desoto1939

Logans51: Thanks for the update on your experience with past projects. You have the correct thinking and way to approach this project. And YES and again Yes, cherish your wife because she is the one that will be standing right behind you on this project. Take your time document everything take pictures, etc. The members of the forum will always try to provide answers to questions and they are a great group of car enthusists. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Logans51: I feel your pain also. BUT, I also see this same thing happening to potential antique car owners. They think that there will be lots of reproduction parts available for no matter what car and or what year they purchase. Sorry but not true. A lot of people purchase what is known as A DIAMOND in the Rough, which means there is a lot of body work, rust out, engine rebuild, interior, painting, glass, trans and rear end rebuild, chrome plating and the list goes on and on. They get the car out of the barn after they purchased the car or its put on the rollback and delivered to their home. Now the car is out of the dark barn and you get to see the true condition of the car/truck and they get that sinking feeling in their stomach. I am not putting you down for your purchase. The big questions is if you have the time to invest to do a complete restoration, the funds, purchasing the required tools and hope you have some good friends that can help in these fix it areas and the real most important is the cash outlay. So the best advise is to really take a full assetment of the situation write down what needs to be done put a dollar figure to each thing and then add about 20% more to that cost. Add up all the potential costs because it is based on todays dollar figures and then add more because of the extra time needed to finish the project. OK, so after reading the above, the next time going to look for a car or truck, consider buying one that is already done and is a good driver. You can then immediatley enjoy the car/truck and then make refinements as you go along. What happens in your case if that you lose interest and then you have a harder time getting rid of the car becasue the next potential owner is in the same boat and then realizes they are over their head and do not purchase the car. Also suggest for the next car if there is one do a lot of leg work on that specific model to understand if it pays to restore the car or not. Again this not trying to put you down or anything like that, I am trying to provide you with some direction and fore thought. Rich Hartung

Young Ed: The govt caught up with Ebay basically. They saw al of these sale items going on and no way to officially track the sales and th elose of taxation. THye stopped using PayPal even thought PayPal was owned by Ebay. So now you have to either have a Business or personal checking account to do business of selling on Ebay. Afte setting up your account they verify the account is real. You sell and item, they automatically take out the selling fees and other fees, Send the money to your checking account. They then send you a monthly accounting statement. If you have alot of sales a 1099 will be generated and sent to you and the IRS and reported as income. Since the gov't is now spending more and more and the debit is increasing they want their money to fund all their special projects. Here is another example a friend of mine takes the copper out of the selinoid that are used on the old pinball machines. He takes the copper to the junkyard. They are now asking for his drivers license and he asked why, becasue they have to reprot the amount of money they paid him and if they pay him more that $600 during the year a PA and IRS 1099 is generated. So hopefuly the good old contacts of people that have these old parts will only deal in cash and or personal or money order payments but as cash goes away then it will only be by Credit cards and the govt will get their hands into that option. Hope this explains what is happening. Rich HArtung

Capt Den: Yes as you can see they agreed to the 25K policy and value on the car, you might not personally think the car is worth that amount but they have their own charts and this amount was witin their coverage valuation for your car. Now if you car is a documented AACA Senior First awarded car then it is worth more and if it is an AACA Senior Grand National Awarded car then you can insure it for even more. Its all based on the condition how many official awards it has recieved. So for less than $20 a month your car is worth $25K and would be paid out to you with no deduction if the car is totaled. Can not get that guarantee on are modern car or truck for that cheap of a monthly fee. Rich Hartung

