desoto1939

if you cut through the entire cable and then cut the internal wires to short then you might have a pbm with getting new wires attached to the switch. I stil have the 6v positive grd wire system in my 39 Desoto. Also remember that if switching to neg ground how you need to connect the wires to the coil. The switch in your 39 Dodge is just completing the electrical circuit to provide power to the coil and then to the dizzy. I have owned my 39 Desoto which is a sister car to your 39 Dodge for over 35+ years. I have not switch to an alternator and still have the 6v gen and starter. Might consider converting to a 6v positive grnd alternator and then use a converter to power anything that you need for 12 volts. This is a lot cheaper and then you still have the originality for your 39 Dodge. Just my 39 cents worth of input. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Some history on the oilite bearing developed by Chrysler and Carl Breer the designer of the airflow: Below id the correct way to install a pilot bushing in our old MoPar's. There isa a special tool used to install and to burnish the bearing. Note that it aso states not to ream the bearing. I have this tool and several of my Mopar friends have use the tool. You can sometimes fined this tool on Ebay. Another great engineering product from the Chrylser Motor Division and everyone thinks GM/FORD are the best, Think again you FURD and Chebby owners. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Currently there are two of these units on Ebay for a cost of $150. Not sure if the poster on the forum is the same seller 2 Vintage NOS 1953-1954 Plymouth Dodge DeSoto E-Z Hydraulic Power Brakes #11030 Rich hartung desoto1939@aol.com

since you have the installation instruction sheet is there anyway that you can make a clearer copy of this so that we can all read it. The instruction sheet might also explain how the unit works. This is a neat concept so the information is good to know incase someone else finds a unit at a swap meet. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I would purchase the spare carb for that price and then have a machine shop pull the old brass rod and then install a new rod and then have a spare throttle body. $20 is cheap for a carb and then youcan play with th eold carb and get some education on how it all works. Just my $20 worth of input. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I have seen B&B NOS carbs for my 1939 Desoto that were still in the factory Box that was painted a flat black color on the outside of the body but not on the inside of the carb. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

There are two specific miller factory tools that are used to remove and install the pilot bushing on our cars. One tool threads into the pilot bushing and it bushes it out of the pilot hole. the other tool is used to instrt the pilot bushing and then it burnishes it to the proper opening. I have both of these tools and they work everytime. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

The dimmer switch might have corrosion on the contact points. Press the dimmer switch several times to clean the contacts. Check the fuse for the light switch might be blown. Go to the headlight junction block and use a test lamp to see if you have current flowing to the connection block. If you have power to this section then your lights might be toast. Pull a headlight bulb disconnect the wire connecter then test with a 6 volt battery charger to see if they light up. If they light up then check each connecter at the base of the bulb to see if you have current flowing to the socket. Also could be a grounding issue or maybe the bulbs are bad. Just basic diagnostic procedures. Rich hartung desoto1939@aol.com

could the airhorn not be perfectly flat? I have seen this. Someone took a piece of flat plate glass then put emery paper down on the glass then put the bottom of the airhorn on the emery paper and then rubbed the airhorn across the paper to find a hihg spot and to get the entire airhorn perfectly flat on all the outer edges. This is just a WAG or Wild Ass Guess as they say in the Army. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

LOTS of cars had dealer applied body undercoating to help prevent rust through of the fenders and rocker panels. BUT, they then found out that this was causing more issues and rust and holes. What was happening is then when a rock hit the metal in the fender well it then nicked the underside of the rust proofing material and then made a small hole. So if you lived in the Rust Belt area and they used salt to treat the roads the brine mixture would then be splashed up and then seep into the hole and then colect again st the metal body and then start the rusting process and the car owner never knew what was happening. When they came up with the galvanized fenders and body metal this prolonged the life of the body panels to prolong the issue of premature rust out. Chrysler was an real inventor to the galvanized panels on their Caravan's. Since we do not drive our cars in the winter with the salt issue I would scrap off al of the old under coating and then apply a good coat of PORS on the metal. We have also discovered that when people put bed liners in their pickup trucks the water and moisture would get under the liner and then when the owner took off the liner the entire bed area was rusting, same issue again with moisture. Just my input. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Dan: Sealed beam headlights were first introduced in 1940 and mandated by the Govt. There were a few exception that still used bulbs. For MoPar from 1940-48 the cars and truck all used the 4030 Sealed beam bulb that did not have the aiming tips. From 1949-56 still 6 volt they used the Autolite Bullseye bulb and still no aiming tip. In 1956 the 6v 6006 sealed beam was first produced and these had the aiming tips so that the BEAR headlight machine could be used to adjust the light instead of aiming the lights against a wall and manually adjusting the light. More of a true system to get everyone's lights in sync. The 6006 6v bulb is now used as the primary headlight bulb for cars and truck from 1940 to around 1956 for cars that had 6volt system.s Rich Hartung

Ivan: Thanks for the input. I was thinking of moving the big lights outward to have them between the regular headlights and the bumperettes so that the gril would be more visible and to improve the esthetics of the front of the car. More like the small light that you see when looking at the car on the right and then will have to reposition the Pa tag. Rich Hartung

