desoto1939

Miller tool was the principal producer for the Chrysler, Desoto dodge Plymouth and the trucks tools for the dealerships. The tools that they designed were also used on the assembly lines. Yes there might be some aftermarket tools that were used but the main tools were made by Miller. The olde miller tools are not easy to find even at Hershey, most of the tool dealers sell Ford and GM tool and then tool made for the outher car manufacturers. i have been going to Hershey for 35 Years and very few miller tools. I do have three Miller Tools catalogs that cover from the mid 1930 - mid 1950. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

When sending parts to anyone i always state that payment is due prior to shipping any parts. Some people forget to send the money and think the part was sent as a gift. It is great to help fellow car owners but they need to pay for an item if the sender just asked for the postage and handling cost. It is the only the correct way to say thank you. I learned the hard way, an owner of a 39 Desoto coupe up in Buffalo wanted to convert her headlight back to the original style headlight and wanted to remove the conversion kit that she had on her coupe that had the sealed beams. I told he I would look for the parts and that she could pay me the cost after returning from the Hershey swap meet. I was able to find the necessary parts that she had requested and called her with the cost. At that time she informed me that she no longer wanted the parts. I kept the parts. The bad part was that I had spent my time and money to look for the parts and purchase the parts. so I ate the costs. But from that day on if anyone ever asked to look for or purchase parts for them I requested that they send me an appropriate amount of funds to cover the cost and I told them that I would then use their funds to pay for the items and that the sale was a final sale, a lot of people did not like this arrangement so they never got any parts. Once burned but no twice and I even told them this same story. When I was loaning out my Miller Tools I had the same arrangement, They had to put down a major deposit to cover the cost of the tool if they decided to not return it. They also had to pay for the shipping costs. So if I loaned out the AMMCO 1750 Brake gage tool I wanted at least in todays selling cost on Ebay $750. That was to insure I got the tool back, and if they did not send it back I then could purchase a replacement. Some tools are not replaceable because of being so hard to find. Some people just wanted me to trust them because they were a member of this forum, but does not hold any water for me. So when someone goes out of their way to help you with a part remember your gentlemans agreement between both parties. Now i am off my soapbox. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com Rich Hartung

go to your Dollar store and get several. If they are plastic style the plaster and the rubber end do deteriate. I like the metal tuber style. But they only last so long. I have been doing this for the past 35 years on my 1939 Desoto. It is a n easy job and just take some time to cleanout the old oil in the canister. Rich Hartung

I have gone to McMaster and they have nothing. I even went to a Plumbing and Heating company. I was asking for a Pilot fitting for a hotwater heater. They had nothing and also the 27 Threaded nut is not available. So my best suggestion is to look on Ebay and search for Oil Gages for Dodge Trucks. They all used the same bubble end with the same brass 27 pitch thread nut. You just might luck out. I did find one long oil gage metal line with the bubble end and the correct fitting. If you find these metal lines then you had better by them when you see them. These are the small hard to find parts so know what you are looking for. Rich Hartung

This is a very special fitting and a bubble flare fitting might work, but the nut that screws into the back of the oil guage is also very special it is not your standard 24 pitch thread if I remember correctly it is 27 thread, yes 27. Lots of the older dodge truck up into the mid 50's used the same fitting and nut. DO NOT discard the brass nut or you will not beable to find this fitting. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

your typical green AF is good for around 3 years when it has been installed in your engine block. Also read the instructions on the back of the bottle.. Binster put the AF in the block and keep it inthe block over the winter. It will last for a long time. Rich

In my post from above I talked about the NOS Autolite, echlin , Blue Streak, Standard Auto parts. I am refering to the parts that were made back from the 30-60 era. These were quality USA made products. I am not talking about the newer autolite products. Always look for the good old boxes with this components. They do last and can be found at swap meets. Yes you have to do some legwork and know what specific part number such as the condenser, or points, rotor and cap, but you should already have this information about your car. So do not expect your local NAPA or Avance auto to have the good old original equipment available. They are only getting what their company purchasing agent can get from some other supplier. So get you list of NOS components written down and they carry it with you to a swap meet you will be surprised at what you might just find. Be prepared now for the future because the future is only a day ahead of us all. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

here is another article on the proper AF to use. Good reading material. Rich Hartung Antifreeze to use in our antique cars.docx Anti-Freeze and flushing cooling system.pdf

