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Got the 47 DeSoto out for the 1st time this year . Washed off the garage dust and took my son for a couple mile drive to make sure it still has good manners. I started it multiple times over the winter to keep it happy . All went well so after a little this and that my wife and I enjoyed a ride to our local dairy bar for ice cream . Wouldn’t you know someone else with a cool old 1950 Dodge Coronet had the same idea.

I love automobiles, always have. My view of what makes an "interesting" car is far different from most people. I spent a lot of my youth as a dealer mechanic, so my view is effected by that. My cars tend to be period correct within 5 years and are what a dealer mechanic would build for themselves. A dealer mechanic would put the best stuff from the MoPar parts book on their car, usually the lightest car with components from the bigger cars. That focuses on what was possible in the day. That I find entertaining. If I were doing an engine swap in my Plymouth it would be a 265 Chrysler flathead 6. (got one almost ready to go in my Suburban) Or if I really got kinky perhaps a Perkins Diesel as the factory did. (and only because the factory did and I happen to like diesel engines) It pains me greatly to hear folks doing "swaps" of well designed original components and in the process creating new problems for which they have no solutions. I've seen cars that could be driven and enjoyed laid up seemingly forever with projects that were well beyond the skills of the owners. It just seems to be a word to the wise that if it isn't broke don't fix it. Keep it simple. You'll get to enjoy more time with your car in motion. There is a certain "charm" to an old car. Seems a shame to change a car so much that it no longer has that charm. If one wants a car to perform like a Mercedes, perhaps they should buy a Mercedes. Sure seems like a lot less work. I mean just sayn'. A 49 Plymouth is never going to drive like a modern car or even a premium car of its era. That's what you sign up for when you get one. That's the charm of it. That's what I love about it. I want the best example of what it could have been back in its day. I want the car Lee Petty drove to work everyday. That's what seems like fun to me. Call me a purist, but do not call me an engineer, I don't qualify or pretend to.

I have a great resource in my dad. He’s done several show winning studebaker trucks retro fitted with 5.7 hemis, old power wagons, chevelles, his sport fury with a 383 stroker. All frame up builds with tons of fabrication process. I’ve helped on several - his latest was a 48 Ford with a 2015 twin turbo ecoboost engine with matching factory electronic transmission, narrowed rear end with triangulated 4 link, MII front suspension all digital dash, electric power steering, ac, etc. so I have resources of years of knowledge, also access to tools of all kinds, upholsters, body/paint in the ecosystem he’s built the past 15-20 years. That said, I’m keeping this simple to start to get it driving - rebuilding/replacing stock suspension with stock parts and such. Then after I have it running as daily in a small town (think nothing over 25-30mph) I’ll plan the full build. pic of 4 of his builds - 36 dodge power wagon, his 64 sport fury, dodge truck and an old studebaker.

I was browsing around looking for electrical stuff and found this: https://snap-usa.com/products/1950-1955-dodge-plymouth-mini-12-volt-starter-replaces-mch6101 If or when my 56 Plymouth starter on my truck dies this would be a great replacement. Lots lighter and smaller. Should be much easier for my old arms to put in place. More cranking power too and that neat (or not so neat, depending on your taste) reduction gear cranking sound. The original 56 pickup 12v is the foot stomp version so it is getting the Plymouth with a solenoid/bendix drive arrangement.