As many of you know I recently got a fantastic deal on a pair of almost NOS Trippe Senior Driving lights with the Trippe mounting brackets. These light are approx 8 inch in diameter. The trippe lights were used on the more upscale cars but will provide me with additional frontal lighting. The Trippe lights are period correct since they have the old 32 candle power bulb versus the sealed beam bulb on my smaller lights and these are not period correct because sealed beam lights di not become available until 1940. I have placed the Trippe Lights and the smaller driving lights on the front bumper mount. I am trying to get more light on the road when coming home from cruise night shows and to be more safe on the road at night or when it is dusk. So I have attached picture with both big and small lights on the car. I would like some honest opinions, you can not offended me with your reply. The placement of the lights are just temporary so I can get other owners thoughts.util Thanks, Rich Hartung

Also make sure you replenish your gas tank with fresh ai because of all of the stale air that has been settling to bottom of your gas tank will have made the gas heavy and will not allow it to flow upto your carb. Rich Hartung

There are Heat riser kits, But be careful because they were made to fit either the 23 inch block and a different kit to fit the 25 inch block. Sometimes you see the Ply/Dodge Heat riser kit on Ebay but the 25 inch block for the Chry/Desoto are harder to find. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Bingster: first since your car is in a metal building you still need to protect the car from rodents. First thing to do is pull down the sun visors so that they are not flat up against the headliner. Mice like dark places. also cleanout the glove box of any candy wrappers or other food items, clean under the seats and also the ruck area. You can also use a very strong scented green Irish Spring soap bar cut up into pieces and place them in the front and rea seat area and also in the truck area to deter the rodents. I would remove the plastic sheeting so that it is no longer dark on the inside of your car. Mice like dark places with the sheeting remove then you can alway see inside the car when walking past the car. If you have bias ply tires on he car then put a small piece of used rug material under each wheel this prevent the flat spot for sitting on concrete. I have done this with my 39 Desoto for 35 years. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Dan: the newer replacement 6v 6006 bulbs will fit just fine. But what I was referring to is if someone was trying to to a retrofit with an aftermarket conversion kit that was sold for cars that were produced prior to 1939 they would have to make modification to the mounting ring that holds the sealed beam inplace. The mounting rings were not designed to get past the modern aiming tips. On my unit I had to use a small round file to cut into the area were each tip on the lens would be located on the mounting rim so that i could get the lens to fit perfectly in the mounting rim. Hope this clears up the information. So this is why the 4030 bulbs should be used and not the 6006 bulbs that are now available at stores like Tractor supply. Its all about how finite you want to be for a driver car. Most people do not know this detail of information but if you are having a car judged then it is a major factor and or points deduction. At last years AACA Hershey they had a 1950 Chrysler Windsor 6 cylinder GRAND NATIONAL Winner on the field and it had the 6006 sealed beams. As we all know these were not produced until around 1955-56. Also the correct bulb would have been the Autolite Bullseye bulb. The car parked next to this car was a 1950 DeSoto that had the correct bulbs and was being judged for the first time in an AACA event. So what I am saying is that even if an AACA event things get past the judges. But for being a Grand National badged car i would be expecting it to have all of the correct items installed. I have found out that since no one is producing the Tar top batteries for our older cars they are now permitting the use of modern 6volt batteries. Yes things are changing because of the lack of products. So I am ok with this official change, it is minor when presenting the car for judging. Rich Hartung

Yes the 4030 headlight was used from 1940-1948 as a standard 6 v sealed beam light. Also when you look at one on these light bulbs you will notice that there are no aiming tips and then in 1949-55 Mopar used the Autolite Bullseye bulb and these still did not have any aiming tips. Then around 56 MoPar used either GE or Tungsten headlights So if you try to use a conversion kit to go to sealed beams on a pre 1940 car the sealed beam 6006 6v bulb will not fit properly in the housing because these new 6006 bulbs come with the aiming tips and the original conversion kits were not manufactured to get past the tips. I know this because i have several kits and the round mounting trim ring can not get past the tips. I tried a 4030 bulb and the trim mounting ring goes right over the bulb. Rich Hartung

Doug: Well I guess you need to attend the Hershey swap meet with me for a couple of days. Always looking in the odd lots of parts and you never know what opportunity might come your direction. Yes the Trippe lights were a great find and also the 6 Autolite Bullseye headlights. I worked on two of them today and was sanding the rust spots on the back of the lights and sprayed them gray. Then took some glass paste and cleaned up the front lens on two of them. They are now ready and backed in bubble wrap. These Autoite bulbs will be going to Hershey for resale unless some one needs them sooner. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

