desoto1939

I know what you are asking but a lot of the specifc marque clubs do not have the information either. The National desoto Club only publishes it roster every other year. We list the cars by year but if a member sells their car and either drops of of the club then we have lost the information because the old owner or the new owner might not join the NDC or the old owner did not inform the NDC that the car was sold. We have been trying to get the membership chairman to keep a complete listing for a national roster but we have not had any movement with the NDC. Also with the advent of Facebook Groups I am also seeing that a lot of the Desoto owners are members of the free facebook groups but not members of the NDC. I guess these newer members and owners feel that these specialty clubs are not forth the money for a membership especially when they can post questions and get answers for free without any membership fees. Even the AACA might not have any of this information either. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I just came across a company that might have the replacement small round vent screens that are on our Bell Housings. Since the floor boards are still in my 39 Desoto I do not want to take them out to determine the appropriate size whole diameter and the type of screen mesh size. So if anyone has their bell housing view able and can take a measurement of the small round screens and the style of screen and if they could post this info it would be very useful to the entire groups. I am not part of the company but just putting this out to help the club as an FYI. Administration please keep this posted on the regular forum and not a parts or Other top[ic. Company link: https://ventmastersstore.com/collections/small-round-vents-by-the-bag Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com cell 484-431-8157 home 610-630-9188

OK according to my EIS Brake catalog here are the wheel cylinder numbers that are the correct one for your 38 Plymouth and also 37 Plymouth Right Front EW3596 Left Front EW3595 Repair Kit S Right rear EW3598 Left Rear EW3597 Repair Kit T Get NOS parts not the new junk Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

SAM: Yes the brakes inmy 39 Desoto are ok. But as I stress to other antique car owners that when you get out of your modern car that have power disc brakes and power assit and all of the great new inventions for creature comfort and then you get into your antique car that is 50-80 years old technology you have to think for a minute or two and put your mind into thinking what you are driving and how the car reacts to the driving conditions. You have to be prepared for a stop or situations at all times yes it is a leasurely drive but have to be watching the traffic conditions and traffic signals with more attention. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

another good thing to get for your specific distributor is a NOS breaker plate. The breaker plate contains the moving upper and lower plate that has the wires, condenser, points. Since these units are NOS it is just a matter of taking out two screws and then replacing the entire unit and then resetting the points. The take your old breaker plate and rebuilt it with the same NOS parts to have as a spare. Tellme you dizzy number IGS or IGT and the digits after that and I will tell you the proper breaker plate to look for. Carry the rebuilt unit in your tool box in the car. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Ask NAPA for an Airtex fuel pump tell them it is the same as the AC588 Also the Chrysler dodge and Plymouth all used the same 588 fuel pump from approx. 39-50's rich hartung

Mark, Rich Hartung go back and ask them for a FP number 588. Also take a picture of your FP with you. Here isa picture of a 588 fuel pump for your car this is also used in my 39 desoto. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com 588 was used from 38 52 for all 6 cylinder desoto and also Chrysler. The new guys at NAPA have no knowledge of what pumps fits what car you need to tell them now all they know is how to search the current inventory via the computer and if it is not in the computer they have no idea.l

Zach do you have a battery charger and do you a a 6v volt battery charger. Hook the positive lead to the body of the horn and the negative to the screw that attached the origina wire screw the screen into the horn and put the neg clip up to the screw to see if you get any sound. If yes then you knoe the horn work. There is a point in the center near the little nut and the slot is the adjsutment to the point only a little movement up or down it will take some time. If you can not get any sound keep trying. Since the horn relay seems to be working it could be diry points or out of adjustment. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

I agree but with some of the MoPars as I explained in the above posting the high/low movement is a left to right movement with the original style 2331 headlight bulbs. So with your diagram from above the you still might have to move the socket or rotate it so that the bulb is in the correct orientation to get the headlight lens to properly send the beam correctly to being either high or low beam. You need to check your lens and current bulb to make sure that you have any modifications made to get the correct beam. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

did don tell you the replacement headlight sockets were junk or someone else. If you can not get originals then the aftermarket is the best that you can do or purchase a NOS headlight wireing harness for each light witht he appropriate sockets. These will run you well over $100 each. I have a couple witht he spring and sockets but not cheap. Contact Don for a price on the headlight sockets I got some from here several years ago and they were of good quality. Rich Hartung

you can purchase a general 12v tining light and it will work on your 6v positive grounded car. all you have to do is just switch the alligator clips. the red clip would then be you ground clip and the black would be power clip and hook the sparkplug wire black box the the number 6 sparkplug wire and then go time the car. This is a good tool tohave does not have to be the most expensive unit it is just a light to shine down on the pulley where the timing marks are. Much simplere than the other ways that were discussed. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

greg, question sinc e the diff vent goes through the brake blocke connector why would you then need to rebleed the brakes if you took out the vent tube. The vent tube goes throught the hole in the three hole brake block unless I am missing some understanding on the vent tube. Rich Hartung.

