Desotodav

I agree with others on the above information. Not sure about #4 though. #5 looks like the gasket between the glass bowl and the fuel pump fitting. #2 (if it has square edges?) could be the seal inside the oil pump plate.

Yep... you gotta get down and dirty to change a flat tire !!! I took the initial two of those photos from fittings on my blue 52 DeSoto truck. Mark (ggdad1951) had the original bolts and wingnut replicated and they are available for sale from a supplier. I was down at my shed again today and meant to find my other spare tire mount as I have two different profiles of the mounting bar - one is more flat than the other. I'll be back down there tomorrow so will see if I can get a photo of them both to show a comparison.

Steering column is on the right as it is a truck here in Australia.

I prefer the spare tire hidden underneath as well. I would have thought that the side-mounted spare tire fittings would be on your passenger side in USA for traffic-related safety reasons. Our 'mono-style' truck body's here in Oz don't really allow us that mounting choice... although, I did see panel truck here a few years back where it appears that the owner modified his spare tire mounting to his individual preference...

The attached picture from the manual should help...

I used grey gasket paper. They are probably just a little thicker than a normal sheet of white paper. The gasket/s are used on either side to stop the vibrating plate from earthing out on the horn 'trumpet' and the backing plate.

You can pull the horn apart and nothing will fly out. There is a metal vibrating plate mounted between the electrics/magnet backing plate and the horn 'trumpet'. You will be able to powder coat the 'trumpet', but I would be reluctant to heat up the rear backing plate which houses the coiled wire, electrical points, and magnet. You should find that you will need to make up new round paper gaskets which fit on either side of the vibrating plate as the old paper ones become brittle over the years - they are required in order for the horn to work. I am working on restoring another set of dual horns for my 53 truck at present, but they will be painted in 2-pak gloss black like the ones which are fitted to my 52 truck. I have attached photos of horn insides and outs for you...

I'm sure that Neil would have them at The Old Plym Cafe (he's a member here)... http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1940-1950s-Mopar-New-Engine-Decal-Set-Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge-Desoto-1946-1948-/311870960978

Looks like you have a solid starting point John. Are you planning on going back to the original green color... or too early to tell yet? It appears that your title is correct as information from the registry (which John provided the link for) says it's a 53 truck...

You are probably better off posting truck questions on the truck side of the forum. I have only ever seen gas tank springs mounted on the back of the tank. I have a 56 truck in my shed. Our Oz trucks are slightly different to yours over there, but the gas tank springs are still mounted to the rear - on an angled plate which mounts to the chassis cross member. We had a chat recently about gas tank mounting. There is also some good information on the truck side of you use the search function to the top right of your forum screen. I always have a laugh when someone calls these trucks a Dodge Fargo - it will be either one or the other.

Hi Don, not sure if it will work for you but you can usually reset the computer of modern cars by turning the ignition on and off in quick succession about 6 times. We had a diesel injector pressure issue in our new Mazda BT50 utility here in Oz which would occasionally see it trip to limp mode. We could reset the computer in the manner I described above and that would get us going again until the issue came back the next time - obviously only a temporary fix which we later rectified at the vehicle dealer service department. The dealers generally don't advise people of this process as it can wipe any fault codes recorded. As I initially said, I don't know if it will work for you, but it might temporarily get you out of a situation.

Did you look at a T-200 at Bernbaums Jim? I think that is what I ordered - I won't be home until next week to check.

Redneck jump start?....

I'm going to be about 600 miles from my truck for the next week, so I won't be able to participate on the 'IWOYTD' this year. However I did do something good on Monday. I drove my blue 52 Desoto truck about 60 miles south to visit the original owner (Ernest) for his 100th birthday. He & I share the same birthday, but I'm 50 years younger! He was a little tired on the day so he didn't get to go for a ride around the block this time. He's still 'as sharp as a tack' in the mind, but his body is wearing out. He was my inspiration to keep the restoration of the 'Ernie' truck as original as possible. We did manage to snap a few cool pictures at an old church on the way home. Hope the attached photo inspires others in their MOPAR activities...

This should be what you need Tom...

I had considered installing a dual carby setup on my truck/s Andy, but had the same concerns as you mention. I am certain that the placement of the steering box and the brake master cylinder on the right side of our Oz vehicles would cause additional clearance issues. It would be nice to see a photo from someone who has done this modification here in Oz to see if it does actually work. I'll be travelling through your way to Newcastle at about 7am on Wednesday morning. Will beep the horn southbound on the highway to wake you up.

Congratulations to you & family Ed. i saw the photo of your young fella with the guitar the other day and was thinking of how fast they grow!

I had front springs made new & back springs re-arched for my 53 truck at Carrolls Springs here in Oz. They charged me a little over $100 per spring & only took a couple of days... quite a surprise when compared to your USA prices given that things are generally way more expensive here in Oz. i have a slight lean to the left on the front of my 52 truck, so I will have to send those springs off for re-arching as well. Maybe I should do it soon if prices are on the rise!

Gllad that balancing fixed your issues Joe. I had all of the moving parts balanced for my 53 coupe truck engine but will not fire that engine up until later this year. I expect that it will run very smooth after hearing your results. Rumour has it that Mark is giving that indicator grille piece to Brent as Mark wants a NOS matching set.

Tim did a couple of great YouTube videos. I think he did one on the front as well. Search 'spring shackle' on the forum and that should bring up more results...

C'mon GK... I haven't been arrested in CA (yet)!... there was that one time last week when we mixed with the film crew & hung out with that celebrity during a shoot (but let's not go into that here!) Hank & I havent had a chance to sit down to upload BBQ photos due to other urgent matters, but hope to do so before I leave on Tuesday night. We have managed to collect quite a few MOPAR parts for me to take home. Many thanks to RodFru for the great MOPAR 802 radio which he picked up for me at the Spring Fling this morning. I just hope that the Customs staff at the airport show an understanding for my MOPAR illness. It would have been nice to spend a little more time at the BBQ but circumstances did not permit it on this occasion. I hope to be back again in a few years time.

Water distribution tube (WDT) is a metal tube which inserts into the engine block (beiind the waterpump) to distribute water to the hotter areas at the top of the engune. Try a forum search for the WDT, or find information on that topic from the resource section at the top of the forum page.

I had a similar problem with my 52 truck when I first got it on the road. My radiator guy told me that (in a nut shell) if your truck overheats whilst driving it is more likely a blockage issue, but if it overheats whilst idling then it's more likely a waterpump flow issue. We found that a few of the cores in my radiator were blocked by scale matter from inside the engine block. I had the block acid dipped (with freeze plugs removed) during the rebuild process & it appears that process loosened a bit of scale. They suggested that I ran some sort of sock in my radiator hose to catch that scale, but I fixed he issue with a few radiator & block flushes over time. i run a 160 degree thermostat & anti freeze. I now rarely see my temp gage get to 180. hope it works out for you.

Got that covered Mark... Hank has photos & will post later on.

You set me up good there Mark. It was actually quite refreshing after spending quite some time out there in the sun watching the experts tinker with Brendt's (actually Julie's) truck. Two thumbs up to the many hard working people involved in making this event happen. Tim & Steph... you rock!!!