42 DeSoto Fifth Avenue

Interesting piece. How wide is it? The crest in the center with the Hernando Bust on the shield looks to be 49/52 vintage. The two screw? holes are for mounting it, I guess, but to what. The crest also reminds me of the aftermarket keys that often are for sale on EBay. Some sort of aftermarket add on?

Hi Bob, I went down the rabbit hole of my Master Parts book (4"s thick!) and as near as I can tell the change over from the internal, external and co-axial PS systems came in 1953. All the 54 Chryslers and DeSotos have the coaxial. I attached the page so you can see the 3 types. The coaxial between the firewall and the steering gearbox is real thick as it encases the steering column. Hope this helps. Ed

I too, went to YouTube. I found quite a few 53/54/55 Powerflite Master Techs but I didn't find any on Power Steering, especially the Co-Axial that I have on my 54 Coronado. You have that on your Chrysler, correct? I do have that record/strip that could be copied. o

Bob, I found this on YOuTube

Bob, In answer to your question about captions. I will have to take a look and see if I have any that don't have the record. My guess is that all of the MoPar service training strips and the Ross Roy sales strips had records. What I don't know and would be curious about is when Chrysler started using this medium in the 30s. It seems that the service training started after WWII and the sales info/training were in use earlier. I will check out the 54 Chrysler sets that I have to see if the records work. I am I correct that the company can add the sound track? Since this thread got started, I found my 1942 DeSoto strip and record. I'd like to get it and the Coronado transferred. Do you think the company would give a package price for doing four at a time? Marc, you in?

So who's going first?

Looking through the parts book I found this number 683995 "headlight cable terminal block" . It was used at least from 38-42. I took a look at the wiring diagram and from it looks of it that terminal for the front headlights and the parking lights has three connections, not two as in the 41 pictured above. It's the same on the 41 S8 wiring diagram. This number, 913297, "Parking light cable socket - cable terminal block" you would only need it you have turn signals and they are wired in parallel. It looks to have only two terminals and is most like located on the back of the dashboard. As to where you can find 683995, it didn't how up on EBay so you would have to try the MoPar part supplier guys, Bernbaum, etc

The guts for my 42 DeSoto 5th Avenue cigarette dispensing steering wheel. You can see from the photo there is spring that pushes the cig into the dispensing slot and then the spring, push rod and knob that push the cig out so the driver can grasp it.

I cannot figure out how to get this picture to load right side up. Here is the wiring diagram for the 42. I looked at one of my 42s and I think the junction block is on the driver's side fender well liner just behind the battery box.

If I it happens I'll contact you. You might want to check out the Imperial Club site to see if they have made them available there.

Hopefully this helps a bit. From the VIN number what's know is that your car was built for export in Detroit. Whether the car was complete when it was shipped or was a 'knock-down' (needed to be assembled once it reached its' destination). I don't know. Your car is the top of the line Custom would be identified as an S11-C. The steering wheel is the best DeSoto offered that year. There are other folks on this site who have 46-49 S11s who may know more about decoding the body tag. I'd guess that the RD is most likely the radio and specifically one of three radios made for export. These are the 602, the 608 and the Universal. The 602 and 608 mounted in the dash, the universal under the dash. So you have either the 602 0r 802. You have the paint code 227 and I found one listing for it, Lupine Blue, and it was used on the 1935 DeSoto. The blue colors listed at the reference site, https://paintref.com/paintref/make/blue_DeSoto.shtml , are Carmel Blue with codes 213 & 214 and Monterey Blue with codes 216 & 217. I can't locate my copy of the S-11 parts book to look up the trim code. I looked in the 1942 DeSoto Export Parts Book and in the domestic 1942 DeSoto parts book and neither of them list the trim code 917. So it would seem that these codes indicate either a special order or they are for export only and so not listed in my sources. I'd encourage you to join the National DeSoto Club. There is a club website and a FaceBook page. There is at least one NDC member who owns a 1942 DeSoto and there is another guy who is active on the FB who is restoring one. There may be other 46-48 S11 owners in Oz or New Zealand that you can contact through the membership roster. What we know from the work the 42 owner did on his car and its' history was that it was part of a group of DeSotos and Chryslers that were shipped from the States. Some were off loaded in South Africa and then the remainder in Australia. I'd suspect that a similiar shipping process happened with your car. It's a great DeSoto. Enjoy!

I have (somewhere) a VHS tape that is introducing the 1942 DeSoto. It was either used to train the sales staff or directly with customers. I also have the original strip/record. I may have had it converted to VHS years back (80s?) or I may have bought it from Harold Doebel. He still advertises in the WPC club newsletter and now sells 'DVD' one of which is 1936-61 DeSoto factory promos and commercials. I'm guessing he may have converted the VHS to disc. If anyone is in the neighborhood of Ocean Gate, NJ who could make personal contact with him, it might be worth an effort. Perhaps he has a way of transferring the strips/records. He doesn't have email, so it's by phone or snail mail or in person. I have a box of 22 strips and records which are part of the Master Technician Service Reference Book resource that Chrysler provided to service departments. Volume 3 is missing 'Valves' and 'Steering gear'. Volume 4 is complete with 12 strips. I'd be willing to make these available if a way can be found to convert the format. In the same pile where the 42 DeSoto set was I found one for 1954 DeSoto/Chrysler Powermatic transmission, one for the 54 (late) and 55 Coaxial power steering and one introducing the 1954 Coronado! I will have to see if my projector/record player still works! Wouldn't it be nice for the MoPar community if the Imperial Club would share their technology?? Just saying.

Do you have a source for the info that the M-5 was used on 'late 42-48 DeSoto and Chrysler?

Plymouth never had the Fluid Drive, only a regular clutch with the standard 3spd tranny. That was an option on the 51 DeSoto. You can use that and ditch the FD/M-5 set up. You could add to that a 50s Borg Warner OD for highway cruising. Lots of of folks on this site have done that and there's info in the technical section. . My master parts list (4.1.55 version) list this part number for 'Fluid Drive w/clutch driving plate" 1320 563. It is listed as fitting 41-53 6s. The same number is listed for 41-54 Dodge 6s and 41-53 Chrysler 6s. A different part number is listed for 52-53 Hemis. Looks like your landlord 46 DeSoto is the best fit donor.

There is/was a 1942 DeSoto RHD 4dr sedan in Australia that belonged to a member of the National DeSoto Club. I'm not sure if he is still living. Also 15 years back or so, I knew a guy who immigrated from California to Australia (maybe NZ) who was a rodder. He was making a project car that had the front clip from the 42 DeSoto (the rest of the car I have) and it was on I think a Chrysler. Lost track of the guy but if the car is on the rodder show circuit down under there are probably pictures. Here is a page from the Spanish version of the 42 DeSoto Export brochure.