James_Douglas

Gasket ? My master parts book does not show any gasket and I did not use any when I took mine apart or back together. What would the gasket seal ? The transmission has a gasket behind the input shaft housing. There is nothing to seal between the transmission and the bell housing.

I have come to the conclusion that I wished I lived in Florida or Texas...

Hi Everyone, Sondra and I have had an interesting Sunday morning. We took out the Desoto and went over to the Bull (Diner) on Noriega Street to have breakfast. When we got done having breakfast, we took off down Noriega west bound. We were doing the speed limit and we had just done a full stop at the previous stop sign. At about 22nd and Noriega a man in a blue Honda CRV, was behind us for the last block or so, passed us on the left, over a double wide double yellow line. Those of you who live in SF may know that this stretch of Noriega from 19th Avenue to past the Safeway is a shopping area with a lot of people on the street. I gave the guy a blow on the horn by way of noting that he was doing something not only illegal, but dangerous. One medium length blow, not too short or too long., just enough to have it register on the driver. Well, it registered alright. A moment latter the Honda stopped dead blocking our path. Then he moved forward about 1/3 of a block and stopped again also blocking our path. There was a car behind us, so we had no place to go. This time the driver exited the Honda and walked back to my driver door. I bit my tongue and said in the softest and most non-confrontational way I could that he had passed us over the double yellow line and that in addition to being a bad idea that it was illegal. Well, he leaned into my drivers side window and pointing close to my face started a very excited rant about who was I to honk at him when I was driving “slow”. Do remember that we were doing the speed limit. He just wanted to go faster then we were. At this point, I felt that he was going to strike me. He demanded that I get out of the car and “settle” this right now. He used all kinds of profanity and insults. I kept my hands inside the car and sat still waiting for him to do whatever he was going to do. He walked back to his car and then turned around and came back for a second time. At this point I told him over his insults that Sondra was calling 911 and we would let an officer mediate any issues he had with me. I told him we had written down his license number and Sondra was by then talking to 911. That seemed to get through to him as he walked back to his car and drove off. Sondra handed me the cell phone and I told 911 basically what happened, our location, the plate number and the direction the Honda was heading. Sondra and I drove over to the Richmond Police station after our normal return drive along the beach. We talked to the sergeant and a very nice officer and asked if we should fill out a report. They said that we could, but in reality since he did not touch me or the car, it would be of little use. They said that had I been driving a Honda Civic and did the same thing that he probably would not have even noticed. The perception of slow is strong when someone is driving something that old, even if I was doing the speed limit. We joked about the tortoise and the hare issues of driving in The City. The sergeant said she knows what I mean as it is like ridding a bicycle in town. People who dive fast around town think they are making time but it is an illusion. Because of all the stop signs and lights in town, the person driving at the speed limit inevitably pull up, in the next 10 to 20 blocks, .to those who race around town breaking the traffic laws. I know the Officers are correct about the futility of filling out a police report. I do wonder if this driver spots the Desoto on the street if he will do something stupid to it. I also wonder what will happen the next time that some driver blows a horn at him, or something like that, if this driver will hurt somebody. Had I been a little old person driving the speed limit in an old car and the guy had gotten into my face that way a heart attack or a stroke is not out of the question. This man was about 35 to 45 very big and tall with light hair and a thick Irish accent. This person was so on the edge of being out of control, that I do think it is just a matter of time until someone is hurt. My only crutch during the encounter was that I figured that Sondra could keep me patched up and that I would have recourse if the guy laid a hand on me. I have to tell you that my Country Boy-Greek side of my brain was having a large fight with my Cultured-Educated side of my brain. Luckily, the cultured-educated side won out. The moral of the story is to not honk a horn at anyone. I doubt that I will learn this moral however… Best, James

Hey Guys, Remember that engine sound that I could not nail down ? Well, it appears to be related to the cooling system! You read that correct, the cooling system. When the engine is started cold AND the heater control valve is pulled out I get a sound that is very similar a valve or a slight rod knock. It is some kind of water hammer. It may be due to my unique water neck. If I push the heater control valve back in it goes away. If I let it heat up and cycle the valve a couple of time it fades away. I may have some air in the system or ? I am going to see if I can find a small inline one way valve for the heater return, to make sure no water is trying to back up that system. The reason it just started a few weeks back is that is when the cold snap started here and I pulled the heater control when cold. Very odd. James

Karen, This forum is comprised of a very classy group of people. Nelson was as much, or more, of a class act than any of us. He will be missed by all of us… My best wishes to you and all of the Baker family. James Douglas San Francisco.

