desoto1939

From looking at your picture it lloks as if there was a gasket. Since you will be bolting to pieces of castiron metal together I would put the gasket between the two halfs. It is easier now to do it since the two halfs are apart then having to take it all apart just to save a couple of bucks. Plus all of the aggrevations and the removal of the manifold nuts, etc. By putting the gasket in it will not hurt anything but if not there you do not know what might happen until you fire up the car. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

Attached is an article about a new proposed Kentucky House bill on how they might be starting to tax old cars. Got this from the SANS webpage. Just wanted to let anyone know that lives in Kty that might get a new tax on your old cars. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

Like MarcDesoto stated check the suppliers that your are thinking about doing business with. Ask how many they have done yfor your car, do they have the pattern already done for the car, willthey need you existing Wire harnes to make the pattern. Some harnesess were wraped is a cloth loom that has strickers inthe loom and then some willcome with a cloth covered tape. Do the terminal ends have the rubber cover installed like the factory. For a mopar car or truck the various wires would have stickers onthe cloth covering and do they have the correct solid color and the appropriate striker collor. Example for Mopar they had a single, and double sticker. The stricker is like a dash in the cloth cover and the single stricker was a 16 gage wire 2 stickers 14 gage. So the other question to ask is if they can make the look in a higher guage wire like 14 gage but have the correct stiker onthe wire I have delt with Rhode Island wire and they are good and have good quality work. Here is an example I had the original wire harnes inmy 39 desoto that had the outside wire loom in black with a blue sticker. There original outside loom did not have the stricker inthe blue. I saw them at Hershey one year and shoed them the original wire and then they chnaged their looms to be correct. Basically they will build a harness from soneones example and the example could be so old that things had changed over the years, but they are always willing to get it correct. Yes the harness are not cheap but if you are going for the correct look then this is what can be done. You do not have to buy the complete car harness but can purchase the individual sections if the are made in that fashion such as headlight, interior, engine etc. If you have a pre 1940 car some of the builder do not carry the headlight sockets. Don Axlerod up in MAss has the correct 2330 and 2331 headlight sockets for the cars and trucks that used the prefocused headlight bulbs. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Thanks for everyones input greatly appreciated. On the 39 Desoto we had the old style rectangular headlights that were built into the fender. On the 38 and back model they used the round headlight glass and reflectors. I do have the higher rate candlepower prefocused bulb the 2550 bulbs instead of the original lower brightness. I have install sealed beam driving lights on the car helps some but the biggest issue when driving at night is that I get washed out and its hard to see the road. I did purchase the prefoused halogen bulbs that were mention but have not installed them so yes that is another option. really do not do much driving at night but we have a lot of Friday and Saturday night cruise in night and would like to attend more of them so that I why I was considering changing over. But I also do have the conversion lamp assembly for the car that would permit me to go to a sealed beam but this totally changes the appearnance of the front fender and is really not astatic looking on the car. So I have options to think about. Still thinking of doing the alternator anyway so the next steps is to put some real thinking into the lights. Keep the comments coming they are very helpful. To get a picture of what the original headlights look like do a search on the 39 Dodge or Desoto or Chrysler and you will see what I have on the car. Tks, The first picture is the headlight lens, second picture is the whole assembly without the outside trim and 3rd picture is with the car with the after market conversion sealed beam assembly 4th is the original headlight chrome. The 4th picture is my actual car with the factory headlights so compare 3 and 4 and tell me what you think, you can not hurt my feelings looking for input. Rich HArtung

Don: I currently do not know the answer to your question. I know they are lsited under the Model T section at Mac's. I will try to get sdome more info on these. Also since I have headlight reflectors similar to what what used on the 39 Plymouth but might are longer I can not use the sealed beam style that Casper50 is thinking of using. 1939 Was the last year to use bulbs and in 40 they went to sealed beams and the round headlight bulbs. From Looking at 6v positive ground 1 wire alternators they state that when using halogen bulbs that you shoudl convert to the Alt So the conversion would cost around $150 for the alt, 45-50 for the bulbs and drilling out the reflectors. So I would have around $200 for some better lighting as they state but no guarantee. I have seen some ownere convert the bucket to using the sealed beams but I would be more concerned that you would have two different light patterns being used. One pattern on the sealed beam and then another pattern of the original headlight lens. Also with the sealed beam as from above there is another issue. On the 39 Desoto/Dodge/Chrysler they use a 2331 bulb and the bulb moves from a right to left for the low to high beam affect where as most sealed beams that are a single light move in a more up/down fashion. the 2330 Do not think this might not be an issue if any but that is how my headlights work with the original equipment. I currently have a dula 6v headlight relay on my 39 to help with the draw and a 10g wire from the battery connection which is ontop of my statrt that has the footpush floorboard starter switch. I use 14 gage wire from the relay out othe the headlight block and foot dimmer switch. would you suggest converting to 12 or 10 gage wires for the halogens from the relay? Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

