desoto1939

Ok here is some great information about starting our old car when the engine is either hot or cold. While attending the Hershey event this past October I cam across a packet of 1938/39 Services Bulletin Sheets and factory prices sheets. This packet had about 350 pages of information contained in the folder. Since I own a 39 Desoto I purchased this packet. I have now also scanned the entire 350 pages onto a CD. I have attached a copy of the page from Service Bulletin 315 dates Sept, 13, 1938 It talks about the hot/cold starting procedures. Have fun reading this one page article. Even though this was written about the S5 Desoto which was for 1938 it is still usuable for our cars. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com Start hot cold engines.pdf

DJ so again if you put on an electric pump and then use this to prime the fuelline to the carb then you will not have to crank and crank and crank the engine. Prime the line first since the car has been sitting then the engine will fire right up. An electric fule pump is around $50 a good investment for hard starting and less cranking. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

the real way to know would be if you know the part numbers for each year and car. They might fits but if someone that has the parts book for the 47 could lookup that number then you might luck out. Or if you could just find a piece of the belt trim for the 41 then you could have a spare maded with the proper indents. Just a thought. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

I do not understand why you think you need a booster pack to start your car during the winter months. It seems to me that the gas is not getting to your carb and that the fuel needs to be pumped up the fuel line to get the carb bowl loaded with gas. I also assume that you have your car in a garage as required by all antique car insurance plans. I think that if you invest in a 6v electric fule pump and install it near the gas tank and then prime the carb to get the fule up from the tank then you should not have any issue with the cranking. This way the fuel is in the line and the engine should turnover with little cranking. Also remember these cars were being used ina ll types of weather when they were the cars that were on the roads back in the 30,40 and 50's. So your cranking issue might be something else instead of a booster pack. I have a 39 Desoto that I can crank over still 6v positive ground. I use the electric fp to prime the carb and then if fires right up in in the dead of winter. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

If you have a torx bolt then go to a harbor freight and pick up a small set of torex sockets they are cheap and since you will not be using them every day they will not break on you. Good to have since all newer cars are using this type of screw head. Have used mine numerous times so tighten rear view mirrors and other bolts that came lose. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

Royal C18 can you take some pictures of the axle so we can see what is happening. Pictures help the group understand what you are trying to explain. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

It sounds as if the previous owner had put in the extra axle oil seal that mounted behind the outer oil seal and this was just held in place by the outer oil seal. The outer oil seal is bolted to the backing plate and the small floating seal had to be tight onthe backing plate. So it sould as if this trifles aftermarket oils seal dropped out of position and then scored the alxle shaft. Currently I do not have the truflex seals on my 39 Desoto which is the same as your 38 Chrysler. I think if you just put in new inner oil seals you should not have the oil running out of the end of the axle. ALso did the previous owner ever over pack the roller bearing via the small nut that is on the axle housing. this nut is removed and you just push in a small amount of bearing greas and you DO NOT use a grease gun because this will push greas out the end of the axle on the brakes.. I have pictures of the proper outer oil seals and the trifles inner seals. Write to Me Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

B est to try to find the good old Autolite original points condensors, rotors and cap or any of the good old replacement parts that were made in the US durin g the time your car was made. This is why having the Autolite catalogs and other reference catalogs to cross reference the parts is now so important. Yes the older stuff is getting harder to find and the prices are going up so advise is to start getting those spares now when you still can get them and avoid the crap replacement parts. I have numerous cross reference catalogs to look up what fits our older Mopar cars and truck. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

most wiper motors will go back to the park position when you turn them off, so this sounds correct to me. I have an electric factory wiper motor in my 39 Desoto and that is how they were designed. If you still have the factory motor most of the times what has happened is that th eold grease in the motor has gotten hard nd stiff over the years. This then caused the wippers to seem to not work. You could take out the motor over the winter months and then open up the motor to see how much hard grease is inside it and then clean it our. This is a good winter project and should not be that hard to do. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

purchase a good Hollander interchange book and this will provide you with all of the intercahneg information that you willever need. The cost is not to bad but the investment is worth the money. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

He Greg G: I have a 1939 Desoto S-6 model and I still have the original engine in my car and it starts the S6 code. I have also verofoied that I have th eoriginal engine because Chrysler Historical has sent me the build sheets for my car. My car now has a total of around 96K on the odometer and about 10-15 after the rebuild. So some cars have lasted the test of time. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I went to the AACA Fall meet in Hershey back in the early week of October. While walking around I found KIWI John. He hasnot been at Hershey for along time. While looking throught his items I saw in a plastic bag that he had a packet of papers about three inches thick and it was marked as 1938/39 Desoto. WHen looking at the information it was original factory Accessory sheets for my car and alsohad the prices sheets. Also contained in the packet were the factory service bulletins. It also had service bullitens for the same year Plymouth and also for the 37 Desoto and also 40 Desoto. Of great surprise it also containe the factory color chips for my 1939 Desoto. I bought this with out any thought. I have now had the opportunity to scan all the sheets and have created the information and it now resides on CD to save the paper. The originals sheets are now also inserted into individual plastic sheet protectors. The odd part is that none of the sheets were in any bad condition considering that they are 76 years old. The paper was nt fragile and all sheets were intact. If you are interested in the information please feel free to contact me. Great reading material and this is the stuff that you do not see all the time. Also got an old original Desoto Employees Metal Badge. another great find. While walking around with a friend that owns several 29 Desoto's we found several speedometers, gas gauges, a headlight bar with headlights, radiator cover and radiator, and a complete trans. So the parts are still coming out but you know what they look like. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

