desoto1939

I would suggest that you go to your service manual or a good tech book and follow the specific head botl torqueing process and torqueing the bolts in the proper sequence. Folow the steps and then check the head bolts again. Did you pull the plug to see if there is any oil on the end of the plug or is the plug also loose? Rich Hartung

James. I read your comment about keeping a library of knowledge. Yes this is so important, but the bigger issue is that we are now also seeing that some of the major computer companies do not even included DVD or CD disk players in their laptops. They are now going with flash drives. This is one of the main reasons why I have been collecting the automotive cross reference catalogs and parts catalogs over the years and scanning them on to CD. I also keep each page of the catalog in the plastic page insetrs so that the paper is also preserved for future reference. As you stated you had wished that you had the foresight to have taken the old service manuals when you were young. I collect these to pass along the info and so that antique car owners can find the specific parts at swap meets, but some people can not see the point just right now. They feel that the internet should have all of the information display for free and be available to them anytime any place, but that is not true reality. Rich Hartung

Yes I also agree, so sad that the light at the end of tunnel is getting dimmer for the support of our antiques. But at least our older mopar and also other makes still can be repaired because of the simplicity of these engines and components. Jus think of the next set of cars that have all of the computers and electrical sensors that have to all work together. These testing items will also be outdated and I do not think that the average car collecter is going to go out a purchase all of the computer equipment and the other point is do they even have the knowledge to run the equipment also keep it working. This is the main reason why most of the single and diouble propr planes up in Alaska are the older vintage mechanical engines and not the digital information engines. If they breakdown back in the bush area at least they can fix them with some mechanical skills with bailing wire, rope, tape and at least limp back home. When a computer goes out on your plane you better hope you are near an airport. Also think of the guys that have purchased all of those Mopar and high performance cars and engines and all of the modified equipment and do not know anything about these components. Some of the people purchasing these cars do not even know how to replace a light bulb let alone fix anything these days. This is in part due to the complexity that has happened with these cars. When we all grew up we would see our dad's and uncles change the oil, replace batteries, replace spark plugs do tune-up, rotate tires, drain the antifrezze change the air filters, lube the front suspension put in generator or alternators as basic up keep. When we watched our dads there was a transfer of basic automotive knowledge and also a great bonding experience with our dad's. The now generation has lost all of these great xperiences and now they have to depend on someone else do even do the basic repairs. This past couple of days my youngest daughter who is a Xmas baby and now 24 had a slow leak on her rear tire. So guess what she went through a day of learning and a refresher on the job experience with me standing with her on removing the hub cap, blocking the wheels, loosening the lugnuts, jacking up the car, taking the lugnuts off the studs removing the wheel, putting on the spare and the reverse process, taking the tire to get fixed and then putting the repaired tire back on the car. During this entire time we had some time to bond with each other and now that I am almost 69 it was my best Xmas present being able to pass on knowledge and also knowing that my daughter can take the tire off the car safely. During our conversation she was talking about one of her coworkers, a guy, and talking about cars and he is 27 years old and he said to her that he does not even know how to rotate the tires on his car. She said it is the basic and simple task and that she can do it. So this goes to show that the younger generation is now set to have to pay for everything and they do not have any care to learn, have someone else do it for them because as parent we did not take the time to teach them things about life and how to beable to support them selves later on in life. So in the long run we are better off than you think. We were taught how to diagnosis things in school and not just given things and have someone else do it for us. Times have changed but we are better off then the next generation. Sorry about going on but just think about what I wrote and reflect back on what our grandparents and parents knew about life and how they prepared us for our life's journey. I say thank you every day. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com