Ken: Inthe state of Pa we have regular tags for a passenger car and regular tags for trucks and also semi-s. We also have antique tags and classic tags. On our regular modern cars in Pa these have to be officaily inspectioned and also pass an emmisions test. If you drive the car or truck less than 5k miles a year then the emmsions is not done and you are not charge but you get the emmisions sticker put on the windshield along with the inspection sticker. Out antique cars in Pa is one and done registration for life and the antique tag is for cars/trucks over 25 years old. There is no annual inspection or emmision testing. we have a Classic tag for cars over 15 but not at 25. These cars still have to pass inspection and emission testing. Our inspections include pulling opposite front and rear drums to check for the brakes and lining and any leaks. The vehicle are put up on lifts and check for emission or rusted out exhaust pipes and rust muffler and catalytic converts, They check the tread depth in all four tires can not be less than 2K in remaining tread and also on brake lining. They check all lights stop and tail, horn. At one point this was don every six months now every year. The cost is around $75 pass or fail if you fail then you have to make the chnages and then come back to verify the work was done and then get your stickers. Current I own two regular cars and my car insurance runs me around 2k for the coverage with the towing car, rental, comprehensive and collision and full tort. My 39 desoto is valued at 20K with full coverage, full tort, towing, medical etc and that is around $175 yearsly and this has gone up every year, but my car is covered under a full Agreed value not a stated value that fluctuate with age, mileage, condition of the exterior and interior so the car loses value every day and every month and every year so it is a losing valuation on the cars. But on the other hand my 39 Desoto no matter how many miles is on the car and based on the Agreed value if totalled I will automatically get 20K. Yes I have some restrictions like not taking it to work, not using it for a weeding and getting paid, has to be stored in a locked garage and I am ok with those restrictions. So you have a modern car truck and the cost of the vehicle was 35K right off the lost and you hope this covers the car/truck MSRP. But here the car/truck has depreciated once you leave the parking lot becsue now its a used vehicle. So instead of getting 35K it might be only worth 30K. This is why they have an xtra plan that you can purcashe at the dealership incase the down payment and the amt that you are financing if the car is totaled will cover the cost gap. I know you are in a different state but the specialty car/truck carriers all have their policies that they require a car owner to follow to have insurance with their company. So again if you cannot find a company that suites your need then keep looking you might find one. But all of the ones that i have delt with and have had conversations with all follow the same basic rules of ownership. If you do not like their rules then you have to shop around until you get the coverage that you require. Rich Hartung

Update: JC Taylor uses Agreed value so does Grundy and Congdon and skelly specialty insurance. I have had all three of these companies. So always ask the question if the car is a total loss then you will get the Agreed value of the car as per the dollar amount that the policy was written for and Agreed to by both you and the Insurance company with no deprecation or the value is calculated against the NADA or Kelly Blue Book. J c Taylor is in the town that I grew up in so know them very well and was talking to them about this issue at a car show over this weekend, so they do have agreed value policies. Yes ago some of the insurance companies had mileage restrictions but i do not see these restriction anymore. Grudy does not care how many miles you put on the car each year. You might belong to AACA and they have many regional tours so the mileage will increase as you travel to these events, participate int he event and drive home. Always contact your carrier to clarify any questions on coverage do not wait until its tooooooo late when then you file a claim. Rich Hartung Rich Hartung

Allbizz: Yes you have the right for straight pipes and headers, But if you lived next to me in a neighborhood in a housing development and you keep waking me up every moring to go to work early in the moring Iwould be having an issue. There are nosie restrictions and if your car is loud and say I work a night shift and your truck is disturbing my sleep during the hours that you are going to work that is a violation. Most twps do not have a specific time frame for noise. it alldepends on how the nosie affect the people around your location. So put this situation as you are onthe reciving end of the noise. I am not trying to start arguments but trying to get people to understand how loud pipes loud motocyles pipe affect other people. Again there are restrictions and courtesies that people do not consider for other people. Again the Me generation and if i want the loud pipes the heck with everyone else they have to lie with the loud pipes. If you lived out in the country farm land then not some much of an issue but inthe general population housing developments it is an issue. And no i am not an old grumpy guy, We as a society have forgotten that other people around us also have rights. So just look at the C 19 issues. People refuse to get the vaccination shots becsue their right to choice is being violated. But they have that right, but when i was kid the Polio vaccine was found and the Govt mandated that everyone get the vacination. We did not know what the long term affect might be but we did know that it would prevent us from being paralized or put into and iron lung and it stopped the spread of polio. Now off my soap box rich Hartung

