I have a 39 Desoto and have used Dot 5 for over 30+ years. Do not shake the bottle let it sit to make sur no bubble. I fill my master cylinder with a small mouth syringe a little at a time. You have the same MC as I do under the floor board. Swith the fill nut so the lid and the nut is at the front of the MC. Suck up dot 5 and slowly fill the MC until it is full. As todd also stated what are the lining conditions. If the shoes are not indidudally set to the proper specs you will get a soft pedal. Contact me at Also look at my recent post on the comparison of Dot 3, Dot4, Dot 5 and Dot5.1 brake fluid it is still available to view and is a current posting, Desoto1939@aol.com. i will explain in more detail Rich Hartung
  11. Chris: I have a wire running from the full turn onside of the ign switch running over to a toggle switch which is attached to the bottom of the dash. Look around the bottom of the dash and you might find a location or a hole to mount the toggle switch through. Then the other wire will run to the electric FP>. remember that you are now Positive ground so the positive wire on the FP now becomes the ground wire and now your electric power wire coming from your toggle switch will connect to the negative wire on the FP.
  12. Update from my friend with the 39 DeSoto. As per all of the input from everyone and i forwarded it to him. They primed the oil pump and reinstalled the pump and was able to get oil pressure and gas up to the carb. Thanks for all of your help for my friend that lives near York, PA. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  13. Dan I have to agree with you posting about the mushy pedal. I also read that Dot 5 is a softer brake pedal feeling and takes some getting use to this type of pedal. I have a good pedal in my 39 Desoto also. Rich Hartung
  14. looked in my victor gasket catalog 41928 Chr is victor 34300 Rich hartung desoto1939@aol.com
  15. Sniper that for the update. reading the owners manual in a modern car is now so important and most people do not take any time to read it an or even dogear a specific page with fluid information to help maintain their cars. Rich Hartung
  16. Today I went to the AutoZone and looked at the back of a bottle of 5.1 brake fluid. In very fine print is shows that dot 4 and Dot 5.1 can be mixed. It did not state anything about Dot 5 so always read the back of any bottle of chemicals to make sure it is compatible with other fluids in your modern or antique car. I talked to the sales and also manager in the Autozone to inform them of the non compatibility of Dot 5 and Dot 5.1. They even did not know this information. So buyer beware at all times. Rich hartung
  17. Doug: According to my mechanic DOT 5 is a heavier brake fluid. I recently had my entire brake fluid bleed out of the system and new front wheel cylinders installed. According to my mechanic these older cars used internal brake cup expanders attached to each end of the wheel cylinder spring and the expander then fit inside the rubber cup to keep pressure on the rubber cup. He used some of these in my front cylinders. I have a good firm brake pedal but you also must remember that there is a certain amount of pedal travel and this is documented in your repair manual the specific amt of travel. If someone move the adjustment rod in or out that will affect the feel of the break pedal. Also what affects the brake pedal is if the shoes are arced correctly to match the drum. each drum and set of shoes has to be done seperately just incase if each drum has been turned down. Also check the adjustment on each drum. Also remember that you are dealing with older non automatic brake adjusting shoes and not modern shoes that are self adjusting. So every 6 months in the state of Pa when these cars were getting inspected the mechanics would also adjust the shoes. We do not put that many miles on our cars but we still need to see to it that we keep the brakes adjusted properly. Hope this is helpful. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  18. As many of you go to your local auto supply store and might see various types of Brake fluid bottles, that range from DOT3, 4, 5 and Dot 5.1. I use DOT 5 silicone brake fluid in my 39 Desoto. I asked the counter person is Dot 5 and Dot 5.1 compatible and they could not answer the question. So i did some searching and found out the DOt3,4 and 5.1 are glycol based products and can be used together BUT DOT 5 is silicone based and you CAN NOT mix dot 5.1 with DOT 5. I have attached the document for your reading. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com Brake fluid Dot 4.docx
  19. I would assume since you have a 6 cylinder car that you would use the AC588 pump which is a single action pump. These pumps were used for a longtime. This is what i have on my 39 Desoto. Also, since you need to new pump do not purchase a used pump or a rebuilt pump unless the seller can confirm that the pump has been refitted with an ethanol resistant diaphragm. The old rebuilt pumps did not have the newer diaphrams. So a total rebuild kit is going to cost you some money and then the rebuilding cost if you can not do that job. So, either pay the current price and or buy unknown condition plus shipping then order a rebuild kit plus shipping and you are maybe costing more or may a little less. I would buy brand new and then be able to just install the new pump and one less thing to worry about. Just did a lookup and saw that a rebuild kit for the pump you need on Ebay is $95 plus maybe the cost of a rebuildable 588 pump lets say around 35-40 plus $15 shipping now you have a total cost of $150. Can get a brand new pump for around the same price. Yes having an antique car or truck is not a cheap hobby but I feel it is better to be sure the item you need will work and not cause other issues. Pay once or pay several times to fix something. This is your decision time. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  20. A friend of mine just rebuilt the engine for his 1939 Desoto. he install a high performance New oil pump. He took the outer cover off the end of the Oil Pump and saw that it was backed full of grease. They tried to fire up the car but are not getting any oil pressure and or gas up to the carb. He knows that there is oil in the pan and gas in the tank. Question: Does he need to prime the engine and oil pump and what does he need to do to prime the engine and oil pump. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks, Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  21. Andyd: When ever I gain more info about my car after fixing something I like to pass along that information to other owners. The name of the game is pass it forward. Here is the reason why. In 1976 I bicycled across the entire USA from Williamsburg Virginia to San Francisco. It took us 60 days with 30 pounds of gear on the bike. One day it was in early June and a real cold wet rainy day. Pulled into a small town just before going into Kentucky. Stop at the local gas station and general store looking to see if they had any motels in the area, they said No but the one person told us to go up the hill and his dad's barn was available. Later on the father came over and welcomed us and said stay as long as you need to. He had a sign on his roof that was spinning in the wind, Have BULL will Travel. Being a city kid asked what he did and he stated artificial insemination on cows. We all had a good laugh. The next morning he woke up and told us to over to his house and his wife had a farmers breakfast prepared for us. When we walked into the home the wife greeted us with open arms and said welcome. The table was about 4 ft long and was filled with a farmers breakfast. After eating the husband gave us all paper bags and then said go make some lunch to take with you. After making a lunch I mentioned to the other guys to get out their wallets and its time to pay for our meal. The farmer then informed us to NOT leave any funds he did not want anything for the meal. His only stipulation was that each one of us will be required to pass along this favor or some other favor to someone else or a group of people. I stayed in touch with this gentleman for 5 years. I still remember his and his wifes kindness even after almost 50 years of meeting these special people. I do not know if this would happen in todays world but people extended their open arms and welcomed us all the way across the USA. It was a great country then and still is but times have changed. remember you only reap what you Sow, and any farmer will fully understand the meaning of my statement. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  22. The 39 Desoto has now come back home from being in the shop. Issue was that I was getting a severe pulling to the left when applying the brakes. The steering wheel would pull right out of my hands and lock up the left front tire. I pull both front drums and no evidence of brake fluid or grease on the brake lining, proper clearance of the shoes and arced properly. The mechanic that is very knowledgeable suggested that we replace the front cylinders and I had a set of NOS. Put on new return springs that i had. Road test still pulling, Cleaner out the brake block to see if any junk in the line. Also then tested for applied pressure and release press at each cylinder applied read at 500 and release went right back to 0 on both wheels so that meant to blockage in the lines. Also replaced all three brake hoses He then pull the drums again took off each shoe and cut down the lining made skim cut on all front shoes. This solved the issue. He feels that there might have been something in the lining that might have hardened the lining to cause it to pull. That issue was corrected. When having major brake issue I did not want to fool around trying to solve the issue. During my inspection he discovered that the lower outer bushing on the passenger side had to much play. Found the correct lower outer bushing parts on Ebay. When taking the old right side bushing out he discovered that the setting pin wedge was missing or maybe never installed. The pin is a tapered pin and is used to keep the inner shaft from moving. I have owned the car for 35 years and these might have been the original factory installed bushings. When doing the driver side he had to remove the kingpin which came out real easy. Asked if I had an shims and i took hie three sets of king pin kits that I had Tolf him to replace the KPs on both side since he had one side out. All four tierod end are good also the upper and lower control arm bushings are good no movement. He installed a new emergency brake cable and adjusted the brake band at the back of the trans. Also lubed the entire car and also the yoke for the clutch and brake pedals. He had the car you 20 days but worked on the car when he had time. Of special note he showed me the two races that are part of the kingpin assembly and stated that he packed the race with grease to make sure the ball bearings in each race would be full of grease. He has see where other mechanics just install the race and then grease the entire king pin assembly via the zerk fitting. But he has found that the grease was not getting into the ball bearing for the race. So if you are getting your King Pins replaced remind your mechanic and or even yourself to pack each race for each king pin to ensure that grease is inside he race opening. refer to the attached pictures of the race from my old king pin setup. The red pointer is showing where the ball bearings are located in the race. Also if you pull your front tires look in the area of the lower outer control bushing to verify that the metal wedge is installed to prevent the movement of the inner shaft. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  23. If the car was setup as negative ground and now you have switch back to Positive ground you will have to switch the wires on the electric FP. So the positive wire will go to the frame as your ground and the negative wire will go to the pump. Also check the wire that is feeding the pump has to be also setup correctly. Rich hartung
  24. who was the glass company that stood by great work ethic and sent you the replacement glass? This is the type of company that us car owners would like to do business with because of the way they handled your issue. Hopeyou put in a good word for this compnay. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
  25. but think of the knowledge that you just received and also what you just learned about your car. The two hours of investigating the issue was time well spent. So if this is the first true time that you spent in 25 years of ownership of the car then the two hours of your time is only a very very small fraction of total time working on the car. Glad that you found the issue but better off is that you took the time to let everyone know what the problem was that caused the car not to start. The learning and the telling how you fixed the issue is important for all of us to know so this is another learning session for everyone. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com
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