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MarcDeSoto

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Everything posted by MarcDeSoto

  1. MarcDeSoto
    This water pump is a rebuilt unit I bought in the 80s. It has never run on an engine before. I have the plug installed instead of the grease fitting. Is the grease fitting a 1/4" npt fitting? Is it normal for the weep hole to leak coolant on a good water pump? Are the water pumps sold on Ebay and AB good quality pumps?
  2. MarcDeSoto
    I'm trouble shooting cooling system leaks on my 48 Desoto before I start the engine. Finally stopped the leaks at the water pump to radiator hoses. but I'm still getting a very small leak that seem to come from a tiny weep hole. What is the weep hole for, and is it supposed to leak a little bit?
  3. MarcDeSoto
    But wouldn't coolant come out of it. I put a screwdriver in the hole and it went all the way to the cylinder wall.
  4. MarcDeSoto
    I had a lot of trouble getting the right thermostat for my 48 DeSoto. I ordered one from Rock Auto. It didn't fit. I ordered one from O'Reillys. It didn't fit. I ordered one from Ebay that was NOS stock. It didn't fit. Finally, I gave up and ordered one from Andy Bernbaum because I know he stands behind his parts. It fit. By the way, the thermostat shown above by SteveR is MoPar Direct. MoPar Direct is Andy Bernbaum's name on Ebay. s
  5. MarcDeSoto
    I have had that same feeling. I haven't driven my 48 DeSoto since 1980. I got so curious as to how it would drive, that I went all the way to Santa Barbara about 15 years ago to test drive a 48 Desoto just like mine. It drove well. But I have a friend that gave me a short drive in his Model A roadster in L.A. traffic and I was terrified! But he routinely drives it in busy L.A. traffic! I'm scared driving my 2017 Kia in L.A. traffic. When my DeSoto is running again, I will not drive it as a daily driver, but just on special occasions, like Sunday mornings when traffic is down.
  6. MarcDeSoto
    I tapped the water jacket hole shown above in the first pic with a new brass plug, but I guess I should have screwed in a spigot like on Keith's block shown above. This hole toward the back of my block, shown below, was giving me trouble. I couldn't tap a 1/8" pipe thread tap into it because the tap was too big. So I experimented with different bolts untill I found a 3/8 bolt with 16 thread! It worked, but why does a 16 thread bolt work here, unless Sniper was right about it being an alternate hole for a different oil filter housing. Anyway, the hole went into the water jacket, so it had to be plugged.
  7. MarcDeSoto
    Well, a couple people told me the hole is 1/4" npt. I checked the thread count in the hole and it is 18 tpi. So I think I'm OK. If I don't tap it, I can't screw the plug in.
  8. MarcDeSoto
    Found out my Tap and Die set doesn't include taps for NPT. So I ordered a Pipe Tap Set that includes 1/4" and 1/8" taps from Ebay.
  9. MarcDeSoto
    Went to HD to buy some NPT 14" plugs. Instead of NPT fittings, they had MIP plugs. I learned that MIP means male iron pipe, as opposed to FIP, which means female iron pipe. Otherwise it is NPT. My brass plug 1/4" would not screw into the hole in the block. I think the hole needs to tapped. I'm not sure, but I think the other hole below the oil filter may be 1/8" NPT, as the 1/4" didn't seem to fit. It is not a bracket fitting, as I was able to push a screwdriver all the way in to the cylinder wall.
  10. MarcDeSoto
    I think you are both right. Oil comes out of the smaller holes, and coolant out of the larger plugs. And I think Sniper is right about the second pic being for some alternate type of oil filter mount. thanks.
  11. MarcDeSoto
    I started to fill my radiator to check for leaks, and water started to pour out the side of the block. I know I have to install the temp. gauge, but these are little brass plugs. They must be for draining the block. I'm missing a couple of plugs, so I need to know the size and thread, probably pipe thread. I unscrewed the plug that you see on the left of the first pic, but found it was too small for the missing plug. The second pic shows another missing plug just under the oil filter. Does anyone know the size? I could not find it in the Parts Book.
  12. MarcDeSoto
    Yes, I've been cranking the engine for weeks and it does have good oil pressure. I primed the oil pump and everything. I put the heater hose from the water pump inlet to the heater valve in a loop since the body is still not on the chassis.
  13. MarcDeSoto
    And since I don't have the wiring harness installed yet, I connect a wire from the neg. post of battery to neg. side of coil with alligator clips so I can pull one clip off to stop the engine. And a wire from pos. side of coil to distributor. And for the starter, a push button wire from Neg. side of bat. to bat. post on solenoid.
  14. MarcDeSoto
    Spark plugs gapped to .030" and points gapped at .20 to .24". Tappets set at .014" gap at cold setting. Also check the oil pressure relief valve is not seized and has the spring installed on the piston. Also, fresh fire extinguisher at the ready.
  15. MarcDeSoto
    Rubber items have gone way up in price, but I'm remembering prices from the 80s. Luckily, I bought most of my rubber then.
  16. MarcDeSoto
    I'm getting close to doing the first engine start on my 48 Desoto since 1980! I think I remember how to time an engine with a timing light, but how do I give it an initial timing just to get it started. I put the spark plugs and cables in today. I put the cables in firing order on the distributor cap, 1-5-3-6-2-4. And I made sure that when the rotor is pointing at no. 1 cylinder at "7 o'clock", both valves are shut on no. 1 cylinder. Anythng else?
  17. MarcDeSoto
    All P-15 Plymouths except convertibles had woodgrained dashes and window moldings. I think the color was Flemish gray. If you don't want to pay a pro, you can do it yourself. back in the day I used a tan lacquer basecoat. Then I used printer's ink and solvent glazes over the basecoat. But today, I would use artist oils for the glazes. when it dries, you shoot clear lacquer over the glazes in several coats and then buff it out to a shine. I did my 48 DeSoto with a bristle brush for the straight grain on the top and bottom of my dash, and used a wadded up newspaper for the burl effect in the middle.
  18. MarcDeSoto
    The music from 1929 is really hot. It was the jazz age. I have hundreds of records from the 20s that I play on my Edison and Victrola. And Bing and Gershwin were there. That was their era.
  19. MarcDeSoto
    Should I buy resistor plugs if I am going to play the radio?
  20. MarcDeSoto
    I found out that most of the NOS plugs are A7 plugs, so not resistor. I guess you should use resistor if you plan to play the radio? I still have an A-5 plug from the 80s. Do they still sell them? Should I use a normal plug or the hotter plug on a rebuilt engine?
  21. MarcDeSoto
    I have an old box of NOS Autolite spark plugs AR 10. Should I use these in my rebuilt 1948 DeSoto engine, or buy new ones? When I open each box, the spark plug is wrapped up in a paper coupon that can be turned in for prizes. The coupon says it expires on December 31, 1945! I guess I'm a bit late for the prizes.
  22. MarcDeSoto
    Here's a blow up of the clutch linkage from the Parts Manual.
  23. MarcDeSoto
    No, the driveshaft had no vibration the last time I drove it, which was 1980!
  24. MarcDeSoto
    I just put new u-joints in my driveshaft and have installed the driveshaft in my 48 DeSoto. A friend thinks I should take the shaft in for balancing first. I never had a problem with the driveshaft before. Should I take it in now, or wait to see if there is vibration there?
  25. MarcDeSoto
    Yes, I agree about highway robbery, but radiator shops don't have a lot of competition now, so they can charge what they want.
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