When we are talking Specialty cars and or antique car/truck they are the same. We ae talking about Specialty Insurance Companies that specialize in insuring these type of vehicles. Specialty Auto Insuracne companies have their written policy and has their limitation on what is covered etc. You have to remember that these types of cars and trucks are not be used for comerical busines such as a pickup truck delivery hardware supplies to a customer. That then would be considered a comercial use truck that is a work truck and would have to be registered as a modern and would also have to go through state inspections. I understand that you have made invesments to you specialty car/truck like we all have. i started with a 39 Desoto did chrome work, new tires, total repaint, etc. But if this was to be a daily driver and i wanted to insure with a regular car insuracne carrier they might offer a policy to insure the car but i do not think they are going to offer a policy of agreed value of $20000 for a yearly fee of $175. You regular company might commit to an agreed value but I would be asking a lot of question on how that agreed value works. It might be worded that they have an AGREED VALUE UP TO $20000. So when talking to the JC Taylor Specialty insurance compnay they stated that yes you have an Agreed value onthe car/truck BUT with the written state of UP TO gives them the out to not pay the full amount and can make deductions, depreciation cost etc. I know that Hagerty Insurance Specialty Insurance has some unique plans so would suggest that you might call them. If I have invested so much time and effort into a specialty car/truck I want to make sure that I am covered for the full amount and not worry if the decision is upto the insurance company. As owners we want the best of both worlds but right now there is no know options to have it both ways. Sorry if some of you guys feel that the companies are not offering what you desire. So here is an option. If your car is worth $25K then invest that $25 in a savings account becasue that is you agreed value. Put it inthe bank let it grow interest or not. Your car is insured as a daily drier gets totaled and you get maybe $1000 becasue it is so old and the Blue Book has no value on it then you take out the $25 from the bank account and you are back to square one plus a Thousand dollars. Since everyone is wanting their own special insurance plan I would ask that the ones that want this special policy start making some phone calls and get clarity on this and then report back to the forum with their finding. I have been inthis hobby for 35+ years and have attended man seminars onthis top[ic. So I am not a newbie on this topic. So now its upto someone to investigate your special circumstances with an insurance company. Rich Hartung

So everyone wants that thrahy sound and headers and the tuned exhaust system. So I ask how many Harly davidson MC to you hear in a neigbor hood with the full coutout pipes early inthe morning or late at night when a MC rider comes into your neighborhood. He is running loud pipes and you have a young child and he wants everyone to notice him and he wakes up your baby or young child. I guess that makes you angry becasue now you have a hard time getting your child back to sleep. But the guy with th eloud pipes has his rights to have a loud bike. So the same bikes passess you on a 4 lane highway and is sitting inthe left lane right at your drive side window with openpipes. You sut the windows becsue of the noise level is so loud you cant even hear your radio. You shut the window and still loud. You get mad and wish he would speedup turn off and the next exit. But he has his rights but does not care about yours. So lets all think about the loud pipes on our cars, the noise level in our cars, the noise level around our car and how it affects others. But the world currently is setup horray for me and the Hxll to the others around us. Just gie it some thought. You all will be at some point in time to agree about the extra loud nosie is not appreciated. Rich Hartung

The restrictions are there becasue the full coverage for your antique car is cheaper first off. So lets say you have a 35 year old antique car and the agreed valued is $35k. You have an accident and the car is totalled. You get $35K from the insurance company settled and you get the full amount. So lets say you have the same car and not with an agreed amount but stated amount, you think the car is worth 35K. The car is 35 years old and is a plain jane car plymouth nothing fancy same car as above first sentance. The car according to the blue book value of a regular 35 year old car in perfect condition is not even in the bluebook value. Figure some rust inthe body age of the paint,etc accoding to the regular car insurance compnay they took your money to insure it but now the car is 35 years old and accoding to their books it has no value its just an old outdated not modern vehecile and might be worth $50 and now its totaled. So you paid the full insurance billover the years and you walk away with fifty dollar but you got to drive when ever you wanted day night bad or good weather stored it out in the rain snow sleet and hail and it has damage from a hail storm. It was no value but you got your wish that you can do what ever your heart desired with the car. But in the end all the hard work, new parts and you only get $50. But with some restriction the same car that has been garaged and maintain and gets totalinthe same accident you walk away with $35000 and not $50 just becasue you had to obey and follow some rules. We can not always have it your way but if you go to a hamburge fast food you can have it your way for the same price. Our generation is spoiled and they want everything their way and do not want to have rules. Life is made up of rules some we lik and some we do not. So i guess if you wanted to rob a bank just becasue you want to rob the bank it is ok to do so and not have to pay any price for the robbery. No this is an illegal act. So we all have rule and regulation that we have to follow. If we do not then their is total Anarchy even with old cars and their insuracne. Rich Hartung

Sniper: So basically people want to have an antique car that goes 80+ mph expect it to be treated like an antique car and have it insured like an antique but realy are driving an antique that is regestered as a regular modern car and expect to have the same insurance rates as an antique car. You can not have it both ways. either it is an antique car with antique car insurance and you have to obey the rules of the antique car policy. This is the problem right now every one does not want to play by the rules set down by the insurance company. They want it their way, can no be done. Ether an antique car or an antique car that would have to have semi annual or annual motor vehicles safety inspections modern car and meet emissions controls and everything has to work including lights horns etc. and also pay the regular insuance rate of a regular car. I guess you have to pick your posion. Rich Hartung

