Tony_Urwin

While I understand the beauty of an unrestored car and its historical value, I doubt there is a forum member who cherishes his car more than George. A few years ago, George sent me a card with the DeSoto on the front. The inscription inside reads: This car is not original. It has been saved or born again to meet my desires. Its owner is not original either. I have been saved or born again to meet God's desires. There is not another car like this one. There is not another person just like you or me. To me, there is no other way to travel for fun, than with this car. There is no other way to get to heaven that by Jessus Christ. He is the straight and narrow road. I bought this car in 1950 and paid $150.00 for it. God bought me in 1965 and paid the life and blood of his only begotten son for me. I enjoy this car and thank God for it, and the ability He has given me to restore it. I hope you have or will receive a car that you enjoy, and thank God for it, but these words are written in hope that you may received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Too bad you live so far away from George Asche. I think several forum members would agree that a trip to George's place is worth the trip just for a ride in his old DeSoto.

Don't know about floral patterns- I have a '52 Custom, which had two-tone solid color panels and seats. I paid $6500.00 for my wagon, and drove it home to Ohio from New York. My feeling is: our 40-60 Mopars are worth $10-15k (excluding verts & woodies) if they are originals worth keeping that way. Otherwise they are $2-5k cars needing $10-15k in restoration or hotrodding expenditures.

Are the transmissions the same, whether floor shift or column shift? Is it as easy as swapping out the top plate to convert from column shift to floor shift? Another consideration may be the type of emergency brake. Those vary between different series too, I think.

I have removed them with Tim's method of rotating them. I crimped mine back on with a tile nipper that I had left from installing ceramic tile.

Maybe the heater core is plugged up. His engine might benefit from the increased circulation when the heater is bypassed.

The addition of a Fulton sunvisor and a pair of '41 fender skirts would fulfill a personal fantasy of mine. Maybe drop the rear a little like a Westergard custom....

Wheelskins makes leather ones in any size you request, but they are pricey, about $50.

I have dealt with Bob several times, and he sells high quality stuff at equally high prices. Several times in our conversations he has asked if I have seen a turn signal indicator that he could buy for his Plymouth. I would guess that he bought this one hoping that it was correct for his car, but found that it was a Dodge part instead.

Same rule applies when an engine is installed to the right of center (like Mother Mopar did in the 60's and 70's) the engine is still parallel to the frame rails, not angled back to the pinion yoke. The critical point is that the angles are the same at both ends of the driveshaft, whether up-and-down, or side-to-side. Pretty common mistake that hotrodders make with their engine swaps.

Eric, google Don Bunn (author) for the definitive reference books on our Dodge trucks.

Congratulation, Don That Caddy sure beats a gold watch!

I always wanted one of those laser sights that replace the guide rod in my Glock. Now I can tell my wife I need it to replace my truck windows!

Too bad you don't live closer to me. I have 5 original wheels in good shape with almost new tires and I would like to switch to aftermarket wheels/tires. I bought the largest radials that were narrow enough to fir the stock wheels (about 29.5-30"). If anyone else is interested, they are 15" wheels (I have a 3/4 ton) painted the stock cream color. Tires have less than 200 miles on them. I'm in Cincinnati.

I bought a pair of rear fenders on an eBay auction not long ago. When I went to pick them up, the seller showed me his Pilothouse project. He had moved the rear axle above the springs using longer u-bolts. He was a welder and had fabricated plates to box the rear frame rails and add a C-notch above the rear axle. That part actually looked like it would work. The front axle was also mounted above the springs. He had the tie rods running between the frame and the springs. It almost looked like it would work, except that he didn't have an engine in place. He's gonna have one of those "smack yourself in the forehead" moments when he drops in the 318 he had sitting in the corner! It had the look, though!

Dave (greybeard), you have me a little confused. You seemed to indicate that your Pilothouse axle bolted above your springs? Or are you saying that you swapped in a car axle that mounts above the springs? Did you use the Piolothouse springs with the car axle? It seems like the axle might hit the frame on a bumpy spot in the road.

MY B1C has the axle UNDER the springs. Do the half ton trucks mount the axle above the springs?

You can buy aftermarket hood liner (Dynamat makes one). Check at www.dynamat.com. I bought some a few years ago on eBay for about half the list price.

Thanks, Merle. I'm glad to hear that some truck and car transmission parts can interchange. I used a different transmission that has the old-style yoke instead of a flange unfortunately. I have two of the unwanted yokes but no output flange. I would certainly like to buy that driveshaft if I can find the yokes (or output flange) to match it! It was great talking to you and learning from your experience. Our trucks are going to be so similar, we'll have to show them together next year.

Grey Beard, I think it's one of those optical delusions. You know, the kind you get when you cross a digital camera with a beer buzz. Actually, the case has the same bolt pattern and dimensions as the carrier in my Pilothouse. The casting numbers for the Pilothouse/DeSoto carriers are 1115941-24 and 663473-1. I don't know how to identify differentials (or transmissions for that matter) by the casting #, do you? Sure would make it easier to swap 'em. Dave, you're 100% right. I think Power Wagon and Pilothouse trucks both have the spring pads and the vent on the same side of the tubes. Car axles have their spring pads on the bottom, since they mount above the springs. I was dreaming when I suggested that the vent hole could be welded shut and drilled for the other side. That would put the differential upside down! Don, I'm working two jobs until my kids get through school. In my present financial situation I'm fortunate to keep the Pilothouse on the road. The Plymouth and DeSoto projects stay in storage for a few more years. I started to wonder when I didn't see any posts by Norm. I never met him, but I felt like I knew him by his posts. RIP

Thanks for the part numbers. I am hoping to just swap the 3.73 chunk into the truck axle. The Desoto pinion flange is different than the Pilothouse yoke (see photo). Did you have to swap pinion yokes or were you lucky enough to match up to your driveshaft? I got the 3.73 DeSoto differential in the photo, a nice clean axle housing, and a pair of ten-spline axles from George Asche a few years ago. I'm not sure that they came from the same vehicle since George pulled them from different places. The axle housing has the same dimensions as a Pilothouse, just the vent is drilled on the opposite side of the tube. I could reverse the perches, or just weld the vent hole closed and drill another one on the other side of the tube. Hopefully the pumpkin will interchange with the existing Pilothouse axle housing. Can anyone share any advice about swapping pinion yokes?

I am replacing the differential in my B1C (with a 3.73 from a DeSoto) and I want to use the opportunity to replace the yokes and driveshaft. My truck is an early series B1C with the universals that have plates bolted onto the yokes to hold the bearing caps in place. Way expensive and hard-to-find. I'd like to replace the tranny and pinion yokes with later style yokes (either the ones with clips or clamps). I THINK (dangerous, I know) that most yokes from this period will swap. Can anyone tell me if the later style yokes will swap into my B1C? And just as important, do any of you guys with modified trucks have your old drivetrains availalbe for purchase? I need both yokes (ranny and pinion) and the driveshaft from a 116" wheelbase truck. Thanks!

Bob, this is the schematic for my 7-wire Signal-Stat.

My 1936-48 Plymouth Master Parts List has part numbers for the high beam indicator, both with and w/o turn signal indicators. It lists the parts (with different numbers for each year) for the P11, P12, P14, and P15. The only pictures it shows (at the top of the columns) shows the straight rather than angled type, like the Dodge parts in Tim's picture. I have seen P-15s with the turn signal indicators, so I know that they do exist.

The book lists indicators with turn signal lights from 1940 on throught 1948. The pictures of both do not look like P15 parts however. Maybe the pictures are from the earlier years. I could scan the pictures later, but I have to run right now.