desoto1939

Marc: an we assume that you put the proper or appropriate drum on the correct side of the car? Ok so you had the drums miced and they were cut to be 20k oversized or 11.20. The brake guy then took that same measurement then put the appropriate shoes on the arcing machine to the appropriate setting and then cam ground the shoes to fit the drum. You cam home and installed the shoes put the springs back in the orrect position andjusted the eccentric bolts and the upper half moon cams. You did not lock down the two eccentric castle nuts. This is a dry fitting to make sure the drum turns adn you get a whoosh sound from the brakes hitting the drum but the drum is free to turn with no binding. Now you have to lock down the eccentric nut to keep it from moving. Take the drum off again Put your flat box wrench on the flats of the eccentric then put the torque wrench with appropriate socket on the back of the backing plate. Tighten the castle nut hold the box wrench as tight as you can and make sure that the eccentric pin does not rotate. Do this for both of the eccentrics. Put the drum back on the spindle should go on with out any issues. Do you have any type of lip on the base of the drum preventing you from pushing the drum over the shoes.? All else then something is to set correctly. Might have to back off the upper half moon came alittle. Let us know what you find. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Yes do it the same way for the front brakes. Rich Hartung

Marc. Exactly use you boxend wrench to hold the eccentric in place witht he drum off. Then use your torque wrench set at 55 ft lbs to tight eccentric castle nut but useing the box wrench the eccentric will not move. You are understanding what to do. Let us all know how this works out for you. Yes the service manual does not go into great details becsue it was understood that as a mechanic you had some expereience or could work with a senior service person in the Desoto dealership. Keep asking questions this is how everyone learns how to keep these old cars running. Watch the video from the service tech tip that was posted and you will see how they hold the eccentric and then use the torque wrench on the castle nut. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Marc: Yes get the shoes and drums setup so that they are at the proper distance from each side of the drum. The eccentrics should have a flat spot so that a 3/8 or 9/16 box end wrench can hold the eccentric from pivoting. So put the wrench on the eccentric and then use your torque wrench set at 50-55 ft lbs and then tighen the castle nut fromthe back of the brake backing plate. Then installthe cotter pin. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

OK on Ebay there is a new listing or posting for the same choke with the instruction sheet: NOS 1946-1956 Ford, Lincoln, GM carburetor electric choke kit, Sisson Suggest that you might try to contact the seller to see if he would scan or copy the install sheet for you and tell him your situation. In the lisiting it states 48-50 Mopar, GM, ford Lincoln and other cars. I can see a picture in the instruction shhet that shows how the unit is attached to a carb just like the Delco units where your roates the outer black plastic to adjust the carb Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I was at a local swap meet over the weekend and was able to purchase a NOS unused still inthe Box with the instructions on the box for a Model 71 Snap-on Spark plug gapper tool. I have wanted ones of these but they were wanting $40-60 for used ones. I was able to purchase mine for $5.00. I got a great buy. Just nice to have something like this tool in your tool box and being a Snap-on tool also means it is a quality tool. rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

KTGA64: This is Rich hartung got your PM. The picture of the 400 Sisson choke is one that is more like the modern choke that is part of the carb and built into the unit. There isa mounting ring and gaskets. This is not going to work on your car. Ther sisson choke that you show on your car is the correct one for 49-52 becasue it it mounted in front of the carb versus being mounted behind the carb. The ones that mount in front are more costly as you have already discovered. My next question is do you know how to setup the sisson choke that is currently on your car? I have the instructions and can walk you through the setup steps. It is not hard but also you are missing the rod that moves the choke butterfly closed. I also have a document on the rod lengths and the measurements and how they are bent to conform to the linkage. Once you get them set they are very reliable, i help doug and deb get their tested and got them to reuse theirs. They stopped by at my vendor site at Hershey this past october. If you have a motors repair manual or even the one for your car it will go through the setup steps. Call me if you need some help. Also can you attach some pictures of your current carb setup so we can see how they setup the manual choke? Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com cell 484-431-8157 Home 610-630-9188