If I remember correctly the gas pedal and the brake pedal rubber pads would have been brown. Steelle rubber makes the slip on brown brake and clutch pedal pads. The Brown gas pedals are hard to find. You will mostly find that thecar owners are using the aftermarket Black gas pedal and pedal pads. It really does not matter unless you are going for points judging and specifically only when you are at a Plymouth owners Club national car show becasue they have all the spec that the cars should have. Most of the general public do not have any knowledge of these cars so you can get away with the black pedals. Also if you have a driver then do what you want and also the cost is also what determines what you can and want to spend on your car. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Part of the real process is to clean the tires after coming back from using the car on a tour. The tires get dirty from road grime and then you put the car away for the week or until the next time you decide to take it out and then you look at the tires and decide to clean thme and now the grime has had a chance to settle into the white walls. The best approach is to really clean the tires prior to putting the car away after a tour so that you now have clean WW and the dirt and grime does not penetrate the ww. Rich Hartung

I spray on the Wesley Whitewall Cleaner and use a soft brush to clean the whitewalls and then rinse off Been doing that for 27 years on my car. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Next question You have a mechanical FP. Is there any number tag on the fuel pump. You should have a 588 fuel pump on this car. Did you get the correct pump. Ok when the pump is on the engine block and the lines are attached are you getting any fuel into the glass bowel. Do you have the gasket on the body of the pump for the glass bowel? Have you blown air back down the fuel line to hear any air bubble in the tank when the gas cap is off the car? You stated the lines are all goof what about the rubber line that connect to the metal line from the tank and this rubber line connects to the FP. Is this clear? How old is this FP is it brand new or a restored pump? Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Check that your metal fule line from the pump to the car is not blocked. Take the pump off and then take the glass bowel off the pump check the two small screens that are in the body of the base of the pump they might be clogged. Is the carb bowel getting filled with gas or not. Mabe the accelerator pump is stuck or need to be replaced. Can you disconnect the line to the carb and if you start the car can you get fuel to come out the line in to a small container? Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

This is why I have scanned and copied the various Miller FActory Tools catalog. It lists and also has the various tools that are contained in the sets for Fluid drive maintenance tools and also the other tools that were used by the mechanics at the dealerships. If interested in a copy of the three miller tool catalogs that go from approx. mid 1930 up to about 1950 contact me. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

True, but self adjusters did not come in to being used until if I remember around the 50-60's hartung

Everyone complains about the Lockheed brakes. Yes without the proper tools, either the Miller MT19 or the Ammco brake gage they can be a pain to get them set properly. But we allhave to remember that when these cars from Chrysler hit the road to the general public as compared to the Fords and other cars of that era that had mechanical brakes these Lockheed brakes were the best available. And the dealers and the local garages were equipped to keep these brakes at the best performance levels. In some states we had every 6 month car inspections and they had the brakes adjusted on a regular basis. The average speed was 35-50 at that time and most people did the speed limit. We have forgotten that life was slower then as compared to what we are in now. Now we have cars will 4 wheel independent suspension, rack and pinion steering, power assist disc brakes that with very little pressure permit us to stop on a dime at the last second. So since we are now driving our modern cars everyday we want these 50+ year old cars to act, drive and brake like a modern car. This is the issue, not the cars. They are driving and braking like they were ment to. We are the custodian of these cars need to reorient ate our selves everytime we get behind the steering wheel. You need to remind yourself that your are driving a car that will pull because of bia ply tires. the lights are not as bright as our current High Def lights. The tail lights are smaller and the braking distance is greater because of horseshoe old technology brake shoes. We need to anticipate and be aware of the cars and situations around us when driving. If you want to go 70 mph in car then just go modern but you are in a car or truck that was designed to crusie around 50mph comfortably all day long. Yes you can put modern brakes and a modern rear end on the cars to help but you are still driving an old car. I personally like the feeling and experience of these old cars and to slow down the fast pace of life. I do travel on roads that have 60+ speed limits but alwasys stay to the right lane so people can pass. I let them go by me and then eventually meet them down the road about 5 minutes later and I am having fun. Just my 2 cents. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

just got back from beings at Hershey on Thursday and Friday. On Friday it was nice up till around 4PM then the winds kicked up and then started to rain. venders are pulling out in mass exodus. I found some good things for my 39 Desoto and Also found a packet of 1938-1939 Service bullitens and also accessories pages for my 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I do have a sisson choke manual. rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

a srew goes into the hole. There isa metal copper bracket that sits under the starter switch and bolts to the stater body. If you unbolt the starter switch and this switch is control by the starter floor push rod. lift off the starter switch and you will see the bracket. and there will be a small tab that has a threaded hole for the screw that goes through the hole on the side of the starter switch. rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

the breaker plate for your car with the IAT-4011 dist is Autolite breaker plate IAT-2004RA rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

this is rich H and I live near Philadelphia PA. Why are you going to cut the drums? get them measured prior to cutting if you over cut them you could have other issues and then would have to shim the brake lining to take up the extra spacing. Can you tell if the eccentric anchor have been moved they should be pointing towards each other with the arrows. So it really sounds as a major adjustment is needed. Adjust the entire system and bperform a minor adjust after the wheels are back on the car. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com