OK OK for all of you car owners that have used you regular car insurance company thinking that you are saving money and have an agreed values on your car It is time to offically contact a Specialty Antique car Insurance carrier. I discussed this last year. Your regular car insurance carrier does not know anything about antique cars and they willdepreciate a car just like your regular car if it get totalled plain and simple If youuse companies like JC Taylor, Grunday, Haggerty they all have an official Agreed Value policy. So you set the price you want to value your car at so lets same you have a 1946 Dodge Deluxe and it is still original and some what fair condition. You think it is worth 30000. And you put in the policy and ask for 30K of Agreed value policy. They all know what the car values are based on being a fully restores car all the way done to a diamond in the rust parts car.. They will then ask you for proof that the car is worht 30K and ask for pictures and also and documentation such as pictures and fully written report from a Licensed appriaser so verify that the car is worth 30K. At this point they can accept the request to insurr for 30K or reget and thne inform you based on their input from you history and picture that the car can only be insured for 7500 and they wil lthen state you the cost for the policy. You then have to either agree or look for another company... If you accept and adhere to th epolicy specifics such as it must be stored in a garge and also locked inthe garage on your property, etc. If the car gets totaled becasue of a fire or is hit in an accident and is totalled then they are required to pay you directly the amount of $7500 which the policy stated becsue it was an Agrred value not a Stated value. This is all you are going to get nothing less. So lets same the car is totalled but you want to keep the car then they can offer you an option to purcahse the car and that changes some other issues. Yes there are stipulations with collector car insurance, can not drive on a daily basis to use as your everyday car to go to and from work, Should be used to go to car events and car club events. Most insurance policy is no longer have a mileage limit and or that you can not drive the car an night. Most state the the car has to be garaged in a closed and locke garage, can not be under a carport.If you are on an extend tour for a week or at a car convention the car does not need to be garaged. They understand that you are traveling to and from the event and the car is fully covered. So get a quote for your antique car get an agreed valued not a Stated value [policy read the policy completely and understand it. If question then call the carrier to get clarity on you policy and questions. I have coverage from Grundy collector car Insurance, unlimited mileage full coverage medical and all and parts coverage. The annual cost is $175 per year. That breaks down to being under $15 per moth and my car has an agreed value of $22k. each year the amount of coverage value is increased. So if you think that $15 a month is expensive then roll the dice with the local car insurance agent and pray real hard everynight that nothing happens to your car becsue the $15 a month was too much to pay. You pay upwards to thousands to insure your regular car and the people inthe car so why not the same people in you antique car. The antique car has more of a change to be in an accident becasue of the age, not seat bels no airbags, lack of turn signal no antilocking brakes, small stop light or only six volt and small dots on the car. So think of all the possibilties of driving your old antique and how much do you value your car or truck and the people in your car or truck. Hope this makes some people become aware of the potential issue with the use of your regular carrier versus and antique car specalist company. Any comment or question are welcome but please look into what you are paying for and not wait until it to late to change and cover you buts and the butts or your family and friend. I have been in this hobby for 35 years and have attend many seminars on this topic at the AACA annual meeting in Philadelphia and this topic comes up every year. I hope this posting clears up the issue of using a Specialty Car carrier versus your regular car insurance carrier such as Geico, Allstate, State farms, etc. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