Tom, I hear what you are saying. A friend of mine was a t last years Hershey swap meet and found a NOS in the Box with the gasket a Sisson Choke for a grand total of $10. Yes they are out there but if a vendor knows what he has then the price will be what the vendor feels he can get for the item. I know these units have gone up over the years. So if you are searching for parts then you need to look at every vendor. Some time they really do not know what they have. Last Sunday I was a t a local swap meet and vendor was selling NOS in the Box a sanp-on Sparkplug gapper tool. I have seen these on ebay and other places and they go for around 40-60 dollars. we talked about the tool and i asked the gentleman what he was asking for it and he stated $5. I did not even think about the price. Found another used one for $6. Came home looked on ebay the same unit i just purchased was listed at $65. Sometimes you get the prize and other time you have to pay for the prize. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I know there is a 400 model listed on Ebay but I have never really seen one on a car. rich Hartung

As Greg g stated look in your service manual it will also tell you the same information as above. i have these on my 39 Desoto so read the manual it will tell you what you need to know. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Can I make a suggestion. Where the shutoff value screws into the block that is your main shut off but I would also install a shutoff value whne it goes into the top of the waterpump. I suggest this for one good reason. So if you had to work on the hearter now you have to drain the radiator so no water runs out of the blcok and system. If you have two values then you shut off the water flow at the back of the bloc and at the wp. Then just connect the hose at the Wp to the blcok value and you still have water ciculating while you work on the heater core. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I do not have any info on this choke can you take more pictures of the unit. So with the post with the nut there is an electrical feed and then it energizes something to make the choke butterfly close. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Yes the indent area is where you will use a stainless steel flat pan head screw to go throught the material and thn into th emeatl of the cowl. Use the same location as the previous owner used. On my 39 Desoto the metal screw had a slot on the top to resemble a flat headed screw but when I took them out there were really a serrated rivet with a point and then the regular slotted head for a screwdriver. Do the best that you can becasue most people will not know what. is correct or not. I will post pictures of the modling that I have installed onmy 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

for what years and are you asking about the newer cross tyrpe ersus the old Detroit Pin and Trunion style? I have serveral U joint catalogs that also list other u joint companies model numbers based on the original U joint numbers Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

The travel could also be that you still need to fine tune the gap between the toe and heel of each shoe. Most people get this soft pedal and they thik it is air in the line but the real reality is that the shoes are still out of proper adjustment. After putting on the drums did you perform a minor adjustment of each drum. I always do a minor adjustment with the top adjuster. Spin the wheel and then lockup the drum with the top adjuster and then back off till you hear a slight sound of the shoe dragging against the drum then do the same for the other shoe on the same drum. Will have to do this for all four brake drums. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Yes we all agree that these are ok to use but not near any heat source such as the manifold becasue of the potential for a fire. Good to use also the frame rails after the electric fuel pump if you have one installed. If no electric fp then any where along the fuelline is fine but not after fp and close to the manifold. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Yes you can I get mine off ebay and also a swap meets; Rich Hartung

Here is the ac fuel filter AC GF-48 that I have beenusing on my 39 for the past 30 years. it has a replaceable paper filter and a glass bowel so you can see the sediment. I have mine just before going into the carb as the las possible catch for any sediment. I took these pictures off of Ebay cost is $27.50 Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com 1949-1962 Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Oldsmobile Carb Fuel Filter Assembly AC GF-48

I have the AC type that has the glass bowel just inline before the Carb. I like this becasue i can see if there is any crap in the fuel and then can replace the paper element filter every year. If you install the enitre metal filter under the frame near the gas tank you can not see if there is any accumuation of junk in the filter also you will have to have a way to clamp off the rubber line or fuel supply line to the filter when you want to chnage it. Yes and again YES do not use the plastic $1 dollar filter that you can get at the swap meets. The original filters that were used on the cars were carter's with a metal housing and a ceramic stone filter in the glass bowel so any aftermarket filter will work for our cars it all depends on how authenic looking you want it t be and how much you want to spend onthe filter. Most fuel pumps have the glass bowel n the bottom of the FP so this would be you primary system to catch junk in the fuel line then the secondary just before the carb. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Yes that was my issue the tapered end of the bleeder was not the same as in the wheel cylinder so the fluid would then weep out the bleeder screw via the threads. Have to watch what products you are using to repair our older cars. At least there are some quality people supplying quality products to help us keep these cars on the road. Rich Hartung