On the pedal starter it pushes a rod down and on the top of the starter motor is a starter selinoid. on the side near the front of the switch where the battery cable is connected there is a tiny hole. A screw goes into this hole the scew holes the wire that then goes to the screw that is on the fron top of the sisson choke. so when the pedal makes contact with the starter switch it then send the electrical current throught the wire and then to the sisson choke. This is the setup that is on my 39 Desoto. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I have been looking for these for many years and have not found any. But I would think that maybe a very old plumbing supply might have a brass fitting with a limp and the correct length and inside diameter might work. Being brass or copper would then be asy to crimp at the ends. All these do is hold on the piece that holds the swivel section and the two outside holes to mount the exterior door handle to the outside of the door. If anyone finds some or close to them I am interested. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

This is the correct u joint. Sent you a PM on some other info regarding u joints. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

The autolite starter selinoid can be rebuilt but be very caefu with this selinoid. They are hard to find at swap meets and there are no other manufacturers that made a replacement. So basically you would need to find an Autolite used unit if yours even bites the dust. In my 30+ years of going to Hershey which is one of the largest swap meest on the east coast I have only found one of these selinoids and that one was passed along to another National desoto Member. rare like hens teeth I have attached an Autolite document that shows the correct starter selinoid model that you would need to have as a spare. This was taken directly from an Autolite repair manual Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com Autolite Starter Controls Soleinods.pdf

Seems as if someone might have replaced the threaded stud at some point in time. On my original 39 Desoto engine I have three threaded studs that come out of the front of the engine block and there are three nuts that hold the entire water pump to the engine block. The one nut also is used to hold the generator top support meatal bracket. I do know that in the later 40s the main body of the water pumps were changed and the stud that is on the left side when looking from the front of the wp is now replaced with a threaded bolt because they increase the thickness of the body of the new styled WP. If you have one of the older style pumps the body will only be approx. 1/2 thick at the point that I am referencing. So if you can not get one of the older pumps then you will need to use a stud puller to remove the stud and then use the supplied bolt that comes with the newer sealed bearing pumps. If you or anyone has any old style pumps I am interested in purchasing these older style water pump bodies. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I did my 39 Desoto several years ago prior to the Mercedie merger. It was well worth the cost. I received a copy of the original build sheet and found the date that the car came off the assembly line, specifications on the car the dealership that the car was delivered to and some factory pictures. Then I was able to find the great grandson of the original dealership and they now are a school bus company out her in Exton PA, the Wolfington Bus company. I had the great pleasure of having a one on one meeting with the great grandson and we talked about the dealership and how they produced some customized cars and how they borrowed the craftsman from the Durham body works company that was located in Bryw Mawr Pa. The Durham body works facility is still being used today as a Ferrari dealership in Brwy Mawr, PA. This was one of the top custom shops in the greater Philadelphia because of being on the Main Line where all of the major Blue Bloods and wealthy families lived just outside of Philadelphia. It is nice to know the history of your car. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

if the battery was in the engine compartment as the late 40's car then I would hook directly to the battery. With the battery under the seat it is a real pain in the backside and also is harder to check the acid water level in the battery. Rich

Tom I have my car insured by Grundy and he does not have any limitation on the amount of mileage that you can drive your car. If you do 1 or several thousand it does not matter the price is still the same. You might want to check him out. I spoke to Hagerty at Hershey and they did not mention anything about a 1000 mile limitation for antique car insurance. I just went onto Hagerty insurance and here is what they say about driving milage: Cars are made to be driven. with Hagerty you willnever be held to a fixed mileage limit as long as your are not driving your classi every day. So you can use it for personal usage to take it for a spin to go to an icecream store or to a museum even if not on a club event does not have to be a car show. It can be for pleasure and or a maintenance run to keep the seals wet and lubricated. Thought you might be interested. This was copied right from the Hagerty webpage. Rich Hartung

