DeS-11

If it's the kind with the removable back, you could maybe take it off and check the impeller for damage or corrosion, as well; I think it would be pretty obvious then if it were actual NOS or not. And in addition to what JB said above, you could also make sure that the bearings don't have too much play in them. That's about all I would do.

Thanks for all of the ideas; hopefully I'll get some time soon to look into it, and I'll let you know what I find. Hopefully one day I'll be able to actually drive it for some kind of distance, as well. . . it's supposed to be fun, so I hear, and I keep reminding myself. . .

I'll have to check that wiring and see how it is, as that's something I've not done yet. It shuts off after you engage the clutch, as soon as you go to step on the accelerator--basically as soon as the forward gear engages--a frustrating problem, to be sure. Thanks for the Imperial Club service information, as well; I read through it and it should be a good resource to have regarding this transmission. The principles seem straightforward enough, but it looks like there are a lot of small moving parts to go bad, especially after nearly 80 years.

This just came up, so I wanted to get some of your thoughts before I go further into it (and I won't have time for a little while yet, anyway); this is relating to a '47 S-11 with the semi-auto transmission. The engine turns over seemingly normally (for 6v anyway) and starts after several revolutions, idling normally. You can raise the RPM and all seems smooth, with no missing or hesitation; you can go into reverse gear, and the car moves normally. But when you go into a forward gear (specifically third in the 3/4 range), the engine quits immediately as if the ignition had been turned off, but will start back up right away. This happened twice in a row, both with the lights on, it should be noted; it hadn't happened previously, with or without the lights. So what are your thoughts? I was thinking a possible issue with the idle speed being too low, so I'll see where that is (although I don't know why it wouldn't have been an issue before). Could it be a dying coil, or might a weak battery lead to this? The fact that the lights were on when it happened, and I've mostly only been doing very short drives recently (short enough to where the battery probably isn't being charged enough) led me to think that. The strange part is that it runs well in neutral, but then just cuts out altogether when the driveline load is applied--and the carb dashpot wouldn't have anything to do with this as it occurs when taking off from a stop, not coming to a stop, correct? Any ideas are welcome, especially from anyone who's experienced this with one of these transmissions.

Thanks for the replies. Chry41, where is the thread that you mention posted? I'd be interested in reading it in its entirety.

I agree; that's a good suggestion, and something that I also didn't know about. I appreciate the idea.

I've read about the circa '42 DeSoto one (and I think there is a video out there about it); I recall it was mounted somehow in the steering wheel hub section, and was only a dispenser, not a lighter. Was the Chrysler one similar to this? I've never seen one in person, but I think it would be great to have for the uniqueness, if nothing else.

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Thank you to everyone for the replies and suggestions, and to Dan especially for taking the time to get that part out and take the pictures (the measurements are really helpful to see). It would be nice to have an original, but if I can't come up with one, I'll probably do just as Merle and Loren mentioned and make one with the threaded rod and nuts.

Mine's missing--has anyone reproduced these (for the "big six" car applications), or is it best to just make up something that will fit?

Does anyone know of a site that tells how to decipher the information on the firewall data plates on '40s Mopars (the one with "model," "body," "paint," etc.)? I can't find much (most is geared toward later models), but I want to see what I can determine off of mine.

Welcome; I'm also fairly new to the site, and to these cars (I just got mine a few weeks ago, and have been learning as I go and doing things little by little). I likewise have interest in old radios, amps, and TVs, although I've never completely restored any from top to bottom--only done minor repairs as needed to keep them operating. Your car looks great; the two-door sedan body style is definitely an attractive one.

Thanks very much for putting that together; the pictures really tell the story. I thought the same as you, that those terminals (just like the one seen on the Niehoff box in your photo) seem pretty poor in design, although I suppose they must have done the job at least adequately if they stuck around for a while. But I think it would make sense to get a box of the more reliable ones that you mentioned and avoid later issues. I appreciate the pictures of the crimpers, as well, and I now realize that it will probably pay to spend a little on the correct tool for this in order to do it right.

