RamblinMan63

I did source a fluid coupling assembly and clutch from a '51 DeSoto out of Arizona. The machine shop is now done with my 251 flat six. Bored .30 over, crank and cam shaft ground, re conditioned rods, new pistons, rings, bearings, water distribution tube, valve seats, valve stem guides, valves ground, cylinder head milled, hot tanked, cleaned, rings and piston fitted, wrist pins fitted, valves and valve springs installed and painted hot rod orange! The rest of the assembly I'm doing myself.

Update: The machinist is getting close to being done with my block. While I'm not going for a full on restoration I'm heavily considering pulling the body off the frame for rust killing/sealing. Not to mention it'll make all the under chassis components I need to work over more accessible. I've also been blind sided with a free 1959 Thunderbird my friend and his dad gave me lol. Instead of buying rocker moldings I might use the Bondi glass and work it over while the front pans will absolutely be replaced.

I meant nuts not bolts sorry. Does anyone have any experience with the pre molded rocker panel replacements you can find on ebay? The rockers on my "51 are rusted out on the passenger side.

I have been nothing but the most careful with this part James. I have wedged it firm for the time being. On these transmissions does the bell housing bolt on before the coupling or after? The coupling has studs on it, do bolts go on the other side of the crank shaft?

When i was first was getting my old 1963 Rambler back on the road it had been sitting for six years up here on the northern california coast. I jacked up the wheel with the frozen drums and wacked them with a mallet. In conjunction with this I put a breaker bar of sorts in between the lugs and stomped on it/ put my weight on it. Its not very graceful but it works.

Hello all, it's been a while since I've posted. I ended up disassembling the 251 for my S15. I took it to a machine shop to have it worked on. I had the cylinder head milled, bored .30 over, crank and camshaft reground, rods re conditioned, etc. The machinist is installing the cam bearings, cam and valves/ valve springs for me. I will be putting the rest of the block togther myself along with a friend whose done small block fords before. I also located a fluid coupling for my car earlier this year. It came out of another '51 DeSoto. I got it from hidden valley auto parts in Arizona and had it freighted to the Sawmill I work at. DodgeB4ya you were confused by my original post. I had meant it is drivable in the sense that the car is structurally solid and can be put on the road again fairly easily but when I bought it I bought it as a non running project. I should have been more clear on this. For me functionality is more important than appearance. The car is a tad bit rusty but that wont matter when she's going down the highway again. Ive put together most the brake parts I need for the car. I have also been killing and sealing the rust. It is coming together, slowly and surely. Is there a way to delete my other two threads? I started two other unnecessary threads on the same car lol. Might as well just have the one thread.

Can anyone tell me if this motor mount set off ebay looks right? Price comparing against oldmoparts. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1951-CHRYSLER-DESOTO-FLATHEAD-6-COMPLETE-MOTOR-MOUNT-KIT-SPECIAL-DELUXE-MoPar/183315402970?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160908105057%26meid%3D459632af700b48298de3d338a7f55877%26pid%3D100675%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D15%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D183315402970%26itm%3D183315402970%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2380057&_trksid=p2380057.c100675.m4236&_trkparms=pageci%3Ac0f74aed-4619-11ea-9e64-74dbd18070f7|parentrq%3A086377641700aa6a45b5f8ebfff07c60|iid%3A1

I got my fluid coupling today from hidden valley auto. Boy is it heavy!

James, I did some digging on the forums and found out a few things I was looking for. It seems the general pop here uses TDH tractor fluid in their couplings.

I found a fluid coupling. It's going to be shipping out of Arizona. The transmission takes straight 10w. What does the coupling take? Also what do you run in your flat six? I'm having mine rebuilt.

It says using straight 10w for the transmission. What do you use in the flui coupling?

Thank you. What other stuff can be done to bump up compression? I'll be having the head milled down and the block bored over. Is that about it or is there more?

For the semi automatic transmission?? Also I'm hopefully gonna score a set of Denman white walls that are listed local to me right now.

What weight oil do you use in the semi auto transmissions? 80w90 gear oil? I'll look at your thread for the fluid coupling. Thank you

Hello, I've managed to locate a fluid coupling and clutch pack for my 1951 DeSoto. It's coming out of Arizona. I've located a local machine shop who will do the block over. How do I know the displacement? I can post the code on the block if I have to. I have it torn down so I can measure the bore, piston, rods etc. I'd like to for sure know the displacement for the machine shop. I'm really excited and I cant wait to get this old girl on the road. Where do guys get cloth covered wire for these rigs? I know it's in production because I've gotten it before for restoring antique tube radios. I just want to see if there's a larger scale supplier for automotive cloth wire.

I messaged two ebay sellers about such a thing. One of them in red bluff ca, which is not a crazy huge distance from where I'm at.

Marc I do have the M6 transmission. Unfortunately I do not have a fluid coupling unit to go with it. The PO sold the fluid coupling out of my car to a local shop who's working on a '49 DeSoto. The shop swapped the coupling because it leaked but now it doesn't and they still have the coupling (out of the '49) laying around. My plan is to get them to sell me the fluid coupling so I can keep it original. The back up plan, If I can't obtain the coupling would be to get the trans out of that "48 Plymouth. Correct me if I'm wrong but I felt it would bolt up easy and I'd still be keeping it mopar without any fabrication. My landlord has a '46 fluid drive desoto. Its totally rotten but its drivetrain is complete. Unfortunately he thinks he's gonna do something with it and I know he won't. The right amount of money might pursue him though to sell me the parts out of it.

Heres the car by the way guys. Theres some floor panel repair that needs to be done but I have some 16 gauge sheet metal and welder so Im not scared. Did they chrome these bumpers or is it stainless steel?

It looks like a fair amount of parts will be coming from him, which is fine. Im glad I can still get parts for this old girl. If I could not locate a fluid coupling and went with the trans out of a '48 plymouth, what trans did those use? As in did they use a borg warner 3 speed or was it an in house design? Also would I need the plymouths drive shaft? Thanks a lot guys!

Well I have a lead on a fluid coupling out of a '49 DeSoto, the engine and trans from a '48 Plymouth, and of course I could probably talk my land lord out of the engine and trans out of his '46. Where do we get U joints for these cars?

Hey Dodgeb4ya, local seller has a '52 Hemi out of a dodge car with the trans. I believe it might have the fluid drive unit. Wouldn't that work too if it is a fluid drive unit?

I would only need the coupling unit out of the '46. I want to use the original trans to the car if I can get that fluid coupling. Theres a trans/engine combo out of a '48 Plymouth that is for sale locally. The owner said he thought it was a three speed. Would that bellhousing and trans bolt up?

My landlord has a rotted out '46 desoto with an intact engine and trans. Wouldn't the fluid coupling/clutch pack out of that bolt up to my car?

This is what I have. Theres a serial number beginning with S15 on it. It has autolite 6v solenoids on it. I have a local contact who has the engine/transmission combo out of his dads '48 Plymouth. He said he recalls it being a standard 3 speed column shift. Cant I take that bellhousing and trans and bolt it up to my 51 desoto's flat six? My landlord has a 1946 desoto Deluxe fluid drive car. Its completely shot but the engine and trans are complete. The fluid coupling out of that would work for my '51 right?