OK OK for all of you car owners that have used you regular car insurance company thinking that you are saving money and have an agreed values on your car It is time to offically contact a Specialty Antique car Insurance carrier. I discussed this last year. Your regular car insurance carrier does not know anything about antique cars and they willdepreciate a car just like your regular car if it get totalled plain and simple If youuse companies like JC Taylor, Grunday, Haggerty they all have an official Agreed Value policy. So you set the price you want to value your car at so lets same you have a 1946 Dodge Deluxe and it is still original and some what fair condition. You think it is worth 30000. And you put in the policy and ask for 30K of Agreed value policy. They all know what the car values are based on being a fully restores car all the way done to a diamond in the rust parts car.. They will then ask you for proof that the car is worht 30K and ask for pictures and also and documentation such as pictures and fully written report from a Licensed appriaser so verify that the car is worth 30K. At this point they can accept the request to insurr for 30K or reget and thne inform you based on their input from you history and picture that the car can only be insured for 7500 and they wil lthen state you the cost for the policy. You then have to either agree or look for another company... If you accept and adhere to th epolicy specifics such as it must be stored in a garge and also locked inthe garage on your property, etc. If the car gets totaled becasue of a fire or is hit in an accident and is totalled then they are required to pay you directly the amount of $7500 which the policy stated becsue it was an Agrred value not a Stated value. This is all you are going to get nothing less. So lets same the car is totalled but you want to keep the car then they can offer you an option to purcahse the car and that changes some other issues. Yes there are stipulations with collector car insurance, can not drive on a daily basis to use as your everyday car to go to and from work, Should be used to go to car events and car club events. Most insurance policy is no longer have a mileage limit and or that you can not drive the car an night. Most state the the car has to be garaged in a closed and locke garage, can not be under a carport.If you are on an extend tour for a week or at a car convention the car does not need to be garaged. They understand that you are traveling to and from the event and the car is fully covered. So get a quote for your antique car get an agreed valued not a Stated value [policy read the policy completely and understand it. If question then call the carrier to get clarity on you policy and questions. I have coverage from Grundy collector car Insurance, unlimited mileage full coverage medical and all and parts coverage. The annual cost is $175 per year. That breaks down to being under $15 per moth and my car has an agreed value of $22k. each year the amount of coverage value is increased. So if you think that $15 a month is expensive then roll the dice with the local car insurance agent and pray real hard everynight that nothing happens to your car becsue the $15 a month was too much to pay. You pay upwards to thousands to insure your regular car and the people inthe car so why not the same people in you antique car. The antique car has more of a change to be in an accident becasue of the age, not seat bels no airbags, lack of turn signal no antilocking brakes, small stop light or only six volt and small dots on the car. So think of all the possibilties of driving your old antique and how much do you value your car or truck and the people in your car or truck. Hope this makes some people become aware of the potential issue with the use of your regular carrier versus and antique car specalist company. Any comment or question are welcome but please look into what you are paying for and not wait until it to late to change and cover you buts and the butts or your family and friend. I have been in this hobby for 35 years and have attend many seminars on this topic at the AACA annual meeting in Philadelphia and this topic comes up every year. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Hickory: I was a a major car show today and was speaking with the JC Taylor representative. And he told me that if you have an agreed valued car then the car insurance company has accepted that amount and they are responsible for that amount. Did you use a specialty company or your regular company also they said read the poicy to make sure that it did not same that they will payout up to the amount that you set and they agreed on. If no action from the insurance company then they said to contact your state department on insurance and get them involved. So basically you need to review your policy with a fine tooth comb to make sure you fully understand if there are any loop holes So what company was covering your car and were there any loopholes inthe policy. The state should not fine you because the car was a total lose because of the fire. Send them pictures of the car and I would have thought that the Ins Company would do the same. Rich Hartung

To educate byers on Ebay. Ebay used to use PayPal to process your purchase and the seller would see th emoney in his payPal account ususally inthe same day as you made the purchase. Ebay has basically gotten caught by the IRS. Now to sell on ebay the seller has to have either a Business or Persoanl checking account setup no more paypal accounts are being used. Ebay takes the transaction and selling fees out of the sale and then send you the seller an email sating what you will be getting sent to your account. You can setup you account to have a daily updates but for most instances it takes a couple of days for ebay to officially put th emoney into your checking account. So if I sell something and I have to wait for the check to hit my checking account the item is not getting shipped until I officially see the transaction post to my bank account. I have to protect the item until I am officially paid and I am not sending something until you are paid. So if you want somthing in a hurry then you will have to go to the sellers house and make the transaction. So understand the new process, it might take more days to get the item. Also if you sell to much then ebay generates a 1099 statement and the money in your account is reported to the IRS. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

glad that you are getting spark. I had suggested a new old stock breaker plate becasue youare then starting with a fresh factory situation. You never know what the prior owner has done so eleminate what they did and start like you did. Hope this solves you pbm. Rich Hartung