I tried searching here and elsewhere, but couldn't really find an answer to this. Regarding the distributor-end terminals of the vintage-type plug wires, what is the correct way to attach them? I'm referring to the small gold ones with the one prong at the end and one at each side. It seems you just stick the end prong into the wire conductor and then crimp the side prongs into the insulation, but I have a feeling there's more to it than that. As you can tell, I've not done this before! And is there a "correct" crimper to use, or will a standard wire crimper do for this? Thanks for any help.

I used Marvel on nearly every fill-up on another old car (also with a mechanical fuel pump) that I daily drove a few years ago, and never had an issue with the fuel pump in the entire time I drove it, which was seven or eight years. I think it's a great product and will continue to use it in the same way.

Thanks for posting that; it seems best to just stick with a 588. I found a scanned early '50s AC catalog that someone posted on another site, and it also specified the 588 for this one (the 577 was noted to be "obsolete" in another section, but I didn't see a listing for it as to what it was used in). By the way, what do the other (non-bold type) columns in the chart you show reference?

It would be for a '47 DeSoto; I wanted to have a spare old one to rebuild and keep on hand, given the issues with the lever pin I've read about on the new production ones. I saw a picture of a 577 and noticed that it looked really similar (offset mounting holes, stud for the heat shield, etc.), but it had the bolted-on cast base instead of the sediment bowl. If it would work, I'd actually prefer the one without the bowl as it's one less leak point. Interestingly, the service manual pictures an exploded view of one without the bowl, although it doesn't look like a 577 or 588; my guess is that it's not even an AC, but I wonder what it could have been.

Can anyone who has one of these books determine how an AC 577 compares to a 588? Is the 577 possibly the same, just without the sediment bowl, but otherwise interchangeable?

Thanks, Rich; I've added it to my notes.

I found that the solution was to, with the square holes turned all the way toward the back, position the key in the cylinder at about the 1:00 spot (left side) and 11:00 spot (right side)--about 1/8 turn--as opposed to the 3:00 and 9:00 spots (1/4 turn) that I had been using, then install the square rods and the cylinders into the doors. Why this slight positioning adjustment made such a difference, I'm not sure, but it resolved it and both now work as designed, from inside the car and out. The service manual doesn't mention this starting position, but it probably was obvious to someone who worked with these all the time. In any case, I just wanted to provide an update for any future readers of this.

Does anyone know if the 1942-early 1949 DeSoto "flying lady" hood ornament was the same part number (I think 976218, but correct me if need be)/dimensions/mounting points for all of those years? I assume that the Lucite one was optional/additional cost as well, but how difficult is it to find compared to the regular plated one?

Thanks, Dan; that's what I was interested in knowing specifically--how the factory likely would have done it originally. I'll look for the clamp on mine when I'm able to get back to it. Sam makes a good point, as well. I appreciate everyone who took the time to reply.

I thought that the generator stud was the stock point (I had seen posts on here in the past mentioning it), so that's why I was wondering how the factory would have routed it, as there could be several possibilities. Your attachment point is definitely cleaner, though, but I'm starting to think that the different Chrysler divisions may have all done it differently, depending on the year. I just want to try to get it right the first time around, since everything is too expensive now to be making mistakes or buying things twice.

I'm currently dealing with a similar issue, although with mine (a '47, but likely similar) getting the cylinder to work from the outside resulted in the formerly-working inside handle to no longer do so (see my other post about this). Maybe there's an exploded-view illustration of this entire assembly out there somewhere; it certainly would be helpful in visualizing how it operates. I'm not sure about your '40, but on mine there is a small set screw that serves to hold the cylinder in place, accessible through a hole in the sheet metal in the side of the door.

That may be; I'll have to try some repositioning when I have a chance. Mine actually has three notches cut into the sheet metal, which correspond to three tabs cast into the cylinder. However, I think that they're the same distance apart, so that it could be inserted at three different angles and still "fit." Does anyone have a latch/lock assembly out of the door that they could post a photo of so that I could try to visualize how it works?