Dan Hiebert

...dontcha mean its prolly prob'ly..?

I still lament that my grandparents refused to teach us their native tongues, one side Finnish, the other German (as with most, being the precocious tots that my brother and I were, we did pick up some "discouraging words"). There's a little Italian back there, too, but my grandma on that side didn't speak Italian at all. As an immigration and customs officer I find foreign cultures and languages fascinating and have had to deal with translating more languages than you can shake a stick at. As Mark D notes, it helps immensely to think the way "they" do, rather than try to do word for word translation. It also helps understand someone who's native language isn't English when they say something in English that is "missed in translation". To be a tad facetious, I speak several forms of English from living all across the U.S. Fluent Spanish, and enough German to get myself in trouble. Spanish from living on the southern border and working for Uncle Sam, German from my stint in the Army and affinity for that side of my heritage, and now I'm realizing that I will have to work on French and "New England English" to survive in Maine.....At the very least it just might keep the old noodle sharp. That and more Moxie....

I read somewhere that the police package Magnums could do 156. It just might have been on the speedometer... None of the Magnums or Chargers (same platform) we've had in the fleets I've managed have had problems, other than burning the front brakes after particularly hairy pursuits on the early models, but that was mainly from the driver not making the transition from grocery getting driving to pursuit driving.

Rather than try to remember them myself, there have been several threads in this Forum on that type of scamming that have good warning flags to look out for. A search would be helpful to those without a lot of internet purchasing/selling experience....

Lots of talk on sand blasting, I can't add any more to that conversation, but you asked about primer, too. There has been discussion on this topic in this Forum, so a search will be beneficial. That being said, self etching primer is supposed to be best for bare metal, although I don't know the mechanics of it. Media blasting will also provide an excellent surface for any type of primer to adhere to. Any acrylic primer will need to be sealed if your not going to top coat the car for a while, as primer will attract and hold moisture and you'll just end up with a rusty car again. I used urethane primer on the last car I painted. Doesn't need to be sealed, and I was impressed with the coverage and finish. Its also compatible with any type of paint.

I have. It'll work, but as you've already deduced, you'll need a lot of room to pull it out from under the car. Not knowing the condition of your steering shaft tube, I'd just use the opportunity to take the column out, clean it up, and maybe refinish it, since your steering box will be out for a while anyway. You'll also need to loosen all of the brackets anyway when you put the steering box back in so that it settles where it needs to. There's a procedure in the service manual that explains why and how.

No fair! The D24 is 800 miles away! That'd be one heckuva drive to work, but once I get it moved to the new digs, I'll be driving it to work at least once a week, weather permitting. I'll probably need to finally get the heater working, too

Now this is a rabbit hole. From Spessart Pils to Moxie, by way of Swiss chocolates. I'd seen old advertisements for Moxie in antique shops, but didn't think they made it any more, either. To me it tastes kind of like Underberg, a German bitter. Which loosely (very loosely) comes back to Spessart. Too much Spessart the night before could lead to Underberg the morning after. It made you feel better regardless of how you "reacted" to it. It either settles your stomach, or makes you hurl - which settles your stomach.

The clock is still moving in reverse for how far back I've gone. I'm kind of liking it.

...sort of. I've started my new job in Houlton, Maine. I'm here in "temporary quarters" (read - a hotel, ugh), until we close on our new house and get our household goods moved over here. So I'm here, but the house, missus, and D24 aren't. This will be a good gig, and a unique new environment, we're really looking forward to this adventure. We've bantered about with regional nuances in the English language on this Forum several times. After three days, I can tell I'm in for some blank expressions - both on my part and those I'll be talking to. I.e., "gararge", "idear", "door-yard" (but not the same as it is in Bob's Catskill area), "the County", "oh, you must be from away", and more to come...

Funny indeed. I travel quite a bit for Uncle Sam. I always go for the "local flavor" when I go to new places, especially local breweries since the brewpub thing started popping up. I tried a Moxie (pop/cola/soda/coke?) here in Maine a couple days ago after being warned not to, which of course to me means I was obliged to. I'll have one again, but it probably won't be my first choice. As the label says, its "different". I have the bottle prominently displayed on my desk now, seems to be a badge of honor.... Try your local beer distributor. If they're worth their salt they can get some if its exported. If your close to a big city there in MN you may be able to find a specialty beer store that will either have it, or can get it. If Spessart doesn't export, it will be really hard to get. Germany has pretty strict rules about that stuff. I've tried to get Kreuzberg beer from Bischofsheim, but it isn't brewed for export, so I can't get it. (The beer the Monks used to brew themselves at the Kloster Kreuzberg, but now its brewed in Bischofsheim with the original recipe, you'uns that have been to northern Bavaria in Germany may remember it, its probably the best beer I've ever had.) (oops - "Pay no attention to the man behind the profile", I need to update that.) Ok - updated now...