I went to Carlise a couple of weekends ago and found the Indestro Tool # 403. It is a very interesting hand tool that was made to workon the 1932-1937 Plymouth 6, Dodge 6, Desoto 6-8 and Chrylser 6. This is stamped in the end near the spark plug wench end and opening. The tool has holes to remoe the spark plugs, trans fill and drain plug, differential plug oil plug and the opening to use to adjust the upper brake show nut at the top of the backing plate. I picked this up for $2.00 but recent saw the same tool on Ebay for $35. So it is a great buy. The opening for the brake and the sparkplug opening do for my 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Tons of positive feedback from the general public while out for a cruise last evening in my Plymouth. Interest from all ages. Again, I am pleasantly reminded how much the 20-something crowd reacts to the car. I am trying to understand why the loudest, and largest number of drive-by approvals seem to come from that age group. My '38 Plymouth has a different vibe going on. The paint is peeling off the doors. The side runners, the original rubber coating is worn away in chunks. There's a hole in the front fender. General wear and tear for an old car. I don't wash it nearly enough. I've never waxed it for fear of more paint falling off. I am not picky about its presentation. Yet a lot of people seem to approve it as is. I am left thinking, its approachable? Maybe it looks easy to own? It's been nursed along for 84 years, never restored. I guess folks just appreciate that about it. I don't know. It'll never win a best of show. It'l never play in the big boys club of restored cars. Yet it seems to win the the hearts and adoration of many, not just the owner's. You've all been aware of the work I have done to this car to built a solid, reliable daily driver. Indeed it is very reliable now. Any time I have to leave the house for any excuse, I choose my '38 Plymouth. From Mar to Nov, it sees regular use. I maybe went farther than I needed to when I pulled the engine in 2020 and completely rebuilt it. Sure it had some issues to be addressed. An in-frame rebuild probably could have nursed it along for many more years. Yet there is something extremely satisfying about the whole experience. So very smug feeling when you drive down that long hill and there is no oil seen when you accelerate away at the bottom. When you push the throttle down at 10 mph and that new found torque pulls the car along briskly. Smooth, quiet, and confidently. I guessed there must have been a couple 100 things that needed to be addressed when I acquired this old Plymouth. It turned out to be more like 1,000. No, it's not done. It's a continuous work in progress. It would be an odd feeling if it were all done. What would I do in the garage every weekend? Lol. I guess I can state that I am extremely satisfied with the results so far with this car. From the front nose cone to the exhaust tip, anything I've touched I've enjoyed every minute. This morning as I open the garage door, I have decided to devote time to my Chrysler. A little neglected so far this spring. Today is her day.

Well, I can only find information to P15´s cooling pressure: 0. Is that valid for 1951 P23 too? Tks for a hint! Greetings from Düsseldorf! Go

I'm with the realists on this. These cars are great when in the original condition and are fun to drive and be looked at. That being said, if you have the skills and the money, it's your car. Also in regards to the Interstate, not a chance in hell I'd take my P-15 on them even if it had a 455 with an OD tranny disk brakes nitrious and what ever else to make it handle, go fast and stop. Part of it is my age (62 is not that old) but the other lunatics out there. No matter what speed you drive at there are the ones who go 1 MPH slower than you and the ones who tailgate and don't get me started on the Big Rigs. All in all these cars were built when the drive from point A to point B was to enjoy the trip and see the country. My Dad lives in northern Al. and if I drive the I-65 to see him it takes about 6 hours. When I get there I am tired and stressed from the drive. Now I take the U.S. highway system. It takes about 7 1/2 hours and I'm just a little tired from the drive. But the trip is kinda relaxing. Seeing the sights and smelling the country side (fresh cut hay, pines from the log trucks and of course the occasional skunk). Also the traffic is lighter and not as congested, unlike the pot luck with the interstate where a wreck can add anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to your trip and no way to get out of it. On time it took 5 hours to get from Montgomery to Birmingham (78 miles and on my motorcycle) due to traffic. Sorry for the rant. Anyway time + skill + money= the car you want. It's your car enjoy the way you want to. From the looks of your dads cars he and you have the skill and money to make them look good. (and they look great). Can't stand the people who turn these cars into crap and think they are all that and a bag of chips. Case in point when people put those wagon wheels on cars UUUGGGGLLLYY, Lowriders on the other hand pretty damn cool, but maybe I'm old fashioned. Joe Lee

Good to plan ahead. If you don't have one get a mixing cup to measure and mix the paint components accurately. The cups are cheap and many places include them also with the paint purchase. Thanks for the reminder, I have a 78 FXE that I need to paint and put back together.

A couple more photos.... What we did is to make the pan so that the unit would bolt to it. The pan bolted to the trunk externally so the pan is water (fluid) tight. We welded the brackets for mounting the unit to the pan. Any number of variations one could do with this. The stainless baking pans are cheap and easy to get. James

Found a strange part in my pile, but finally figured it out. My truck muffler has been pretty loud lately. This fit right in there and works great when you take the spring out. Must be some kind of baffle insert. Don't know why they would put such a strong spring in it, don't think the back pressure would push it open. Truck is quiet now. ? ? ?

Starting Canvas part 2

I often see folks refer to our old Mopars as having a 'flat six'. They are flathead sixes, yours is a real flat six!

Love this reply! hence my idea of as much as how it was built to make a small town daily of it. should I decide otherwise, that’s on me. I see potential both ways.

It's to seal the exhaust system for water crossings, lol.