i had a similar issue with a bleeder screw on my 39 Desoto. The bleeder screw was all they way in and closed. The screw was leaking around the threads. Put in a NOS style and the leaking stopped. But he is something real strange. The original style bleeder screw had a cap screw that acytually came out and then you lossened the bleader screw. These are no longer made. i found a brake speialist in Michegan that knew exacutly what I was describing with the cap bleeder screw. He was able to provide me with the correct bleeder screw with the proper angle or tape to match the wheel cylinder. So not all bleeder screws will have the proper taper for the Wheel cylinder. I will try to post this brake guys link to his webpage. The company is Called Brake Hoses Unlimited Brake Hoses Unlimited He is very good and will work with you to solve your brake issues. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Sparkplug Compairison Table.pdfSparkplug Compairison Table.pdfSparkplug Compairison Table.pdfThe Autolite 306 is a resiter type plug. The gapfor these plugs is 35 not the standard 25 with regular plugs. I use the Autolite A9 plugs and have been for many years. I gap these at 25. Your car uses the 14mm with the 3/8 deep plugs. Since you have not chnaged your plugs in over 10k miles and have not had any issue I would just try to get the same plugs again and use them. If you have plugs that are working for you and the brand is available why change. Here isa suggestion. Put the car in a dark garage without the overhead lights on. Open the hood start the car and let it idel to normal operating conditions with the choke off. Look at the sparkplug wires to see if you are getting any blue lightning streaks coming off the wires. If you are then the wires are leaking current and they would also need to be replaced. I know some owner do not like the Champion J11 but during my readings an investigating these are not the correct plugs for our MoPars. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com Blue Crown Spark Plug List PDF.pdf

that is strange that your drums were undersized by .20. Most drums during their lifetime would have been cut at least one time, but being under seem odd to me but who knows what mother MoPar might have done over the years. Keep us posted on how the shoes and drums go on the car. Rich Hartung

I think you will do ok with this battery. Canyou also have them check the amount of electrolite reading for each cell? Also the manufacturer date should be stamped on the battery. If the build date is real old ask them to get you a newer battery and also verify the amount of volts in the unit. After hooking up the battery teh suggest that you also put a small trickle charge on it. This will also extend the life of the battery. Also only used distrilled water in the ells if you need to added fluid and get from NAPA the water bulb to add fluid. This bulb should have a small hole about 1/8 inch up from the end of the filler tube. This prevent you from over filling the battery. So that when you are squezzing in more water and then left off on the bulb it will pull out the excess water via the smallhole in the end of the nozzel so that the baterry fluid level is set at the poper amount adn jus above the top of the cells. Als get a hydrometer to measure the battery fluid. After adding water do not take the reading at the point yu will need to run the car and also drive it to get the new fluid mixed with the older fluid. Then test it to see what reading you have. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

On my 39 desoto the two eccentric pins have the arrows stapped into each one so you when the are pointing directly at eachuther they are then set back to the base adjustment. Mine have the built in flat spots so that if I remember correctly either a 3/8 or larger box wrend with fit on each pin. So after loosening the castle nut on the back of the backing plate you can then manually rotate each eccentric pin so as to get the proper adjustment for each shoe.. After all adjustments have been completed then you need to use a toque wrench and set the ft lbs to between 55-70 Ft lbs to tighten the castle nut. Hold the eccentric pin in position with your box wren and tighten the castle nut on the back of the backing plate. Retest that the hoses have not moved out of adjustment. Also in the instruction sheet that came from the Ammco brake safe arc instruction note that it also talks about the.030 automatic adjustemnt that is built into the tool. I think this is for all of their mode but the document refered to so specific model that were referred to inthe instruction manual. After reading the instruction I think the fixed anchor shoes do not need the various anchor sdjusters becase these i think were used when doin the Bendix type of brakes and not the Lockheed brakes. Anyone have any input on this part of the discussion. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com