I am thinking about converting my 1939 Desoto that has the 6v prefoused bulbs over to the 6v halogen bulb system. Mac's Model t Has supply house has the convertion kits for around $45. HAs anyone that has the old style reflector system converted to these type of bulbs and did you have any issues? I do know that I would have to drill out my refelector to accept the 1 inch home for the bulbs. I do have an extra set so I would also beable to retain the originals if and when the car is sold at sometime inthe future. Also did you have to convert to using a 6v alternator. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

I received an update from Jim the ex owner of Antique Auto Supply. He informed me that a major Ebay seller from Indiana purchased his entire business and will be listing on ebay. Anyone have any information on this seller that is located in Indiana. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

oh well money talks when they wave enough of it in your face. Out real lose and I guess who ever bought the parts now will try to charge an arm and a leg for them. Thanks for the update. Rich Hartung

I tried to contact the vender known as Antique Auto Supply in Texas the other day and this is the reply that I received from Jim. As a followup I am currently writing back to him to see if the parts were sold or any info that I might beable to obtain. Does anyone else have any upto date info? sorry we are out of business JIM Antique Auto Supply 1225 Colorado Ln Arlington, Texas 76015 phone: 817-275-2381 Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Since the engine is a rebuild engine I would also add some RedLine Engine Breakin oil since it is a new engine. ANd i am going to say myabe some ZDDP since the valve tappets could use some extra anti wear protection. I know some people disagree abiut the ZDDP additive but since its a rebuilt engine why not. a few bucks spent to me is worth the money becasue of the cost to rebuild the engine is more costly. Then a good quality oil. I spoke to Shell Oil about their rotella T15-40 desiel oil and they stated that this isa fine oil for our older cars. Might want to quirt some oil down each sparkplug hole and thurn the car over to get oil on the cyklinder walls before an official fireup. Do not use starter fluid as this will strip any oil off the cylinder walls if the engine does not fire up. Rich HArtung

If you can go throught the parts and look for items that are specific to 47 then I would keep those items as spares and backup parts. The parts that are more generic then you could sell. I know that for my 39 Desoto the parts are almost impossible to find at local swap meets and even at Hershey. remember ever year that goes by more parts are being stored away and used and they are not making these parts again. Some Chinese parts such as brake cylinders and other stuff is real junk so think about this real hard. Once you sell it, it is not coming back to you sin ce you willnot know the buyer or maybe never see them again. Just my 25 cents worth other may not agree. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

Hey Don: I just checked the onoline JC Taylor application for the State of PA and onthe application they want to know the following: car year, model, serial number and if the vehicle is registered in the state of Pa. I have also seen on some Insurance carries that you can insure a car that i sbeing restore but is not road worthy so I guess you can insure a car without being registered. In the state of PA you can also register an antique car with a Year of Manufacture plate but have to pay an additional fee for this so it really is not worth the extra money to me in the state of Pa since I already paid for the Antique tag. I have a correct year of manufacturer plate on the front of the car just for display puposes. Rich HArtung

The other point that no one has mentioned is that you now can get cheaper insurance for the car. Also better to use an insurance company that specializes in antique car coverage instead of your regular car insuracne company. When you insure with a special antique car insureance company such as Taylor, Grundy, Haggerty, would state a specific value that you want to insure the car for. This is the value that the insurance company and you both agree on and if the car is totaleld then you get the price that you insured the car for, but there is one note here in some states there is a cap on coverage so to if there is damage and the dmage exceeds a cetain percentage then the car is total and you only get a percentage of the amount. So read your policies carefully. This happened to one of the forum members a couple of years back. In PA the advantage is no inspections, cheaper car insurance and you own the tag for life even if you sellthe car, you can keep the tag and then regreister it on the next car or sell it to the new ownere of the car you just sold. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

Ebay will provide you some of the bearing and cones. If you can find an old Tmikin Bearing and Cone I feel these would be better than what you are now getting from the parts houses are selling the Chineese stuff, The Old USA Made Timkin bearing is my preference because being made in the USA ove the the other junk stuff. See if you can get a Timkin USA bearing first. Just my two cents. Rich HArtung

PA only uses back plates on current, classic and antique. At one time they did have both front and back plates I have a dual set of 1939 Pa Plates for my 39 Desoto. PA does permit you to register a car with the year of manufacturer. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

OK some prefer the original look of the oil bath filter and others prefer the newer paper style filter. Some prefer to add period correct speed equipment to their engines. The best anser to your question is DO YOU EVER SUITES your WISHES. It is your car and you can make any modifications that you want to your car. I preferred to change over to the paper filter for my 39 Desoto but also kept the original metal mesh oil bath filter element. I found a paper filter at NAPA that was a complete drop in to the aircleaner. So as someone suggested if you can get an original air cleaner as a spare and keep the oil bathe element and then get another air cleaner and modify it then that is an option. If you want originality for a resale then go this route and just change when going to an official car show if you are looking for AACA judging or specific car judging or if its just a driver that make it work for you. If someone wants to fork over cash when they say it is wrong then they can have a say but its your cash that your are spending on your car and not their. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

