desoto1939

when rebuilding the carb go get your self two empty egg carboard containers of go to the dollar store and get two bill reminder containers for each day of the week. Number is slot starting with 1- you have no more slots. As you take the carb apart put the first part in hole 1 and so forth until it is completely apart. This is important since there are several small ball bearing and each are a different size and they need to go back into the proper holes and can, can not be mixed up. This way you know which parts goes where by the reveser order of parts. Also go to Harbor Freight get their Sonic liquid vibration cleaner to help clean the parts of the carb. do not put the ball bearing in the cleaner keep them in the appropriate slots in the egg crate box. Take your time it is easy to rebuild a carb. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

the 588 tag is the model of the pump.. AC was a major supplier of FP and the metal tag tells you that it is a model 588 these were used up in to the 50-60 and are also used on inductrail engines such a tree chippers. So if you go into a good quality parts store just ask for a 588 fuel ump. the 588 also fits my 1939 Desoto. If they ask for a year tell them 1948 desoto 6. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

you will also need to replace the fuel pump with a new one that can use the newer enthonal gas. That also is an easy repair. You are also going to have the inthe fuel tank. The old fuel if any will smell terrible and there wil be rust inthe tank. Might think about a new tank contact MoparPro. He has replacement tanks. I have a 1939 Desoto and have alot of cross reference manuals that might help you with your car. where are you located and can you post some pictures of the car. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

The lheadlight might not be working becasue there is a fuse built into the switch like on my 39 Desoto. It is a little metal tube that hangs down from the body of the switch. The fuse might be missing or blown and bad. Will need to check that first. replace if the fuse is missing and or broken. I have a 39 Desoto so our cars willbe similar to each other. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I run Autolite A9s in my 39 Desoto not Champions because of the bad press that they get from being of poor quality. ALso try an Autolite 306 which is a resistor plug but the gap will be around 30-35 Rich Hartung

The two fittings that come out of the oil filter canister should be a flare fitting and the oil lines should also be a flared fitting and I would think that they are double flared. The lines were leaking so the prior owner did a quick fix. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Would not be to concerned with the metal shaving. Dril a small hole just to tap the welsh plug screw in the screw and pull it our and water int he water jacket will come out and so will any metal parts. Suggest to use brass welsh plugs an the flat welsh plugs not the lipped style which are not correct. Snap on tool made a tool that had different sized disks to help drive the plug into the holes. Rich Hartung

OK if you replace the battery with a 6 volt battery remember that this car originally was a 6 v positive grounded car, yes 6 volt positive grounded car. So prior to taking off the battery cable check to see where each cable is going and where it is connected on the car. Also check the battery cable since it is a 6v you can not use the thinner 12 volt cables. You will need the 0 or 00 thick battery cable to carry the voltage to start the car when the temperature is hot. We all have made this mistake on using 12 volt battery cable. You will need at three arm drum puller to pull the rear drums since it is a tapered axle. They might be stuck on but will come off. As you go through the car post pictures, ask questions if you have doubts about sometime stop take pictures and post your questions. There are some very knowledgeable owners on this forum. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Ken: These were the original steel rims 16 in that were delivered with the car. I have been running these rims for 34 years and since the car is a 39 the rims are approx 83 years old. This is the first time that I have had an issue with a tire and or rim. I am going to watch this rim a tire real close but I just think it was a wierd issue and might have been casue by some of the very rough roads we travel on that day there were some rocky roads that were not good at all. Thanks for the advise on the upgrade on the rims. That would have been around 1941 the rims had the safety bead. Rich Hartung

Got the tire fixed today. They took the tire off the rim, took the tube out and there was a small cut in the tube. On the stem it is stamped radial. So the tube must have moved or some how got a cut in it. They did not find anything inthe tire and even checked the rim. Go figure. The tube is still holding some air so I do not know what happened. I will keep checking the tire to make sure it hold air. Rich Hartung

when setting up the opening gap for the points I use a tool called a Snap Gap tool. The tool has several sleeves that go overt the cam on the various disbrutor manufactors. The sleeve is setup so that you do not have to be on a high point on the cam. There is a feeler gage with the different thickness to set the points and also an adapter to compensate for the sleeve. So you select the 20 gage feeler gage and then the adapter comes right up to match against the 20 gage feeler. You then gap the points with the two flat gages. The points again do not have to be on the point of the cam and can be at any sport on the cam. Set the points. pull the two feller gages, pull the sleeve. Put the cap back on and you are set to go. I will try to attach a picture of the Snap Gap Kit. To see some of these tools go to Ebay and type in Snap-gap. there are several sets. The kits start around the late 40's but can be used for earlier cars such as my 39 Desoto. It is all based on the type of distributor on your car. Rich Hartung