Here is some info about the Green AF to use in our car. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com Antifreeze in classic cars.pdf Zerex Original Green Antifreeze .pdf

Binger when i stated the Old Green AF I was referring to the same new Green AF for the older engines, Prestone, Zerex so long as it is the GREEn AF not the ORANGE, or YELLOW ot for IMPORT CARS that is found at Walmart. Rich

Use the OLD Original Green Colored Antifreeze product. Just make sure it is the green stuff and not the extended 100000 mile stuff. Also any brand of antirust water pump lube will work just fine. Rich Hartung

Bingster: Are you just testing the engine for some issue? Since you lie in Iowa and you have really cold winters you should plan to put in the Green Anti Frezze solution into the engine block and radiator. If you are just testing during the next month water should be ok but you will need to drain prior to storing the car for the winter and install AF to protect the car. Should get a -20 Degrees coverage for the car. Also suggest to put in a bottle of radiator Anti Rust and water pump lubricant to protect the engine block and water distribution tube. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

If the points ae so cheaply made by these reproduction specialists, then try to find the original Autolite points and condensers and other electrical components. These cars were assembled with the autolite components and they can be found on Ebay and at swap meets. So do not wait until you have an issue and then have to purchase the junk repro stuff. Get several NOS autolite points condensers, rotors and caps to have in you parts cabinet. Get the quality stuff now and be prepared for the future when we can only get Chinese crap. ANy of the good old companies such as Echlin, Blue Streak, Filko are tested products that work. Rich Hartung

when hooking up the new sp wires do not put the metal end and or cap that attaches onto the top of the dizzy. Thread the wire trough the metal housing then onto the appropriate location on the dizzy. DO ONE WIRE AT A TIME. Start with number 1 sparkplug and then complete that setup then go to number 2 thru 6. Saves alot of confusion and this eliminate putting the wrong wire in the wrong place on the cap. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

also pull the dizzy cap and also the rotor. Then check the breaker plate for any movement side to side. The BP might need to be replaced because of getting wornout. They do need to be replaced every so often. I have spares and then rebuild my used BP with NOS components to have as a fresh one in my tool box plus you also get to have the small extra wires that are in the dizzy. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I would also suggest that you try to purchase a NOS breaker plate assembly for your car. In the picture of the internal parts of the dizzy I noticed several of the small wires are starting to lose their covering and the one is so close t the metal body of the dizzy it will cause the dizzy to short out and the car will not fireup. You will need to know the model of the dizzy to order the parts. According to my Autolite Parts catalog the original dizzy parts are: The information is very easy to understand you just need to know the correct dizzy that is in your car. All major parts suppliers will ask the same questions. Hope this helps you get the correct parts. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Don: try this link about cashew oil mixed in our brake shoes: Results showed that the friction materials containing 5% and 10% cashew dust improved friction stability and fade resistance. The Effect of Cashew to The Friction Performance Of Automotive Brake … www.academia.edu/96535612/The_Effect_of_Cashew_to_The_Friction_Perfo Rich Hartung

Crushed cashews used in many products: taken from the webpage on cashews The oil that is extracted from the fruit of the cashew referred as cashew oil. A cashew nut has a hard shell outside with two layers. The outer layer is oily and inner layer hard within the soft nut is contained. Cashew nut shell liquid oil is extracted from the outer layer of the cashew shells. Some researches have found that the cashew oil is being used to treat dental cavities. Other benefit includes to prevent it from termite attack and useful in treating wood. Other uses of cashew oils are to used as an additive to brake fluid, to reduce brake fade and brake lining wear. Rich Hartung

The end that has the hole is used when pushing the pin into the ball. When the end hits the pall then the pin is centered in the ball end. That is what is implied by the instructions. But it is best to mic the old pin prior to pushing it out of the ball to ensure that you have equal length on either side of the ball. This is what they would have used at the dealership and also a driveline repair centers. Below are the factory Miller tools pictures taken from my Miller tool catalog. I also have the installation jig and the set of two tools to push the pin in and out. Rich Hartung