Tom, Question about parking the car outside. Here in Pa we can not parkthe car outside. JC Taylor and all the other major antiuq car insurance carriers require and it is in writing on their policy and you also sign the policy that the car will be stored inside a garage and cannot be storded under a carport. It must be fully enclosed. If that is the same with your carrier there could be an issue if the car got damaged while it was outside at night and not in a garage. If you are on a trip then they do not require the garage while on a trip. So suggestion is for everyone to check their coverage and where they need to store the car at night time and when the car is not being used. You could run into an issue. Food for Thought. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Yes there is a reason. My battery is a factory setup in which the battery box is under the fron seat on the driver side of the car. So in order to connect directly to the battery I would have to lift out the seat then remove the top cover of the battery box and then connect the two leads. Then when wanting to take the car out have to reverse the whole process. The way that I have it working is I just remove the two alligator clips and I am good to start the car and go for a ride. This unit has no issues with charging the battery in this setup. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I have attahed pictures of the 3amp Battery Tender that I was talking about in a prior posting. The nice part of this charger is that is can handle 6v and also 12. you select which type of battery. Since my 39 Desoto is a positive ground I connect the positive red clip to one of the head bolts and the black which is negative directly to were my battery cable attaches to the start soleinoid on the starter moter. This unit will inform the user when the unit it charging and also when it has fully charged the battery. The unit has a storage/float maintenance mode: ( low constant voltage, battery is 100 to 103% charged Whenthe battery is fully charged the battery level status green Led light will turn solid green and the charger will switch to a storage/float maintenance charge mode. The Battery Tender will automatically monitor and maintain the battery at full charge I have a picture of the fron of the unit and thenone with the red clip on the engine head and the third clip on the battery cable going to the battey on the starter. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I have a 6v trickle charger that is constantly hooked up to my 39 Desoto. The topic of keeping a 6v battery fully charge has been discussed many times at the annual AACA meeting and lecture series in Philadelphia every year. There isa n engineer from Penn State that talks about this numberous times. By keeping a trickle charge on the battery it wil extend the life of your battery. I have one and got 8 years out of a battery. The importance it that when a battery goes down then in the process the plates strt to lose the metal from each plate and this then settles in the bottom of the battery case. and then makes it harder for the battery to come back to a full charge. ALso import is to keep the fluid or acid level up to the required level. So by keeping it a fullchagre less break down of the metal plates and losing metal on each plate so therefore the battery wil last longer. I purchased a 6/12v wall mounted charge at Costco several years at it is a 3amp system has the two alligator clips and has the indicators light to tell when charged and fully charged. I think the cost was around $35. If you need pictures of the unit I can take some and post to the forum. Best Xmas to myself and I always know that the car is ready to turnover even in the winter. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

when the airtex 588 taken out of production then they did a remake and changed the number to73201. I had spoken to an Airtex Technical rep and he confirmed that the 73201 is the same pump as the 588 FP. They made some modifications but it is the same mechanical pump. When the fp that was in my 39 Desoto failed I removed the entire unit and there was a metal tag screwed to the main body and on the tag was AC588. I have over the years collected over 30 catalogs on replacement components and one of the catalogs is a 1954 NAPA catalog and under the Chrysler/Desoto/Dodge/Ply from 1938 to 1953 the fuel pump that they list as the replacement pump is the AC588. I am not an expert mechanic but backup my information by doing my research in my collection of 30 plus cross reference catalogs prior to supplying or passing on information to help another antique car owner. Rich Hartung Taken from Airtex fuel pump catalog for Chrysler cars.docx

the advantage to the glass bowel is that you can see and dirt or sediment that has come up from the gas tank. Since sediment is heavy it will drop to the bottom of the glass bowel. This can then be removed by loosening the wire clip on the bowel and removing the glass bowel and cleanout the dirt. Some people also put a filter with a glass bowel on the fuel line just before it enters the carb as a second prevent in case some dirt got past the fuel pump. I like the glass bowel because you can see if it needs to be cleaned a sealed metal inline filter you cannot see the dirt. Also some do not recommend using a plastic inline filter because there is a possibility of the plastic melting and then gas can drip on the manifold and then catch on fire. The new Airtex is the remake of the old 588 pump. Rich Hartung