It is all how they are installed in the breaker plate for each car manufacturer and also for each specific distibutor model. Just look at the 2 nd and 3rd pictures at the top of the attached page. You will note that the point contact is a screw type that gets ajdusted with a small wrench. These were used in 1938 and back. 1939 Chnage to a different contact setup inwhich you turned a set screw inthe breaker plate to make the proper gap adjustment. So you alwasy need to know the disbrutor number so that you can order the correct contact point, roto, cap, vacuum advance and also breaker plate assembly. Basically condensors are all the same, but the big difference is how they are monted in the breaker plate assembly the length of wire and the clip or contact point. There are alot of factors that need to be 100% correct to make your dizzy work properly. Also suggest that you get copies of various cross reference catalogs such as the Autolite electrical components catalog so you have the information for your car and or truck. I do have these catalogs and they have been scanned and are on CD if you need one. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Plymouthy: When i got home there was still air in the tube. So i decided to put air in the tube to see what happened and the tire was holding air. In the morning I went back out to check the tire and did an air pressure check and the tire had lost a couple of pounds. By this time some of the members suggested that maybe the value stem was not tight. I did tighten the one on this wheel added more air. Then I took some water and laid it along the bead and rim of the tire and metal wheel to see if any bubbles. Then pored water over the valve stem and notice that this is where the leak was. When I moved the stem the leaking air and water was in a greater amount. So when I had applied new air to the tire it was holding air so went to th enext step inthe process after getting advise from some of the members. I was on a very smooth road when this all happened so I did not know what might have caused the issue but by trial and more Error I found where the tube was leaking. Rich Hartung

I laid down some water along the rim edge to see if any bubbles would appear. I then poured some water around the area where the tube valve stem come through the rim. I then moved the rubber stem and found that the stem was leaking and the mist of water was being sent into the air. Took the entire wheel and a spare tube to get it entire tube removed, install a new tube and rebalance the rim. I also asked them to look in the area where the valve stem is to make sure there are no sharp areas. So now just waiting for the tire to be fixed. Sounds as id the tube flexed in the hole and cut the stem. Will know when I get the old tube when I pickup the tire. Rich Hartung

I would like to than every one for their input. This morning I checked the tire and it was down about 6 lbs. I read every ones suggestion and then took my vale stem tool and found that the valve was a little loose in the rubber stem. I then put the tire back to 30lbs and now will monitor it to see if there is any more leaking. Since the car was in the garage I decided to check all the other tires and guess what, yes, the other 4 valve inner cores were loose.. I tighten all of them up and added air to each tire. These 5 tires were mounted on the rims about 1 1/2 years ago. Never really had a pbm with air issues. Did lose air over the winter time from sitting. So as a word of caution to all antique car owner go out and check the valve cores on all of your tires, even your modern cars and or trucks. These are the little things that we all take for granted and this might have gust been the issue. I will keep the group posted as to if this solved the issue of the unknown flat tire. I do not have full cover hubcaps only the 10 inch dog dish sytle on the car, the original and correct hubcaps or a correctly know as wheel covers. The hub cap is really the small cap that is on the end of the spindle on each front wheel that keeps the grease and the outer bearing from getting dirt into the spindle and bearings, just a mood point. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Weather using Was, Polish or Sealant on your car there are are some technique to follow. I attended a Detailing seminar at the AACA Annual meeting several years ago and they had an experienced detailer from Groits Garage presenting how to detail a car. The first question he asked is if anyone was using kitchen dish soap to wash their car. Some raised their hands. He informed the group that dish soap is a grease cutter and that any wax, polish that you had put on the car prior to now just washing the car was removed. Do NOT use dish soap use and car wash product Blue Coral Turtle Wax Shampoo etc. it does not cut the wax. Always use a Microfiber mitt also use a 5 gallon bucket that has the plastic egg crate in the bottom of the bucket so that the direct falls to the bottom and you do not pick it up in the mit when you wash the car. Always wash the car with the mitt in a linear fashion just like you would be sanding with the grain on a piece of wood, You never wash across the body or sand across the grain onthe wood. This eliminate the scratches. Same when using a clay bar wit the grain linear movement. Same when polishing the car linear movements. on every panel. Not the old fashion way of putting on the was, polish in circular fashion, You get swirl marks. Also a little amount of polish and wax is all that is needed you do not have to put the was or polish on thick. Just a few tricks to use on your car and also modern car. Also remove the little tag on the microfiber polish cloth and also on the microfiber drying towels. These tags will also scratch the paint. Rich Hartung

