matt167

I knew about the tapered drums. I've done them before.. I've got a couple cars I'm going to look at, but whatever I get is going to be 'right'

yeah, just the one big expense I saw right away with the car was it had 7.50x15 LT truck tires on the rear. DOT code was either 1986 or 1996. I don't know how to tell decades apart on 3 digit codes.. Since I work in a tire shop, that does not fly as a tire for a driver and a set of tires would run at least $400 if I just bought whatever. I discard any tire I own older than 5 years... Then getting the gauges working. list and cost goes on and up

Yup. Contacting the others I found. and my budget goes up every paycheck anyway. Got lots of time

Yeah. I was willing to go $4k. I would have still felt ok at $4k, but the $5k curveball... Honestly I felt like Rick Harris during the negotiation, it was just plain weird, A CL transaction should not feel like an auction. A mint restored '49 Desoto went through Barrett Jackson for $7,100 not that long ago, and there is a restored '50 Dodge not far away for $7,500.. For the matter, a restored 1937 Chevy master sedan in his area is going for $5k I see he actually did up his price to "$5,000 FIRM" as of yesterday, and he knew I was coming since Tuesday, so he obviously bumped the price knowing I was coming.

Well, I looked at this car and everything the guy said it was, really wasn't.. The plusses were it was fairly solid all the bones were there, only a small amount of hokey amature fixes in the rear tail panel.. He really did rebuild the engine .060 over BUT, even he suggested it may have a bottom end knock and I could faintly hear it. Valves were way out. Tip Toe transmission worked flawless, but him saying " everything worked " was a lie. It was functional enough to drive, but temp, oil pressure and ammeter, fuel pressure and speedometer were all non functioning as well as directional indicators. He had a cheap sunpro temp gauge that did work.. Rebuilt brakes meant that he just got them working. He did not even replace the clutch with the engine out. The really bad part was he was listing $4k but was saying he wanted $5k, and took me saying I was willing to pay $4k as an offer he would have to consider... At $4k, it was even above what I thought it was worth. Paint was horrible, looked like cottage cheese and was flaking off. I knew right away it was contaminated enamel from lack of prep ( BTDT ).. All in all, I was in at $4k but the guy was a plain old CL flake. If it were my car, I'd have been ok with $3,200.

Slightly south west of Albany. Interesting about the engine length differences. Not too much concern as the engines are still out there, and the one in the car has receipts for a .060 over rebuild that is fairly recent. The Desoto if it is what I think it is, will check every box of my needs. I miss having a couch for a front seat.. My current daily driver, and what will continue to be my true daily is a 1992 Suzuki Carry Kei truck that has been imported from Japan directly. About 10' long, 50" wide and not much to look at. Just a boxy Japanese cab over that with it's 660cc engine and 5spd transmission is not the fastest thing with all of 45hp will do 55mph. It gets about 39mpg however, but I need a break from it's bleak styling, lack of room and lack of utter lack of comfort. The engine IS a HEMI though.

Yeah, but actually looking and comparing. My '51 Chevy would have been equivalent to a Plymouth/ Dodge mix AFIK. It was a 4dr Fleetline with the 2spd Powerglide auto, very rare combination with the Fleetline since Fleetline was the low option version.. The Mopar's still had a nice interior, same amount of chrome and the dashboard is 1000x nicer with the woodgrain.. Like I said if only I had known. But I have a chance at what I believe is a pretty nice '49 Desoto and if it is what I think it is, it will be mine Edit. Also adding, the tech in those days that GM created wasn't the greatest. Buicks had the pedal start switch since the late 30's to the mid 50's which is cool but not great. Chevrolet was left with a push button until '53 ( same year as full pressure oiling ).. Vacuum shift was also a horrible idea

Mine had actually had the fronts upgraded to roller bearing before I got it, but I get what your saying.. Had I known or discovered the superiority of the Mopar's of this vintage I probably would have bought the package deal of '49 and '50 Plymouth's that were available at the same time as my '51 Chevy for $1,200 for the pair, instead of the old Chevy. One was a coupe and the other was a 4dr.. My Chevy was a Fleetline and had the lines that drew me to it.

Cool. I looked on rockauto as a gauge and the only thing I found they could not get was brake shoes. But Kanter and Andy Bernbaum both list them. Rock Auto lists an electronic ignition conversion. Will that work with the shift interrupter used on an M6 transmission? I had a petronix on my '51 Chevy and it started much faster on that than points

Upstate Ny.

Oh I never went to the dealer for parts for the '51. The local Carquest could get just about everything the next day.. But as long as parts are available it sounds like my choice or feeling that Mopar is 'it' is the proper one.

That's what I plan to.. The kind of car I'm looking for is what Leno would call a " Good Ol' Girl ". Are there sources for brakes beyond Kanter and Oldmoparts? My '51 Chevy, Drums, shoes and bearings were available over the counter. I live in the hills and brakes even on modern cars are put to the test.

Mechanically what is shared? Is it like GM where nothing is shared? The Flathead 6 was identical for all right?

Yeah, I was actually responding. Imperial got it's own branding some time in the mid 50's.. I know the brands, I just don't know where Desoto 'fits'.. Chrysler at the top and Plymo at the bottom, Desoto and Dodge inbetween but I don't know the order or which Desoto is closer to

I'm kind of in the market for a late 40's early 50's Mopar. I had a '51 Chevy for many years that was on the road a while but really was a project and I sold it 2 years ago It was factory stock 235/ Powerglide. Now I want another post war car and the old Mopar's are speaking to me. Quite a few available close by including a 1949 Desoto that is stock with a rebuilt engine and fluid drive. looking at that car tomorrow What about these cars do I need to know? I have a 1937-1953 Motors manual covering all brands. I want a car that I can take to work every day in clear weather if I want to ( with reasonable reliability ) but I want to enjoy it as it is/ was. No engine swap, auto trans or anything like that. Also, am I correct that Desoto was basically 2nd to Chrysler?