The trippe Lights were made inthe Senior and also Junior product lines. The Senior Lights were used on the bigger cars of the 1920's thru 1930's. These were the cream of the driving lights. When also going to a quality car show look at the big cars such as the Packard's, Lincolns and every notice that they have a large driving light right in the middle of the front bumper and that there isa rod that is connected to the light. These are called Pilot Ray lights. These light will pivot as you make a turn into a corner or a side street so that you have light to see wre your are turning. There was a rod that connected to the drag link and when turning the steering wheel right or left the Pilot Ray light would move in that direction. This was the precursor to the idea that Tucker had for his third headlight in the grill, it was designed to move in the direction of the steering when turned. My Senior light are stationary lights just like fog lights but these are 8 inch lens and spread a beam to light up the roadway at night. These lights if you look an Ebay are not cheap they range in price from $1500 to $2500 for a quality set that is ready to put on your car. If you ever go to Hershey in the Fall for the AACA swap meet and car show you will see these lights on cars. The parts for these are expensive. They even had a special wrench that had knurls or groves to tighten the mounting bolt that hlds the light onto the upright bracket. This little tool is not cheap it sells for around $125-150. And to answer someone else question this is not a joke and also not a scam. I only post information that is correct and just thought other cars owners might be interested and to let everyone know that there are still good buy's to be found, just have to be at the venders site early so as the saying goes the Early Bird gets the worm. For MoPar car owners the correct headlight bulbs, seal beams, from 1949-1956, stil using 6 volt systems, the correctbuld that was used is the Autolite Bullseye beam bulb and not the standard 6v 6006 replacement bulb. During the 1940 -56 every headlight was still manually aimers against a white wall and the car was positioned 25 feet from the wall. In 1956 approx they came out with the BEAR headlight aiming machne and the headlight bulbs then had the three tits or gismos to aim the lights. I did a presentation at the National Desoto club several years ago with all of this information and most of the members did not even know what headlight were to be installed on their cars. I have even found that the AACA judges and there judging manual does not even have this information and I have sent them this information but they have not changed their judging criteria. Car from the 1940-1948, Mopar and also others would have used a headlight number 4030 and also would not have the aiming tits. The first picture is the Autolite Bullseys sealed beam. The 2nd and 3rd picture is the 4030 bulbs and note no aiming tits these bulbs were used from 1940-48 on the MoPar cars and Trucks Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I went to a local AACA clubs spring swap meet this morning. At the second building that I stopped at a gentleman had a set of Senior Trippe Safety Driving lights. I examined them and they were complete even had the correct Trippe mounting brackets and the level in the top of the bucket and the original wire and the original Trippe black tipped bulbs. Came home and polished the buckets and then hooked them up to my 6 volt battery charger and the bulbs even lit up, no cracks in the lens. As many of you might know these Trippe lights are not cheap, the price ranges from 1600-2200 for a set in perfect condition. OK, no i did not even pay close to that amount. I asked the seller what he wanted for them and I was thinking at least $1000+. He came back with a price of yes $100. You never saw any one ever get their wallet out and pay the seller. I basically stoles these from him and I asked him if that was his price and he said yes. Also at the same time he had a box of the Autolite BullNose 6v sealed headlight bulbs in a box. There were six in the box. Asked what he was getting for the bulbs he said $20, I then asked each, he said for all six, so another $20 was spent. Got home and tested these and they all work. There is some rust on the edges and on the back but this can be removed and repaint the back a gray color. As you also know MoParpro sells these same light autolite bullseye for over $200 each. So not a bad day of looking for parts. I attached the picture of the Trippe Lights. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Here is some information frm my36-42 dodge master parts book on the trunk prop. Also look at the note section. See that note on D8 it also might use the same support. I have the complete 36-42 Dodge master parts book. Do you want to purchase a copy to have for your computer. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Bob: according to my 1936-42 Dodge Master parts book there already is a brake pedal return spring. Below is the page from the catalog showing the part and part Number. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I have the same master cylinder in your car as in my 39 Desoto. Had a very similar issue. One day the brakes would work then the next day not and then could pump up the brake. then went to the floor. Decided to remove the floor pans, pulled the MC. Already had a spare rebuild kit and rebuilt the entire MC. Cleaned the two holes inthe resevoir. Bleed the MC on my bench and installed the MC back in the car and had good brakes. Next day working at my bench I looed at the pressure release valve that sits at the very front on the MC and then noticed a vey small slit in the rubber part of the valve. Also do not play with the piston push rod or turning it in or out. So this value permits the fluid to move out of the MC and also return but when there is a slit inthe rubber you get a very low pedal. Suggest that you rebuild the MC. i know it is a pain to get it out of the car but if all else fails then this is your only option. Rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I had taken the tires and rims off my 39 Desoto to do some checking under the car. I also have the lug bolts and are all right hand treaded. Did my checkout put the rims and tires back on the car used the t-wrench to tighten the bolts and both rear wheels. Thought they were on tight enough took the car for a ride around the block and then heard the wheel noise. stop the car in my neighborhood saw the bolts were loose. walked home got my t-wrench and tighten them up. So we all have had some issues with not tightening the lug bolts. So now when I put the car back on the ground I retighten all the bolts for all the wheels that had been removed. Lesson learned once but never twice for this issue again. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com