Also do not overlook the Rate Manuals. When you open the next one that you find look for your specific car. You will find that it will also list some of the major parts tht were used on your car and will list the MoPar part number also you might see printed on the same line the letter C,D,P S. They would tell you that the taht your that year was also used on the C-Chryslers, D-Dodge, P-Plymouth and S-Desoto. Also some repair information is also in the book. Great just to have when looking at a part number and then you might beable to discover what car it fits. These Rate Manuals are unusually cheap. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Here is an issue that I can not figure out why my 6:00 16 Bia Ply goodyear tire that is 1 year old that has a new tube installed went flat onme today while driving. We were on our way home from our tour today noticed that the car was getting very squirrely when driving and I could not get it on the road. I pulled into a parking lot discovered that the right rear tire was going flat. We pull the rim and tire off the car we could not find any nail holes or splits sidewalls. Like I said these tire are brand new a year old. Got home ok after putting on the spare. Fired up my compressor and was able to add 30LBS of air back into the tire via the tube in the tire. Also note these are new tubes. I did not get any escaping air out of the tube and the tire was put back to 30LBS of pressure. I did this at approx 4 PM today. It is now 8PM my time and the tire is still holding at 30LBS and is not leaking any air. I had four other antique car owners with me in two their cars look at the tire. We are all stumped as to what happened. Also odd is that it felt like the tube lost air and the tire came off the bead. When i put air back into the tire it reseated it self. We had been driving all day over country roads some gravel and some with some major issues. Againthis happened at the end of the day on my way home after traveling 50+ miles on the tour. I currently have the tire and rim off the car and testing the air pressure every hour and it is holding what happened is any ones guess. These were tubed tires and not tubeless tires. onmy 39 Desoto. We had been driving the car since 8:30 this morning. the air temp was in the mid 60's today. Any Ideas. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

How old was the other battery? I use a Pulse Trickle charge on my 6v battery and the unit has the meter on the unit to tell you the number of volts it is charged at and when charging. The same unit can work on 6 or 12 volt the unit determine which voltage battery you are hooking the unit to. The unit is about the size of a pack of hardbox cigarette, has a 14 foot cable with the two alligator clips. My 6v volts battery lasts approx 6-8 years. Only fill with distilled water when needed. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Start the car and take a can of carb cleaner with the thin plastic nozzle adapter in the nozzle. spay around at the base of the carb around where the metal pieces connect to other parts of the carb body to check for any air leaks Also do you have the correct slotted gasket onthe base of the carb where it mounts to the manifold. If you do not have a govenor on the car you need to have the slotted gasket and one slot needs to be where the small hole is located in the flat flange area on the manifold. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Frank: Is this for your 48 Desoto? I would also suggest that you purchase the NOS Breaker Plate assembly for the 48. The correct breaker plate will have the Points and all the wires setup and then you can kjst put that unit into the dizzy and reset the cap and have all new components. Then rebuild the old unit as a spare. The breaker plate unit is an Autolite IGS-3004M fits 1946-48 Desoto This was taken from my Autolite catalog. i own a 39 desoto Are you a current member of the National desoto club Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Here is a contact for the model coordinator for the National desoto club, contact Les Pesavento he covers 1946-48 and might beable to help you. Also he is the president of the NDC. Tell him that you got his number from Rich Hartung with the 39 desoto. 586-945-5105 Let me know if you get an answer to your question Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Here isa picture of the tool and there are several listed on Ebay: under this name Vintage LUBROCLAMP Leaf Spring Grease Tool – in perfect working condition Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

ok i AGREE WITH EVERYONE COMMENTS ONTHE TOPIC OF PARTS. This is why I have been collecting and scanning the old auto manufacturers parts catalogs over the past 35 years. I always verify what a seller is selling on ebay such as a volt reulatorg to make sure it is the correct Autolite number or Echlin or Blue Streak part number. I have suggested to many members to get copies of the old catalogs so that you can verify what you are looking for and also when you go to swap meets so you can look for the good old American made parts and not rely on the Over sea junk. Most of the older USA parts are still available and yes you have to do your homework but when you have done the homework youknow what you are getting. When purchasing off of Ebay or another site I always ask detailed questions of the seller about the part. If you know your car and also the part you are looking for by asking the details you can then be pretty sure you are getting the part and it will be correct. So when I take the time to purchase a catalog and then the time to scan it into my computer, purchase CD or flash drives and then send it to people they expect it to be almost for free. Yes this is a hobby for all of use but most people do not want to spend any time or effort to learn or get the correct catalogs or manuals. The newer car owners purchase an antique car and have not done any research on the car and when they get the car delivered they find it is in worse condition than they thought. Then they are scrambling for patch panels, electrical parts, tires, etc. and to make it even worse then they expect everyone else to given them the information for free on where to get parts. There is the internet and yes it is such a fantastic tool to get information, so yes use it wisely. I see so many new antique car owners getting the car or truck ask basic question and they have not taken the time to purchase the service and or parts manual. These can be found as reprints but they do not want to spend the $ to acquire the catalogs, they want everyone else to do their work for them. This is how the hobby has changed, give me the information I do not want to spend the time to learn or get the knowledge, the ME Generation just GIVE IT TO ME and NOW. I do not mid answering questions from a new owner but when they have not done any leg work on their own or as per my comment above it is annoying to everyone that they have not research the issue. The older owners learned by trying to fix the issue joined car clubs and shared the knowledge at the car club meeting, even this is changing. Most newer car club members have a car but know nothing about the car and most of the time they do not even show up at the meeting and or any events. I now stepping down off of my soapbox. Rich Hartung

if they were the old cork then they probably ripped apart when you took off the metalplates also there are circular paper gaskets for the thumb screws also in the gasket package. You can also put some sealant around the plates. Rich