Darin, Take the engine apart and take the bare block in and have them tank it for you. Then take it home and get a set of engine brush's and clean the hell out of it. Run the brushes through the crank oil hole as well. Then take the whole thing into the shop and have them tank it again with the rest of the parts. have them rebuild it. But, Just have them put do the bottom, but leave off the pan and timing cover. Take the engine home and hand wipe it down very very well. Put on the timing cover and the oil pan. Then clean the cylinder's with paper towels and ATF. Do it like 10 times. When clean, wipe the block face with a clean cotton rag with alcohol. Same with the head. Put the gasket on and the head. By doing the final assembly yourself, you provide the rings with the best chance of seating in fine in the first few minutes. The shop will not take the time to clean it as well as you will and you may not have the tools or the skills to do a proper assembly. The process I outlined can give you the best of both worlds. The experience for a proper bottom end assembly and the quality of extra time in cleaning and preparation. I did mine this way and when I fired it off, it sealed in 3 to4 minutes flat. It sealed so fast, I wondered if something was wrong. I have good compression and fair power (Ask Don C). If you go this route, you can get plenty of help here from the gang. James

I grew up in my mothers 1949 DeSoto Convertible. It was solid as a rock and ran forever. I also grew up in my Dad's 1964 Chrysler 300K. It was used hard until about 1973. My mom needed a car in 1973, a couple of years after my father died and as she did not have a lot of money the local Chrysler dealer sold her a 1971 Plymouth 4-door satellite with a 318 and very low miles. That Plymouth was a pile of @hit. Nothing but trouble. By 1975, as I was 15 then and handy with tools, I pulled the Chrysler 300K out of the barn and after dealing with the wiring (rats) that car ran fine. I tore it down to rebuild it in the late 1980's when it had 500,000 miles on it! How did they go from building cars like the 300K to the Plymouth in six years. If they don't get their act together, they deserve to die off as a company. I am waiting to see if the new Hardtop Challenger is going to look good and be good. I may break down and buy a new car for the first time in my life. That is if Chrysler is smart enough to build a bunch of them and take a small profit on each. They are stupid however, and will make a few with big markups and have no impact on their market share. James

Some of you know from past postings my foray into trying to make a box that allows those of us with original electrical and radios to have nice tunes. For the rest of you, here goes the tale. Working with a person who builds Am modulators for the antique radio crowd I had him make a prototype of an AM modulator that would work on 6 to 12 volts and positive or negative ground. The unit had to be high quality with gain and sensitivity controls. It also had to have the ability to select the frequency which it would broadcast on. It also had to not interfere with the stock radios ability to play normally. After about a year of development and testing, we were ready to market. We needed about 25 people to commit to an order so that we could have the circuit boards manufactured. They were going to cost about $$275 each at retail. I could not get enough people interested, so the project was dropped. If I were to make some up by hand the cost of my time would make them very expensive. That's the story. Best, James Too bad...the iPod and the modulator are made for each other.

David, Here is what it looks like.James Whats in the box: The wiring:

I like the warm sound of the stock radio. But, I hate AM radio. I built, through a guy I know, an little box that runs on 6/12 volts. Whatever I plug into the box (CD, iPod, MP3, XM) that uses a jack that can covert to RCA works just fine. The original radio plays just like normal as well. A digital signal with the tube radio sounds real smooth. Ask Don C, who heard it when he was out here. James

Frank, I hope so. I am a little concerned about the fast 2nd gear. I am hoping that I can take off in 2nd and get up to about 35MPH with it. James

