desoto1939

are you sure it is the starter and maybe not the selinoid on top of the starter housing. Also are you a member of the National desoto Club. i would suggest that you become a member becasue now you are able to get you needs to the 1946-48 club members and someone might have one to sell. I am a member with a 39 desoto. I have alot of autolite information and also an autolite catalog on CD if you want the information. rich hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

I looked in my AC speedometer casing catalog and here is the information that I have on file from 1934-1947 Ply speedometer cables.pdf Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com Ply speedometer cables p2.pdf

If you have the drop in stylee filter then i use a napa 1010 gold filter inmy 39 Desoto. Take out the old filter and measure the height and diameter and then go on the NAPA webpage and find one to fit. Yes the older prewar car did have hardened value seats. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

glad you solved the issue and now you can get back driving the car. Rich

please provide more information. Do you have the new filter installed in the canister? Take the cansiter out and theh try to put the top back on and thread down the top bolt. If this works then mabe the filter is to tall for the unit. We all need more info regarding you issue. The filter should sit below the top rim of the canister metal body Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

I think it might be around 46 but not sure on this question. I am glad that youunderstood the point that I was trying to make. If the engine is getting a total rebuild then pull the stud and then use the bolt sytle. My concern is that when tryign to remove the old stud even with a stud remover there isa good possibility that in my case it would breakoff in the engine block. Just passing on knowledge. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

Tom'sB2B: Tom look at the two water pumps the bodies on eachone is different also note the bolt arounf the 2 o-clockposition and the extra thickness in the body at the two o-clockposition. if you have the studs then the studs inthe 2 oclock position would have to be pulled and thenyou woud have to use the bolt to hold this part onto the engine block. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

yes you are correct. RichHartung

Update: Look at the two pumps that were pictured they are different in the bodies. On the old one at approximately 2 o-colck njotice how thin the body of the wp is and on the newer pump at the same point the body is thicker. If you have the older style pump on your car or truck and there are three threaded studs that have three nuts to hold the Wp onto the fron of the block the newer pump will not work. because of the thicker body the stud will not stickout of the body to use the nut to hold the pump onto the block. They do supply a bolt with a hex head that is long enouht to thread into the block but you will need to use a stud puller to remove the short threaded rod prior to moutnign the newer pump. As how I know becsue I had the same issue with my 39 Desoto and my 39 used the smaller body thickness at the bolt hole at the 2 o-clock position. To rebuild a WP there are special tools that pull the bushing and also face the insde of the bearing. Also with the oiriginal pumps they use brass bushings and the newer pumps now used the sealed metal bushing and makes for a better pump but beaware of the issue with the bolt hole. If you have any questions call me cell 484-431-8157 Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Adam The check value or residual valve sits inthe very front of the MC. It it near the hole that goes to the brake line. It is a push on to the spring then the rubber cup then the thin brass washer then the piston. The valuse control the flow of the brake fluid. this is on my 39 Desoto so each MC might be a little different. rich Hartung

how old is the breaker plate in the dizzy. It might be worn and you might have slop inthe unit so that the points wander apart. The top and bottom sections should be tight. When I do a tuneup onmy 39 Desoto I replace the entire unit with a newer breaker plate and then rebuild the old one as a backup unit. Just another sugesstion of possible casue to your problem. Rich Hartung

Now that the warmer weather has arrived here in Valley Forge Pa. I have had some time to work on my brakes on my 39 Desoto. i puller the drum and found nothing leaking at the wheel cylinders. I did havea good pedal and then one day the pedal went to the floor. i was able to get pressure and a good pedal but a couple of days later it went soft again. Well i pull the front carpet out of the car, took out the two metal floor boards. Disconected the brake pedal linkage and removed the mastercylinder that is bolted to the frame. Did a rebuild. Took it all apart and there was no issues with the rubber seals and or any scares inside the MC. rebuilt it and then bench bleed the MC. It is now back inthe car with a good hard pedal all I need to do is road test. The other day I was looking at all of the internal parts and when i looked very carefully at the relief valved I then noticed a very small pin hole or tear in the rubber seal. After the air had dried the valve the hole was more visable. So the smallest compontnet is what failed after driving the car for 30 years. i rebuild the MC 30 years prior with Dot 5 fluid. i guess not too bad after 30+ years. Always look for the none obvious item. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com,

They are called by both names. You will need to us a puller to remove it off the camshaft. They can be rebuilt. look up damperdan if i remember the name correctly. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

My first suggestion is no purchase the NOS items if there is any possibility. That is why i listed the wheel cylinder numbers. You can look on ebay or even at swap meets to find these. Before buying Chinese or foreign junk I would suggest that you have your sleeved and then you know what you have and they will work on your car. Look for NOS. This is why i have been collecting the catalogs and the parts over a 30+ year period for my 39 desoto. every year as it goes by there is less and less of the good old NOS items. Build up some good quality parts to support your hobby. Rich Hartung

