MarcDeSoto

I went out to the garage and there really must be something wrong here. I looked at the seat back and the seat frame and there is no way a 31/64" bolt could hold these two big, heavy seat sections together! Anyone out there have any experience with seats?

Thanks DJ! Good info on the bolt abbreviations! I just realized why I was having trouble getting the bolt through the hole. I was using a bumper bolt that is 7/16" thick and I need a 3/8" bolt. That is one of the problems with working with unlabeled coffee cans full of nuts and bolts. Hard to believe that it's only 1/2" long though.

I'm trying to put the seat back on the seat frame in my 48 DeSoto business coupe. I looked over my hardware and got what I thought to be the correct special large domed head bolt. 3/8 thick with 16 tpi. It is about 1 1/8" long not counting the domed head. I can get the bolt through the seat back hole, but not through the seat frame. Is a 3/8" bolt too thick? The parts manual says the bolt is rd-hd, S., 3/8 - 16 X 31/64". What does the 31/64" refer to? It can't be length as that would not be long enough. Does anyone know what rd-hd means? and what S means? A 3/8" nut and washer is what the bolt goes into on the other side of the seat frame.

no problem for me in turning the fluid drive. I've got a large socket wrench on the crankshaft nut. Thanks again. And don't call me shirley!

Donald, thanks for the excellent advice and pics. That looks like an awesome DeSoto Suburban you have there. Did you know that famous director Cecil B. DeMille bought one! On the fluid drive, yes if it doesn't leak, don't replace it. I would just like to open it to check that all the fluid is still in there after 67 years! But I'm afraid if I open it I might create a leak! I just found a good source for getting the 10 W oil non detergent on Amazon and they don't charge for shipping. They have oil by Accel and Kendall. Thanks, Marc.

If you own a 40s Chrysler, DeSoto, or Dodge, you may have a semi-automatic transmission and fluid drive. Is 10 W non detergent oil still the best to use in the transmission? Also, if you need more fluid in the fluid drive, what do you use?

Shel NY, Shel you're right. It's more available than I thought. And Amazon has free shipping! But now I'm thinking of getting the Royal Purple break in oil if that's better. But I still need the 10W nd for my transmission, unless there's something better now to use.

Shel, I check Amazon and they do sell Kendall 10 weight non detergent to the tune of almost $50 per quart!!! I also checked O'Reilly Auto Parts and they don't sell it unless you want to order a 55 gallon drum costing over $900! The counterman at O'Reilly's called his machine shop for advice for me. The machinist said you use 30 weight non detergent, since the 10 weight was not available, and change the oil at 500 miles. He also said you should add a zinc additive to help seat the rings. I am just not sure about using the 30 w when the factory recommend 10 for engine break in. I also found a gallon of 10 to 12 weight hydraulic oil that had detergent. He said that might be good for the semi-auto transmission. I understand that Type F transmission fluid is the recommended oil for the fluid drive unit.

Since Chrysler literature says to break the flat head engine in with 10 weight non-detergent oil and the semi-automatic transmission uses 10 weight non detergent oil, does anyone know if anyone still sells it? I called NAPA and the only non detergent oil they sell is 30 weight.

I am getting ready to start my rebuilt 48 DeSoto flathead 6 engine for the first time since its rebuild, which was about 30 years ago. Yes you read right! I can turn the engine over by hand using a large socket on the crankshaft nut. I read in contemporary Chrysler literature that new engines should be broken in with 10 weight non-detergent oil and should be driven for the first 1,000 miles that way. Does anyone know if that is still the best advice for new engine break in? The reason for the oil being non-detergent is I think to let the rings seat properly in the cylinders. Of course they don't sell 10 weight non detergent oil anymore in your average local car supply store. You might have to go to NAPA or a farm tractor store.

Reg, I love the look of your 42 Dodge!!! Is it a business coupe or club coupe?