Silicon lubricant spray also works wonders and stays put longer and is slicker than just soapy water. Doesn't stain anything and cleans off easily. I use Liquid Wrench.

I had a 52 F3 for a number of years with the 4spd heavy duty transmission. (From what I can remember, the F3 was a nominally rated 1 ton pickup, vs. the 3/4 ton F2. Same running gear, stouter suspension.) The thing was a beast, wish I still had it. Running for a little while then stalling sounds like a fuel problem to me. The fuel consumption outpaces what's going into the fuel bowl. Check the float level and needle valve. Mine had the flathead V8 and was converted to 12v, didn't have a ballast resistor.

Never seen it before. What's the name on the side? I can't seem to make sense of it.

I've always had Condon & Skelly, no issues, great rates, but have never had a claim, either. A friend uses Hagerty for his "up-engined" 68 GTO. He creased a rear quarter backing it into his garage, and they did an excellent job with the claim and repairs. Each company has its "subtle nuances" that draw customers, but whether we like it or not this is a limited customer base and they can be particular with what/how they cover, which I don't mind. I don't want the same policy as some nug that only has an old car because its cheaper to register and insure. Our old cars are stock and have always been garaged, so no issues, C&S even started a lay-up provision recently for the winter months - quite sensible here in NY, and I'm pretty sure it will apply in Maine, too.

And your DeSoto doesn't weigh as much as it looks. Despite their size, the 4dr sedans only tip the scales a couple hundred pounds over 3,000 (our D24 weighs 3,286 lbs.) meaning your Chrysler 300 can easily pull it, especially given the recommendations in this thread.

Personally, the only active ingredient I find beneficial in Coca-Cola is when you add a healthy shot of whiskey On another "funny" note from that Great Lakes rabbit hole this thread went down, my agency had a significant project delayed for over two years because the HQ pogue taking care of their end of it actually thought the Great Lakes were salt water - couldn't find "technology that can stand up to that salt water environment" when I asked him face-to-face what the delay was. About the time I quit laughing was when he figured out the error of his thoughts...

My Dad kept a set of chains in the trunk of our family cars for years, even though I only remember living in Texas when he did that. I think it was habit from his growing up in Illinois, and they come in handy for other less than ideal traction situations. I've never had a set. The main thing everyone does for winter driving around here (if anything), is to have a set of winter tires they put on their cars in December.

I used Andy B. vent window seals on our D24. That was maybe 15 years or so ago. Installed an Andy B. cowl vent seal and trunk weather-strip a little over 20 years ago. No issues with fit, finish, or durability on any of it.

Looks like the throttle valve lever on your carb is about 45 degrees off. It should be pointed towards the outside of the car, vs. towards the engine. Everything else is right.

I use rattle cans for the small parts that are just basic colors, i.e., black. It does get a bit pricey, but even with two to three light coats I seem to get quite a bit done with one can. I use Krylon or Rustoleum. Rustoleum seems more durable than the Krylon, but both have held up for years. The unexposed parts I painted with Rustoleum over 20 years ago still look presentable. I haven't ventured down the cheap stuff path as of yet.

A circa 1947 photo in New York City. I find these types of photos interesting, not intended as a photo of the old cars - despite being in front, they're basically "background". Here the D24 that is front and (just right of) center may be at most a year or two old, shows some wear, and period antenna (on fender - hadn't seen that before), spotlight, and side mirror locations. Not to mention all the nostalgic surroundings.

That is a good "car story" of unique things found in our cars (stamp and tokens not unique, but hiding them is?), worthy of some research. Now I'm curious if that may have been a "be prepared" fad from that era. Maybe contraband stamps? Some places were pretty stingy with the ration stamps. "Rainy day" stash? I for one have never heard of that before - hiding stamps and tokens, and would be curious what you or anyone finds out about it. (Of course, I'll be looking for that on occasion when internet surfing now.)

Ah, the subtle nuances of regional dialect. I too would rather fiddle with the ol' D24, as "coon-finger" sort of means I'd just be looking at it, which is sometimes all I do if I crack that first beer too early.....

That is a nice, subtle lowering that almost looks like it was made that way. Although I prefer the "tall in the saddle" look these older cars have, I rather like how yours turned out.