My earliest memories growing up include recalling a green car my mom had. In talking with her I found out it was a Corvair, I'm talking too young to read, probably about three at the oldest. The Shell station I usually fill up at has a body shop next to it. For years they have had, and still have, a blue Corvair vert parked there. Talked to the owner of the shop about it the other day. Seems the owner was a good friend of his and asked it he could get some work done, owner passed and the heirs haven't decided what to do with it, so it sits, rent free, at the body shop for years now. Told him if they wanted to sell let me know. My son needs a car, though that make get resolved in another manner.

Hmm, I would tend to disagree a little bit here. An example, my 51 Cambridge has horrible bumpsteer. Part of that is the extremely short driver's side tie rod assembly and overly long passenger side assembly. Chryslers and Desotos of that era had equal length setups. Obviously they knew that the bumpsteer issue was there and addressed it for the high end cars, but let Plymouth swing in the breeze. Another example is the floaty McBoaty ride quality. A lot of that was due to how they located the upper shock mount. Earlier Mopars didn't do that and towards the end of this suspension design's lifespan they relocated the shock and upper mount to address it. So while the engineer's may have known things they didn't always address them. Maybe it was the bean counters or the perceived market for the vehicle, i.e. cheap Plymouth owners get basic engineering. This doesn't even touch on the changes in automotive engineering that those engineers back in the day had no clue about. Nor does it take into account the traffic environment of today where even the cheapest box on wheels sold today can out accelerate, out stop and out handle our stuff. Too bad driver quality hasn't improved to match. I could go on about that but we all have seen it so I won't, lol.

My first car was a Corvair! Paid $300 for it. Bank repo’d it after the owner borrowed money to have it overhauled.

refer to the attached lisiting this will help you. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com Fan belts.docx

Take a look online and you can find adapters. There are many options on where to buy. Amazon, McMaster-Carr. I'm sure even your local auto parts store can help you out.

Fifty, cough cough, years ago, I was with my Dad looking for my first car. We found this nice 64 Spyder for $600. Really nice to a 16 year old kid, anyway. Ran and drove well and my Dad was even smiling. I was about to wet myself, then the seller told us there was no title. Dad said, "Time to go." Ended up with my next door neighbors 65 Merc Marauder with a dead transmission for $25.

1.433 Oz on the Hornaday scale.

Easy restoration.....

Just send me five bucks and we will call it good on the theft issue Brent? Now we really need to find a like new shifting instruction plate for making a reproduction decal for the fire truck. I looked for a 1/2 hour....nada

My kid says that she has heard the same thing in Mid-Coast Maine where she lives. Only difference is that they are going to be Lobster men. I was out with my boss and a couple of coworkers, pre pandemic, and there was some ax throwing happening at a local food fest. Old weird Harold(boss)is a year older than me(I'm 66) and stands stooped from an old work injury where alcohol was involved. He pays his money and flings three axes for three bulls eyes. And he made it look easy. I've worked with Harold for 25 years and know he's dumb like a fox, so I've come to expect stuff like that. Still, I was impressed.

Today I decided to weld the little over 1 inch long crack in the rear fender. I don't know if this was there before, or a result of the accident. I cleaned the metal around the crack, and a spot for the ground clamp. I spent maybe 10 minutes welding most of the crack, one dot at a time. Then I spent 45 minutes or so chasing the blow through holes I created Welding thin sheet metal is darn hard. I had my welder set to min power and min wire, but if you did more than touch the trigger and release, boom, hole. It took a lot of time to pop a bead or two, wait, weld again, wait some more (for the area to fully cool), but I finally got it so the light didn't show through. I used a flap disk over and again to grind the welds down as I tried to fix my mistakes. In the end, there is one little spot along the bottom edge I wish I could have fixed, but by then I was convinced I'd just make it worse. Cleaned the area again to shinny metal and applied a thin layer of filler. The wife got home before I sanded it, so I guess that won't happen today. If I ever have to weld anything that thin again, I'm going to find a nice piece of copper or aluminum and fit it to the rear of the weld area. I think that might give me a fighting chance at least. I've decided I'll paint using urethane as Ken suggested (maybe others too). I'm going to go up to TCP Global and see if they can help me match the color. I'll eventually paint the whole truck, but as I've said, fenders and running boards will be black. Single stage urethane seems to be the go to. It might even be what's on the truck. I didn't spend much on the quart of acrylic enamel paint and the hardener, so not a big loss. I can always paint something else blue