Hi, If you look at a thread with photo's from Don's visit with me, you can see that I used an off the shelf Edelbrock foam air cleaner. What I did was to weld a plate across the bottom and then cut a hole in it to fit the clamp of original air cleaner. A shot 2" piece of exhaust pipe was used to connect the two. Worked like a charm. I have an extra original filer neck cut out and waiting should I ever decide to run duels again. Best, James http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=1468&highlight=san+francisco

Frank, George is selling me a 3-speed with OD, shaft for the fluid drive (a.k.a. Dodge), fast 2nd gear, HD bearings, and all the goodies.. I sent him a deposit and he will get to it when he is back from Florida in a few weeks. James

Don, I hope to heck I don't need the actual shift handle and shaft!! But, If you send out everything else, I will have it on hand when the time comes in case I need anything to do the trans swap in a hurry. When done, I will send the unused stuff back with an appropriate addition or two. Thanks, James

Anyone have a set of 3-speed shift linkage that is out of their car that I can barrow for a couple of months ? I want to prepare a set from when George sends my my new 3-speed. Best, James

Belts... http://www.ssnake-oyl.com/

I used this place for my MC and it was a work of art when I got it back. If I decide not to replace my rearend, I will send in a set of wheel cylinders next summer and swap mine out. http://www.brakecylinder.com/ James

I am biased when it comes to leaf springs. They are engineered to exacting specifications as to load and rate. I have seen many of the shops supply replacement springs over the years by just guessing the load and rate specifications based on the length, thickness, and wide of the springs. The problem with this is of course you don't get the correct spring. Therefore, I urge you to ask any spring maker for the Load and Rate specifications for your car. If they don't have it or say it is not important then go elsewhere. I have used Eaton Detroit Springs as they have the original blueprints and you can ask them for the specifications and if there was any alternate specifications available. In my case for the Suburban there was 2 different sets of springs available. When I get around to getting new springs I can pick which one I want and/or specify something different. If you want a correct ride and correct suspension action, don't cheep it out on springs. Best, James

Guys, The plugs looked fine. I doubt it was any of them. I think it had something to do with the oil change. I just don't know what. James PS. Randy. I have a rebuilt coupling, bearing and all, waiting for the 3-speed from George...

Ok Here is the thing: Yesterday I took the car out in the AM to eat. I ran it on the boulevard up to 45 MPH and you could hear the sound real good between 30 and 40. My friend stuck his head down to the floor boards while driving (No SF jokes please) and told me the sound appeared to be coming from the lower drivers side of the engine. We ate breakfast and headed home. On the trip home the sound lighten up somewhat. The last 2 days have also had a higher ambient temp that the last week when the sound started. Once home I did 2 things. I changed the oil and the filter. I put in a new set of spark plugs. I started up the car and let it warm up real good and took it for a run around the block. I did not hear the sound. I parked it. Today I took the car out and ran it hard around town up to about 45 MPH and I can not hear the sound. Hot or cold. The sound was very noticeable and now it is gone. The only things done were oil, filter, and plugs. What was it ? James PS, the fluid coupling is still vibrating like heck. I sent George a $500 deposit on a trans and will change the coupling when I get the new trans.

I hope that is waterbase paint....

Hi Don, The new sound happens at idle in gear while stopped and in neutral. I put a bar onto the engine and stuck my ear on one end and I think it is in a valve. I am going to dig into it over the weekend and see what I can find. James

This is not legal... 1. You call special processing at Sacto DMV and read them a plate number to make sure it is not in the system. Thank them...and mention to them you will go buy that orginal plate from a dealer 2. You go to the local DMV office and order a personalized plate with that number. 3. You have someone make you a set of original plates with that number. 4. You put the personalized plates in the trunk and the yellow ones on the car. If a cop runs the plates it comes back as it should. I doubt anyone would ever figure it out.... James

I can not imagine that someone could make a set of plates from scratch which is identical to the original plates for less than $200. Their labor time along would add up to that. In any event, the law is the law and you would not want to get your car impounded and have to face a forgery charge for the difference between $200 and $400 for an original set of plates. I got my 1947 plates for about $200 from a dealer. They were brand new old stock still in the original envelope. James

Jim, Did the thing come with any instructions ? Best, James