from what I can tell there is no right or left front lens on the Ply/Dodge/desoto or Chrysler. I do know that on the rears on my 39 Desoto there is a right and left taillight and also chrome trim for the taillights and also r and l taillight buckets. I also know that on some of the 39's there were right and left chrome trim rings but on my 39 desoto there is no designated r or l trim for the headlights. Rich desoto1939@aol.com

there also is another issue that no one has talked about: These cars use the 2331 headlight bulb and there isa a 2330 headlight bulb with the prefocused bulb. They both look alike but the difference is that on the 2331 which I use on the 39 Desoto and also used on the 39 Dodge/Chrylser and I am also assuming the 39 Plymouth Is that these bulbs have a right to left orination for High Beam to low beam. The 2330 have the standard high beam is upwards and the low beam is down. Both bulbs use the same socket but the only difference is that the two contact are either up/down 12/6 o-clock position 2330 and the 2331are left to right or 3/9 position. Just by switching the inner contacts to the proper orientation is a simple pigtail change. But Also the headlight glass has the prisims cut into the glass for the left/right on the 39's verus othe other cars have the 6/12 orientation. So if you convert to halgin bulbs and use the 6/12 up down then you will not have great lights unless you have the proper halogen bulb either 2331 or 2330. Or if you put in the aftermarket halgen bulbs that like they do on Model A's with it own socket then you need to adjust the socket so that the high low beam for the bulb is a 3/9 orientation. Also suggest that you nickel plate and polish the reflectors and then have them replated with the Uriva plating. But you need to make the necessary modifications and then convert to a 6 v positive ground alternator. Also Don Axlerod is the only one that has re-poped the headlight sockets they are not cheap but if you need them than he has them Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Bob: do you have the aamco brake gage to do the proper adjustment on the shoes? Let me know? Yes we all are getting older and it takes more time to get started and we end the day even earlier then we did in our younger years. If you ever decide to come to Hershey I now do have two sites so you are welcome to come by and sit for some time and talk about cars and have something to eat and drink. Rich

Based on your distributor number her is what you need from Autolite: Cap: IGC1107S Rotor: IGS1016B Contact Set: IGP3028ES Condensor IG3927G Breaker Plate Assembly IGS 3004 This was taken from my Autolite Catalog I have sent you a Private message Rich HArtung

another way to see if you plug wires are leaking is to start the car when it is dark outside or in your garage but have all the garage lights turned off. Open the hood and then without any lights on if you see any blue flashes around the plug wires then they are leaking and it is time to replace them. If you ever need to pull a plug wire when the car is running you will need to purchase a sparkplug wire puller at any good auto supply store. They are covered so you will not get a shock. Gals all went well with you. Also get a NOS distributo cap, points, condenser and rotor it is good to have these in the car with you as a spare. These are items that you can not ususally just walk into an autozone when on the road if they go bad. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

correct with the engine running then use the timing light to see where the mark is getting highlighted by the flash from the timing light. If the timing mark is not lining up with the pointer then you have to adjust the distributor by either advancing or retarding the timing so you are turning clockwise or counterclockwise to get the white mark to be in align with the pointer. Also remember that the car might run smoother even if if is off the mark alittle. You have to get a fell for the engine and see where is is the smoothest. When the car was perfectly new then TDC was the mark but as we get older in life we lose some of our own spark and we have to make adjustments in life same for a car as it gets older. As things wear down maybe the point gap can be less than 20 and more to 19/18 because of the cam on the dizzy is worn. All these factors play into the timing of the car. Keep us posted. Rich HArtung

Hey Bob: How are you doing with this c19 virus issue. Hope all is well with you and the family. Not sure about Hershey in October here in PA. Basically the whole state has been shut down and allof the annual car shows have been cancelled. Have not heard anything from the AACA about the Hershey event. I have two spots again already assigned to me but it is a waiting game that we all have to play. Sounds as if its going to be a boring summer and little use of the cars and meeting up with the rest of the car club members. Take care. Rich HArtung

I had one like that several years ago but sold it. Yes you need the steel gasket and a different spark plug rich hartung

TDC is at idle not necessary to plug the vacuum line. I always time with #6 plug on my 39 Desoto. Rich

according to my flat rate book for Plymouth from 1939-50 the spark timing mark on the dampener is TDC or top dead center the sparkplug gap should be set at 25 for 1938-48. Yes a 12 volt timing light will give you a good light but remember to switch out the clips you are positive ground on your car. Time off on number 6 spark plug wire. So the red clip goes to the ground and the negative to power The original timing was done with number 6 plug. When looking at you head there is a small bolt just in front of the number 6 plug this was removed and then the timing light and timing rod would be placed inthis hole and then the light would go on when the piston came to the top. Also the points gap is 20 I would suggest that you get a service manual for your car because this will answer a lot of your questions. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Does the Plymouth have the sisson automatic choke? If it does it this properly adjusted? If you have a sisson choke check the linkage for the choke and the choke butterfly this might be binding. You said the carb was rebuilt did you you rebuild the carb? Assuming it is a Ball and Ball carb. Di you put the two inner small ball bearing back into the proper holes. These are small but they are different in overall size and if you switched them this can also cause problems. When rebuilding a carb suggest that you get several cardboard egg boxes and then number each hole. As you disassemble the carb put each individual part into a separate slot so that when you are putting it back to gether you then can take the appropriate part from the numbered egg hole What carter B&B carb number are you working on? I might have some information on the rebuilding steps that might help you with you issue. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

If you do not have a torque wrench then go to Harbor Freight and get one. Since you will not be using it everyday like a mechanic would use it these willget you by. The HF tools are ok to use but they do not take a pounding like in everyday use. For our occasional usage they will work just fine. I have one of these HF torque wrench and it has served me just fine. Always remember to reset the amount of torque back to zero on the handle when done with the tool. This is very important to do every time. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

The guys that say their pump does not have a grease fitting or nipple it would be located on the output shat on the body just before the flange that is used to bolt on the fan blade assembly. So your unit might be a sealed bearing unit and th epump was replaced at sometime before you got the car maybe by a prior owner. Rich Hartung