Bingster

Just for everybody's info, James Douglas gave me the name of Dacco Transmission Parts 741 Dacco Drive Cookeville, TN 38506 800-443-2226 for rebuilding a fluid drive. White Post - who resleeves wheel cylinders and does complete restoration as well - recommended NW Transmission in Ohio 800 327-1955. I called NW and complete rebuilding is $700 and resealing is $345. David

Anybody know of a shop or person that rebuilds fluid drives in the Midwest?

A spring, shaft and some other small do-dads.

Anybody know of a source for vent latch repair kits for '46-'48 Desotos? Restoration Specialties has one but they said it wouldn't work for my '47.

Can anybody tell me what make this antenna is? I have two of them on my 1947 Desoto S-11 Custom and I wanted a new gasket, which a couple of places list, but there's are round and this gasket is oval. Is this an OEM or aftermarket antenna?

Really? I was right. Very interesting!

That's kind of what I was afraid of. I even looked at Bernbaum's web site to see if maybe Vintage Mopar was the new Bernbaum owner with the same parts!

You know, I asked him some pretty specific questions and his answer is rather vague. It doesn't sound like somebody who is trying to impress upon a potential customer that his products are better than the norm or are the highest quality. I told him I was going to resleeve my old cylinders but if his were unique to him and maybe better quality than other vendors I'd go with him. I guess another repackaging vendor on ebay.

I asked the vendor about his parts - specifically the rubber and wheel cylinders - and this is what he replied: "Since there are only a handful of places that make the rubber it does not differ much if at all from other vendors it is oem like but i don't have any original to compare, the wheel cylinders are the same i would assume , as for the other parts you asked about i do not know of anyone who makes them."

Vintage Mopar Direct. They seem to have a lot of Mopar parts. Anybody use them? For example, do I resleeve my brake cylinders or get them from maybe this place? What I always wonder is does a place like Vintage Mopar have their own brake cylinders made or are they marketing the same ones as Kanter or Bernbaum and some of the other vendors who handle them?

I see that Unity makes a vintage 6v spotlight. Are they the same as original? I also see where Kanter has them available. Are these exact copies from the same dies?

Yeah, there is one guy on ebay who really must be joking, the prices he's asking for parts. Nobody ever seems to buy them, either. Although did you guys see the Snyder sun visor that went for a little over $2,000 from a starting price of $199? And it was an aftermarket visor sold by Montgomery Ward!!

I think that it's pretty natural for most adults - if they had a good childhood growing up - to look back and see their youth as the good old days.

I was born in '53 and have always had a special attraction for the forties - especially the war years - and now the thirties as well. I love Art Deco & Streamline Moderne which flourished in those two decades. Of course, my father-in-law went to war in Italy and it's easy for me to view those years with rose colored glasses having not had to fight. However, our country was far more united back then and we've slid a long way down since. I agree with the above comment about the way girls dress today, too. Yeah, what normal guy doesn't like to see some skin, but it has hurt us morally. Everything today is in your face, no pun intended. And, you talk about Walgreens and such. . . Back then black people couldn't eat at many such lunch counters, and our country was very prejudiced. So you can't have all things at the same time. I am very glad to have caught the tail end of the great actors, singers, comedians, etc. from my folks era. You'll never have another Peck, Stewart, Sinatra, Lucy, Hope, and on and on. They were raised in their own times that made them who they were, and the young pack today have been raised in a very watered down social climate. And I think architecture today and consumer styling in general has also been watered down to such a point that people accept Wal-Mart crap from overseas and have no real concept of real craftsmanship. Of course, when I was a kid, Made in Japan had a bad reputation, but today we have come to see Japaneese items as being superior to China or Korea or Malaysia or wherever. All in all, I'd go for the innocence of Leave It To Beaver over any of the TV shows today. I could go on but you all know what I'm talking about. I love working on my '47 Desoto because it is the real deal. It was designed, built and driven by 1940's human beings with a level of value, creativity and craftsmanship - and yes, innocence - that is lacking today. Hey, I really like my 2007 Chrysler 300 - it's a well built and thought out car - but the simplicity and styling of our classic cars represented part of the evolution from horse drawn carriages to the auomobile. Whenever things are evolving I think they are more exciting than when they reach their peak and go the other way. Like The Beatles. Their spirit and energy came bursting through their music in their earlier years, but by the time the buzz of their fame had worn off, as George Harrison put it, it wasn't fun anymore and they eventually disintegrated. But while they were evolving their albums got better and better until they peaked. So today it's all been done, and everything seems to be a poor rehash of the 30's-50's. They call it Retro. Why are antique shops and oldies stations so popular? We like to hang on to the past because I think people are attracted to another time when we were innocent and happy with basic needs. Sorry for the sermon!

Tim, those sound interesting. Who is the guy? How much would it cost to have a shop cut out the old ones and weld in these new ones you think?

Thanks for posting those!

Thanks. That helps a lot.

Right. My question is this: If the escutheon's thickness makes it stick out from the door panel too much to prevent the pin and handle holes from lining up. Is the escutheon pictured from a 1947 Plymouth?

Will door & window escutheons for a 1947 P-15 fir a Desoto S-11 of the same year? Or are the locking pin holes in different locations?

Yes, I'd like to see a picture. Is there any other steering wheel remover that can be used or is it just the special tool? And Rich, do you rent this, too?

Thanks for the input. Those wooden jack stands look pretty sturdy. I'll have to give it some more thought.

I really can't afford to pour concrete in my metal building right now and I've considered a pit but that's a lot of trouble as well. So what I've thought of doing is putting the car up on solid wood skids - like railroad ties - and then blocking the wheels. I could then get undwerneath. Any thoughts on this plan?

That's pretty interesting, and when you think about the price of tools today, that sounds about right for such a specialized tool.

Thanks Rich for the info.

Outstanding photos, just fantastic!! They show so much of what I took off my '47 Desoto that I did not document. Thanks so much for posting these. I hope they will be archived.