Hickory: I am glad that you are contacting Les P. He can provide you with the exact starting procedure for the 29. He is the 1929 model coordinator and can better advise you than me. I am more of a good knowledgeable contact on the 38/39 Desotos. I do have a great universal parts book that handles all of the electrical components on your 29. Have to be careful becasue in 1929 Desoto used either Northeast and then switched over to Delco ignition parts. My book has detailed pictures and part numbers. This is important call me so we cantalk about this manual. Rich Hartung cell 484-431-8157 home 610-630-9188 or desoto1939@aol.com

with agreed values on antique car or truck when you complete your application you state the value that you want to insure the car or truck for. The insurance company then has the option to either accept or reject the policy after reviewing it. If they think that the value that you established in your request is above the normal value then they would ask for an appriasal to be done by a certified apraiser. They might also ask for pictures of the car to also verify the requested coverage. So basically if they accepted your stated value and you were paying the annual coverage cost then they are libal to payout the amount that the car was insured for. Most regular car insurance companies such as Geico, Allstate offer antique car insurance but at stated valued and if the car is totalled then they play the deprection factor just like on a modern car. So please do not use your regular car carrier insurance. This is always a major topic at the AACA annual convention and and meeting in Philadelphia every yer. We have at lest one information session to encourage antique car owners to go with the specilaty insurance companies. I use Grundy and they do not have any mileage limitations, here inthe state of PA you can drive your car at night and according to the State Police so long as the car has the original lighting system and it is functional for you to see then they are acceptable for night driving. They stated that it is your responsibility to be able to see the road at night. Also most insurancee companies will not permit you to have a car or truck sitting under a carport or in a parking lot. It must be enclosed in a closed garage. The exception is to when you are on a tour or at a National car show. I know Hagerty will permit you to use your car in a wedding but you need to contact them prior and they have a special program for this and they have a surcharge to your car. Also some states have a different way to figure the value if a car is totalled so read your policy and or contact your carrier directly. This happened to one of our P15 member even with the stated value clasue the state had a special law and he did not get that amount becsue of the damage and only got if I remember like 75% of the value. So again read your policy and everyone should contact their antique car insurance carrier to verify how their individula policy works and what is covered and the amount they would get back if the car istotalled. Also would suggest that if you have done major workto the car take picture and send to the carrier. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

Yes and also the specialty club such as the National Desoto Club. This is a 29 Desoto and has been verified by the 1929 Model coordinator who also is the current Present of the National Desoto Club. I sent a PM to Hickory with the contact information for the 1929 Model coordinator and he is waiting for Hickory to contact him. He has lots of 29 Desoto parts and is a wealth of knowledge on the 29's. So we have done our park to get Hickory pointed inthe right direction. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

All of Chrysler cars came standard with juice brakes even the early 1929 Desoto. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

It is so interesting that how a small request for information regarding sealed beam headlights brings out so many informational post with such great knowledge being transferred to everyone. This is a great forum and there is so much knowledge being provided to everyone. I want to thank everyone for their input on this topic and this will be great input into my presentation. Thanks to everyone. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

From my reading and investigation the three alignment tabs or tits started around 1956 and this is according to the above video on the T3 Headlights. So yes your car might have been changed over to the 6006 dual headlights and would have had the three alignment tabs. So I have to trust what you are saying about your car becasue you will know more about the history of the car than i ever will. According to my documentation the 4030 6 volt dual sealed headlights were used from 1940up to 1953 according to my Atlas replacement Specifications catalog for passenger cars from1938-53. When i did a search on ebay the 4030 bulb which can still be found did not have the three alignment tits. And in most of the documentation that I can also find about the alignment of headlight for these years it talks about using a wall to align the light with the hot spots and not using the alignment machine I looked in my Miller Factory tool catalog that was published in 1956. This is the first time and i have three other miller tool catalogs that go back into the early 1930-56. They came out with the tool C-3552 Mechanical Headlight Aimer. This tool had thre automatic gripping fingers that center and align the aimer on both the new and older type sealed beam headlights. So this implies that before 1956 that the sealed beam headlight di dnot have the three alignment tabs We are getting closer to solving this dilemma Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com.

Hickory: Rich Hartung. i spoke to Les Pesavento of the National Desoto club. i sent him pictures of your car and he also verified that it is a 29 Desoto. I sent you a private message with my contact information and also Les's contact information. Les said that you can call him. Les has several 29 desoto and also lots of parts. We are looking forward to having you join the NDC not that many 29 Desotos. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Chryler1941: Thank you for this link it is avery interesting video and willprovide alot of info. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Yes the 37 desotohad a 1 piece hood and to open the hood you twisted the hood ornament to unlatch the hood an raise it up like an alligator mouth would open. I think the 38 desoto had the same style hood and then 1939 they went back the the butterfly hood that opened from the sides with the center hingle so it looked like to wings of the butterfly when both half's were opened. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com