MarcDeSoto

Is all that negative stuff Scotty says on Youtube about Optima batteries just bunk then? He says they used to be good when they were made in the USA, but when they were bought out and moved to Mexico, the quality went way down and the prices went way up. He said you can't trickle charge them, you can't test them without a $900 battery tester, and other bad stuff. Scotty is the wild man who yells at you on his Youtube channel.

Is the above battery different from this battery? They have different part numbers and the one on Amazon says its a starting battery. I wonder what the difference is? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00099HVN6?pf_rd_r=BMEHZTFD0JX1J8WFT4AA&pf_rd_p=8fe9b1d0-f378-4356-8bb8-cada7525eadd&pd_rd_r=cb6edd9c-b520-492e-a01f-33ced81e177b&pd_rd_w=pQU1B&pd_rd_wg=z1aIG&ref_=pd_gw_unk

The only 6 volt Optima battery I found is a Starter battery. Not meant for normal use in cars. Do they make a normal 6 volt battery?

Yes, and when you put the hood on the fenders and grille you have what is called the "dog house". That's good advice.

The Optima 6 volt battery costs over $200, but I found that O'Reilly's has a 6 volt battery for just $102 Group 1 and it even looks like the old batteries with separate cell caps for adding water. I saw that O'Reilly's application chart says this battery does not fit a 48 DeSoto, but does fit a 48 Dodge and 48 Chrysler Windsor. but the years only go back to 1950 for DeSoto, so it's just an error. Has anyone bought one of these? https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/fleet-heavy-duty/super-start-fleet-heavy-duty-battery-group-size-1/ssbe/1j?q=6+volt+auto+battery&pos=5

I didn't ask them that. I just asked them if the pickup tube was in the right place and he said yes, so I guess I won't know till I get this beast running. This was a shop that said that they do at least a gas tank a week, so they had some experience. No wonder that the guys who said their tanks didn't work after trying to clean them out and not removing the filter. That filter probably has to go on most tanks, unless they have NOS replacements.

I got the gas tank finished by the radiator shop, and Sniper that's just what they did. They had to cut the top of the tank open to access the Oilite filter which was rusted to a pulp! You can see what's left of it to the left of the first pic. They permanentally removed it and I am glad they did. Since most of you have probably never seen what it looks like, I took a couple of pics of the rusted out thing. I'm glad they didn't just mask it and leave it in! The inside was coated with Redcote and they said the pickup tube is in the right place. It looks good but a bit too glossy, but who cares.

Even though I have a 48 DeSoto, those are the same dimensions of my starter motor bolts, 1 1/4" long by 7/16".

Thanks, that makes some sense since there's no liquid involved with a starter motor. And the Parts List doesn't show or mention a gasket and they usually do for parts that need gaskets like the oil pump and the water pump.

The parts book doesn't mention one and I can't find any info on this. It just seem like there should be a gasket between these two parts. Also I didn't have the bolts to put on the starter, but I found two bolts that I think are the originals. They are about 1 1/2" long so they go through the bell housing about a 1/4" but don't come near the flywheel teeth. I also plan to put lock washers on them. Am I right? Thanks, Marc.

Yes, I told him about the internal Oilite filter, which said was some kind of screen. I read that it is some kind of sintered bronze screen. He said it would be masked off. I said how could you do that since you can't put your hands in there? He said they can do it by using tools inside the tank somehow. I wonder if blowing compressed air through the outlet pipe right after the Redcote is applied would keep the sealer out of the filter?

I finally decided to go with a local Radiator shop who said they would boil it out and get it rust free. Then seal the inside with Redcote. I haven't heard of Recote because it gets buried by the POR 15 and Eastwood ads. I hope its good! The cost for the job he said was $248. https://www.ebay.com/itm/131533413846?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=131533413846&targetid=1264870805944&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9031520&poi=&campaignid=10454521883&mkgroupid=120142078937&rlsatarget=pla-1264870805944&abcId=2146002&merchantid=6426064&gclid=CjwKCAjw-sqKBhBjEiwAVaQ9a96XpCoTdqYS1HNNTrKqVxdV6-TFvQRxfM1MVt0hKDlok5f4TgVd0RoC8F8QAvD_BwE

I saw on Ebay that MoparPro has a nice looking one for $495 painted black. And there is another one sold out of WI for $345 post paid by vanautoll. The only difference is it is not painted. Has anyone bought either of these tanks and what was your opinion?

Ebay has new tanks for over $500 with shipping. Who sells them for $200?

I'm ready to boil out and seal my 1948 DeSoto gas tank. It's in very good shape with not outside rust and no pin holes. In your experience, it is better to hire a radiator shop to do this, or do it yourself? I talked to a shop who said they would do it for about $250. And do you take the oillite fuel screen out first and how do you do that? Thanks, Marc.

Why are you talking about wiper arms when he has a fuel guage problem?

I have a 48 DeSoto which came from Palm Springs and it is mostly rust free. The gas tank looks so good I don't know what to do with it. Maybe put one of those anti rust sealers inside? I've heard that some of those sealers come loose inside the tank from getting ethanol gas. The straps and the filler neck look fine except for having a lot of Mohave Desert all over them. The rubber connecter hose is shot of course. I'm going to keep the straps and filler necks and just get a new filler neck rubber connector. I'll probably buy a new sender unit though.

I had a younger brother who in his college days was so poor he couldn't afford to have his VW bug brakes fixed. He actually drove the car without brakes, using the hand brake and diving into the shoulder when a car suddenly stopped for something at the bottom of a hill like a red light!

Those are some great pics of a 41 Plymouth mock up engine compartment and chassis. It would be a great teaching prop for mechanics! I only recognize one of the people in these pics. In the first pic the older man with glasses second from the right is a Plymouth engineer. I forget his name, but he is in a 1946 Plymouth brochure with a baseball player where he is showing the ball player all of the new improvements on the 46 Plymouth.

I wonder why the original engineers of hydraulic brakes didn't think of dual reservoirs for the MC? It's such a safety plus. You would think they would have thought of it, so that if your front brakes sprung a leak, you would still have your rear brakes!

MyMopar has a Master Tech filmstrip on steering from Dec. 1949. https://mymopar.com/mtsc-1949-volume-3-4-smooth-steering/

I just called now even though they are closed now and a guy answered. He gave me the dimensions of the body mounts he has. The top mounts have a flange that sticks out about an 1/8" or so, I think, and the bottom mounts are flat and just under 2" wide. Both top and bottom mounts have 1/2" holes, but the lower mount was .6" thick. My original lower mounts are only about 3/8" thick. Do you think the thicker mounts would be a problem for my 48 DeSoto?

Maybe he's ill or on vacation?

Wow! That pic of your T&C makes me green with envy! Beautiful!

I've been trying to reach that company for a couple of weeks now without success. I need to ask some questions about his body mount rubber. All I get when I phone is endless DeSoto jingles and a voice saying I'm probably with another customer right now and to wait. They also don't answer my emails. Has anyone else had trouble reached them?