Wow, Don you got that fast and yes that's the show I saw. Has anyone done any business with Antique Auto of Arlington TX? And now they have a website, but you still can't do email. http://antiqueautosupply.com/

Two or three years ago, I saw a TV show that briefly covered a Texas old car parts dealer who had been in business for I forget how many decades. I would like to find out the name of this business. The show mentioned the name, but I have forgotten. One thing the show emphasized is that this old car parts dealer was a bit old fashioned like the parts he sells. Namely, he doesn't have a web site and doesn't do emails. To do business with him, you either have to go there or phone him. On this show, it showed him answering the phone with buyer asking a question like, "Do you have a steering gear for a 1915 Maxwell?" and he would reply "Oh yes we still have a few of those." Then it showed him giving the reporter a tour with him saying things like "That warehouse is all Ford parts going back to 1903, and that warehouse is all Chrysler." I seem to also remember that it wasn't in one of the huge Texas cities like Dallas or Houston. Does anyone know this business?

Hey Don, those fuzzy boob hangers are a real touch of class! I'd like to know where I can get mine in case I ever show my car at Pebble Beach or something!

The last time I removed the springs, all I had for weight was the engine, no fenders or hood. but that was enough. I agree, there was no need for spring compressors on my 48 DeSoto. I just jacked the front end of the car up and put it on jack stands. Then I placed the floor jack under the lower control arm and jacked it up until there was no pressure on the lower control arm pivot bar. Then I removed the pivot bar attaching bolts and removed the pivot bar. Then I let the jack down which lowered the coil spring and lower control arm in a controlled safe manner.

I always liked those 50 Plymouth and Dodge 3 window coupes! So compact! In fact, I used to own a 50 Plymouth 3-window coupe in the 1980s. Mine wasn't in the best of shape. I had to rebuild the motor and replace the clutch, and the floors had rotted out. Replaced them with sheet metal and screws. Found out that's not the way to fix floors. Every time I got in the driver's seat the sheet metal would go "bloingggg!!!!"

I was driving south on the I-5 freeway about 60 miles north of San Diego when I saw what was obviously an old car being towed on an open car trailer. I was anxious to see what it was. So as I got closer I could see louvers coming back from the top of the grille back toward the firewall. It looked complete and very straight. At first I thought, is this a 1937 DeSoto? I could see it was a sedan, but as I looked closer and moved to the front of the car trailer, I could see it was a 38 Ford. It looked like a fresh barn find! I'll admit it looked like a time machine to the late 30s. It was nice to see a car of that vintage, and especially a Ford, that had escaped the street rodders for so long. I guess the barn finds are still out there if you can find them!

I have some damage on my 48 DeSoto, driver door. The door catch broke decades ago and the driver door swung open so far the back edge of the front fender put a crease in the door that I'm going to have to iron out. I don't even know how to repair it, or if they make repair parts?

I've been testing my heater motor hooked up to the instrument panel on my kitchen table. The power for the motor is a 6 volt battery charger. All three speeds are working great. Question: Is it normal for the two resistors behind the heater fan knob to get hot? I guess it would be as resistors are resisting voltage and amperage. The heat has to go somewhere.

I guess most cars that had the All-weather system had two heaters with the kickpanel ducts. My car just has the right Comfort Master heater. But the kit came with a panel to screw on to the left duct of the center plenum to prevent escaping heat there. Do you have to drill holes in the cowl in order to install this beast?

Well, I stand corrected on that one. I wonder why they would only make one 1952 Chrysler Imperial 3 window coupe? Wouldn't they be wasting a lot of tooling to just make one, or does it share its cab with a 52 Dodge or something?

Ed, did you ever figure out how to install your All-Weather system? I bought this item new in the box back in the 80s and I still have the huge foldout of the installation directions. although it's so huge it would hard to make a copy.

Ed, that is an awsome job on those heaters!!! My 48 DeSoto came with just the passenger side heater as it has spent all of its life in Southern Calif. Luckily, I have two Comfort Master heaters, both right side. I tested them today and one had a bad motor. I read in a restoration book that these motors are sealed and cannot be repaired. do you know where I can buy a new motor with the squirrel cage fan? After I bought the car, I bought an NOS All Weather Air Unit that I plan to install. I'm not quite sure what that huge unit does except allow you to drive with the cowl vent open even in the rain for fresher air.

All you have to do is wash the horse hair section in kerosene to clean it. It's easy. I'd never give up the oil bath air cleaner as it gives the car some of its personality and makes it different from modern era cars. I'd also never change over to a 12 volt negative ground system for the same reason.