The 38/39 upper control arm that was used onthe 38/39 Chrysler/Desoto on the upper outer bushing uses an eccentric bushing to make the adjustment for the camber/castor. The nut if I remember correctly is 1 3/8. The metal part is as you mention eccentric and threads on the the upper control arm thrtought the hole inthe upright control. The other end of the control arm of the upper end is threaded and when you thread the bushing into the arm this is what moves the upright in or out to set the camber caster for the front wheel. The other control arms have two metal bushings that should unscrew from each end. to remove the control bars and bushings. Does this answer your question? Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

WAS IT A THIN BURLAP MATERIAL OR A TICK BURLAP MATERIAL? MY 1939 DESOTO HAD A THICKER STYLE BURLAP MATERNIAL THAT WAS GLUED TO SIDE OF THE TRUNK COMPATMENT. I HAVE NEVER FOUND ANY OTHER MATERIAL LIKE THIS AGAIN, SO YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD THE ORIGINAL INTERIOR IN YOUR TRUCK. RICH HARTUNG DESOTO1939@AOL.COM

alsomake sure you have a gasket in the lid to help seal the top and from the oil seeping out from the top when the car is runni9ng. I use a NAPA 1010 gold filter element that just drops into the unit. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I have a 39 Desoto and i am the 3rd owner of the car. I sent of to Chrysler Historical and received the build sheet for the car. The car originally was sold to a gentleman that live in Brywn Marw PA which is near Villanova College in PA. I found out the the car was delivered to the Wolfington Desoto Dealership on 3400 Chestnut stret in Philadelphia, PA. Just the other day I was able to aquire a metal key fob from this very same dealership. The next part of the story is the interesting part. This dealership has closed but the great Grandson is the the President of the Wolfinton Bus Company which produces school buses. They are currently located inthe Exton,PA. I stopped by their main offce with the pictures of the 39 Desoto and all of the information that the Chrysler Historical had sent me. I was able to meet with the GreatGranson of the original Wolfington Dealership. He was very surprised that one of these cars was s till onthe road. The car came off the assembly line on May 19.1939. The Wolfington body works also made custom bodied for cars in the Philadelphia area. Some of you might have heard of the Durham Body works company that was also located in the Brwyn MAwr area. This comapny closed shop but the building that they occupied is not stillbeing used to sell Ferrari's. The greatgranson told me that when his greatgrans father need extra help when building a custom bodied car and the Durham body compnay was slow they would swap the crafts from each others shop when ever either needed the extra help. SAo my car has stayed in the local area around the suburbs of Philadelphia and has a real local hisrtory and this all came about because the Chrysler Historical had the history on the car. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

If I were you I would also pump on an electric fuel pump near the gas tank as a backup. This way you can still get to a repair shop to tank out the mechnaical pump if it goes bad on the trip. Also have a spare gas line that goes from the fuel line connector in the engine bay to the fuel pump and also a spare rubber oil line. Rich Hartung

If a body shop has to do the paint work and if they have to strip the paint and also do any major repairs I would figure on 8-10K for a paint job. Then also figure at the same time getting new glass installed at the same time even if the glass looks good better to install new and also new rubber seals. If you can strip the car of paint then you can save some money and also take off the fenders and trim also saves time and money. To paint the car need good compressor, and filters, good gun and other tools, so price out the required items and then price out having it done. Rich Hartung

You might also glue a sheet of plastic film to the back of the backer board or even onto the metal door frame to help reduce the mositure issue. Might beable to spray a water proof spray on like what you can do to leather work boots, not sure if this would warp the backerboard or not? Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

how old is the battery in your car? Have you run a test on the battery to see if the battery might have a dead cell. Is there water in the battery and can you screw off the caps to check the battery with a hydrometer? The correct regulator for your car is an Autolite: Generator GDZ-4801A of GDZ 4801B both use the same regulator VRP-4503A The VRP-4503A found on Chrysler Desoto, Dodge, Dodge Truck, Fargo, Plymouth from 1940-42 and 1946-50 except Dodge truck which was 40-41 and 44-49, Fargo 40-42 and 46-49 So you should be able to find someting Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

The biggest part of this is bracing the body so the body does not twist. I have attend several AACA seminars on restorations and one of the major shops has the cars always x braced in allof the possible section on the interior to prevent twisting. It is work but if lifting the body off then it is a must do. Also when you dip the body or sand blast the body. drill a small hole in the rockers. Then take a garden sprayer and put int primer or a good rust preventer paint push the nozzle into the hole and spray the interior of the rockers to prevent rust out from the inside. Do this in different spots to insure that the metal is getting coated. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com