Harmoney: stop worry about RH and LH drive. You have a LH drive. Go to a napa store and have them order a 588 FP. put it in the car you will be fine. Attach a the metal fuel line to the outlet end on the fp. Disconnect the line at the carb and have a can to catach the fuel when the engine is turning over. If you are getting fuel into the can then you are good to go. The attach the fuel line back on the carb. Then start the car. If the car runs and accelerates without any issues then you are also good to go. You are over thinking this issue. Rich Hartung

RHD is for Right hand Drive. They did export to Europe and Australia so there would have been Right hand drive. In the early years such as my 39 Desoto they also had 12 volt electrical systems instead of 6volt like here in the USA. I do not think the rocker arm is going to make that much of an issue. As far as I have seen the AC or AC588 FP will work on all of these cars. Some people replace the mechanical FP with an all electric FP. But the electric pump has to be installed near the gas tank. Electric pumps are a pusher type of pump and the mechanical is a puller type of pump. A lot of us owners have installed the electric pump as a backup pump and use it after the cr has sat for a while to help prime the carb with gas prior to cranking the engine. I personally do not recommend that you only use the electric pump instead of the mechanical. If doing this then you will need a cutoff value installed to insure that if there is an accident or the car rolls over that the electric fp is automatically turned off and also a reflow line back to the gas tank if the pump is pumping to much gas to the carb. Rich Hartung

checked on ebay tonight and there isa 42 dist for sale for $41. Here is the lisiting: 1941 1942 DeSoto Chrysler 6 Cylinder Distributor Auto-Lite IGS-4113-1 - DS171 Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

48ply: You did a fantastic installonthe head liner. When my car was repainted the painter helped me do the install of a new headliner along with the rubber windlace. We took our time and got it in wringle free We started from the back window and then worked each sides and then did the front. Used dulled plastic putty knives to get the headliner tucks behind the metal teeth on each side to hold the headliner in place. Tacked the windlace in place. It has been in my car since 1996 and still looking great. Rich Hartung

According to my Napa Catalog dated july 1954 the fuel pump for Chryslers all 6 cylinders from 1938 to 1953 would be an AC number 588 or Rayloc for the same years is 4588 also rayloc rebuilt pump from 38-52 is 588. So the cross refereance to an Aitex would be a 588 Hope this is helpful. rich hartung desoto1939@aol.com

From looking at your last picture of the wheel puller it looks as if the center threaded bolt is hitting the outer edge of the center section of the steering wheel and the smaller threaded bolt is hitting some where inside the steering wheel hub. If this is the case when you try to pul lthe wheel the main center bolt is pushing the wheel down on the main shaft so you are working against the puller. The three slots in the puller need to alighn up and the smaller threaded bolt needs to thread into the hub of the wheel and the big enter bolt is then pushing against the threaded section of the steering column so that as you crank down on the big bolt it is then pushing the steering wheel off the serrated end of the steering column. Als did you run a stiff wire up thru the steering column from the bottom of the steering box. You will need to do this inorder to get the horn wire back down the steering shaft and to come out the end of the steeringbox. In the internal part of the steering box there is a small tube that the wire needs to pass thru so it then can come out the end of the steering box. The small internal tube prevents the oil or grease from coming out the end of the steering box.to Inside the center hub there should be three threaded holes to thread a bolt into and thru the main puller for each slot in the puller and then the main threaded bolt pushes the wheel off the shaft. remove the puller and look closer to see if this your setup. If not then you might have to use a gear puller under the base of the hub of the steering wheel with a bar over the top of the wheel and just go very slowing with a minimal amout of tighten the main botl so as not to damage the steering whel hub. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Greg: So why you want to go throught all of the issue of dismanteling the entire dizz then have to find the correct shaft but in the new dizzy upper and lower bushings and drive in a new retaining pin and then hope that you did it all correct. I woud think it would be better just to get the correct dizzy. rich hartung