For all of you MoPar guys that has the Pin and Trunion Cross UJoints. I was at the local swap meet and car show and came across 3 complete sets of the Tool to remove and Install then pin that is on the end of the driveshaft. These are rare tools to find and still in the original packaging. I have sold them all but hae a set for myself. They all went to fellow MoPar owners. Rich Hartung

The 1946-50 service manual for your Plymouth will all work for your car. You do not need an original a reprint will be good. Consider using at least 14 gage and higher for your rewiring. Contact Rhode Island wiring they has lots of premade year specific and car specific wire harnesses available Rich hartung.

Sniper: So if the new reproduction points and condensers are jsut junk and failing what then is the next best thing that we should be purchasing. I have a condenser tester and basically I always look for Autolite points and condensers. I always test my condensers to see what the Micro farads are on each condenser. All of the ones I have I get a rating of .3- .4. So I am staying with this items even though they are no longer being made. Have to draw a line in the sand at some point and I know that the Autolite products were quality products. Everyone picks their own poison. Rich Hartung

Sniper: i sort of disagree with you about the old part numbers. I have found that these part numbers in general are still good. Lets take brake linings. The lining were all given numbers and they because used by most of the manufacturers and the lining #s were stamped on the shoes and on the boxes. I have found several still in the original boxes with rivets for 1162 linings for my 1939 Desoto at several large swap meets such as Hershey and even smaller local swap meets. Just by having these numbers helps in my searching and identifying parts for my car. Yes, some of the part numbers might not be found but if you looked at the info on the entire throwout unit and with it being identified the various car and years that used the same unit. This is what is the important part of the info is that if a seller had the unit on his table marked as 1950 Std trans and you needed it for a 42 Desoto std trans then this part will work for your car. This is the beauty of the catalogs. When these parts are purchased by a vendor like Bernbaums they are also doing the same thing. So, if they would find a 2p1054 unit they can now know that the part can be used to work on the DPCD cars for a 10 year span. Some of the small vendors do not have the catalogs that I have so i have seen these items on the 1-5 dollar pile because I know the numbers that i am looking at. Several years ago i saw a box of 10 of the leather u joint covers. Because I knew the number and the number was on the box end. I opened the box to verify the units and number because they were also stamped on the leather cover. They were the correct number for my car and several other mopar years. I purchased the entire box for $10. The seller did not know what he had but I did, so a great find for me and he made a sale and was happy. This is my point, be educated on your car, you will get some great surprises when go to a swap meet. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Again my 1939 DeSoto is now 84 and 3 months old since it came off the assembly line on May 13 1939. It has always had points and condenser in the dizzy. It has run just fine with the original Autolite electrical parts. Last summer I drove the 39 Desoto from Philadelphia pa to and from Altoona PA to attend the National desoto car show and convention. I traveled at 50 mph and got between 15-18 mpg and did not have any overdrive with the std 3 speed trans and a 4.10 rear end. I had no problem with any cars or trucks while traversing the PA Turnpike. even the cars and truckers gave me plenty of room and showed alot of respect for the car. Even one tractor tailer drive stayed behind the car all the way from Harrisburg to the Valley forge Exit of the Pa turnpike to act as a buffer for any car or semi that was traveling inthe slow lane on my way home, so could not ask anything better than that. And people say that the tracker cause accidents. So even converting to a Petronixs system can have issues but I believe in the tried and true points and condensers and the good old Autolite components. I carry spare parts for my car at all times which are alot cheaper that a spare petronix system. If you get your car well maintained then you will get good service. So I guess the guys that want to switch over to petronix might not understand the older systems. I might be wrong but this is just my take on the issue. Comments are welcomed. I now have over 101000 miles on the car. Rich Hartung

I listed this item so that the person that is looking for the part might look at the item on ebay and send a message to the seller asking if they might have the specific part that he is looking for. I can not do everything for everyone, the looker has to do some of the searching on their own. People are getting lazy and what everyone to find them the part or parts. We now have more look up options than we did when i first started in this hobby. Rich Hartung