This is the wheel cylinder numbers that you can look for during for adventures to swap meets and or ebay. This info was taken from my EIS and Lockheed brake catalog EW 10581 upper front right also fit chry 46-55, desoto 46-55, dodge 46-56 Ply 46-56 Dodge trk 49-56 use this on rear wheel casting number 504 EW 10583 lower front right same as above casing number 504 EW 10580 upper front left same as above casting number 505 EW 10582 lower front left same as above casting number 505 EW 10588 rear right chysler 46-55 desoto 46-55 dode 46-56 ply 46-56 casting number 506 EW 10588 left rear I have an IS brake catalog that has alot of detailed informaTION about these brake such as the internal parts, cups piston sping and outer cups. Let me know if you would like a copy I can send one to you. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

if you have the inner finders on the 39 Plymouth just like onmy 39 Desoto you can put onthe firewall. when you stge fuse block and you going to use the modern fuses that are in the plastic push blade style or the older style glass fuse'es? If using the newer style or modern then I would not think you would have any problems with water. Also remember that on your horn relay there is a glass fuses and this sits directly over the hood hinge and water can get intot he engine compartment via the hinge so I do not see any issue with a fuse box onthe firewall also easier to work onthe car and trace wires. rich Hartung

It does not have to look pretty just be functional to stop the oil from leaking out the lid. Rich HArtung

simple answer. Measure the outside diaterm and the inside diameter in the lid where the original gasket would have been in the groove. Go to napa and then see if they have a gasket witht he same demension or buy some cork rubber gasket material and then using a compass use the same measurements that you already have and cut out your own gasket and then make a couple more. I had to do this with the AC canister model that I have on my 39 Desoto and I do not have any problems. Rich HArtung desoto1939@aol.com

Andy B is still out in the flea markets. Last October I had a conversation with Andy while walking the Hershey fall event. Andy is still buying parts but I think they are for his specific projects. Yes, Andy could have been hard to deal with but he knew his stuff. He was trying to get Chris the new owner to keep puchasing NOS parts to keep up the inventory of the older parts. If you think Andy was difficult then you should have had dealing with Frank Mitchell. Rich Hartung

if you do not use the mechanical fuel pump then you might not need the toggle switch because the electric pump has to run all the time to feed fuel to the carb. So I would think if you have the electric FP wired to the hot side of the ignition switch then the pump will start as soon as you turn the key to the right to start the car. I would also think that by turning to the right and then waiting 10-30 seconds then the carb would be primed and the car would start. I would think about having a switch so that if the car was hit in an accident there is a way that the electric pump would automatically shut off so that the fuel would not be running into the carb when the ignition is on. You need an automatic kill mechanism in case of an accident or the car flips over. Just thinking out of the box. This is why I like keeping the mechanical pump as the primary pump and the electric pump as a back up and or priming pump. Rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

rememner that you have positive ground on your car sothe positive wire on the pump willneed to be the actual ground wire and the negative wire ont he pump willbe your hot wire from you switch to turn onthe pump. I have one on y 39 desoto to act a primer pump when the car has sat for a long time. Good backup to the mechanical fuel pump. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com

Todd you are correct on the AACA part about the engine numbers and vin on the car. The judges are not permitted to get into the engine compartment to verify the number of the engine and then ion the serial number. Basically they are looking to see if the car has the period correct equipment and that the car is driven onto the show field. So you could have a perfectly restored frame and body and interior work done and the engine could smoke and and nor run smoothly just so it looks correct. Not sure on the Chrysler Historical question since the museum has closed. I have seen cars with the incorrect engine number in them at Hershey. Rich Hartung

After reading some of the replies I saw that someone posted about AGM Batteries. So i searched the web to get some more information and this is what I found for AGM Batteries: rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

This very same topic was recent discussed at the Annual AACA meeting in February in Philadelphia. One of the presenter who is an electrical engineer from Penn State University was leading the seminar. The issue is that as your battery is not getting charged everyday like it would in a normal daily driver it is best o get a trickle charger of even go to a Costco and i got a 6v charger that I leve hooked up to the car at all times. This prevents the plates inthe cells from falling aparts and the battery will last you approx 6 years an even longer. rich Hartung Desoto1939@aol.com

If you have your original water pump it should have three threaded studs with a nut onthe end to pull the wp up tigh to the front of the block. On the newere gates model the shortes stud was replaced by a thread bolt becasue the newer model of water pump now have the thicker body and the newer replacement pumps will not permit you to use all three studs. i found this out the hard way and found a wp that had the 1/2 inch thnk body on the lower stud. call me and I will tell you in more detail about this issue. Rich Hartung desoto1939@aol.com cell 484-431-8157 home 610-630-9188