50desotocoupe

I installed a Flowmaster 40 series muffler on my Desoto. It is not loud at all, not "glasspack" like....more rumble and no droning or the least bit loud. Look at videos on Youtube.

Cool. Don't change a thing....she is only original once. Tell us more about the car, the trip, how did it run, etc.

So question on the draft tube. Do you just pull it out of the block and clean and push back in? Does a clogged draft tube cause oil smoke on decel?

Thanks for the insight everyone. I do have the 6 blade fan on it and everything appears "correct". I will monitor it to see if it happens again...just odd that it happened...I guess one of those things that happen after bringing a car back from a long nap (well, deep coma..lol). On an interesting side note. I changed the oil maybe 100 miles ago....checked this weekend....black as night in a fog during a storm.. will need to change it again very soon and let the oil keep on cleaning the old girl out.

I just came to a stop at the base of the off ramp at a red light. I didn't shut it off as there were quite a few cars behind me. When I got under way I was going through a neighborhood at 25-35 mph.

Question for the gurus. Saturday I took the Desoto on a 25 mile drive on the highway....outside temp was probably high 60's. It ran perfect on the highway, cruised between 55 and 70 the entire way. It is ran at mid gauge temp wise the entire way. I pulled off the highway and the temp gauge slowly crept up to between 3/4 and full hot. Once I started moving again it cooled back down to normal. This is the first time I noticed this happening. Is this a clogged radiator situation? When I was getting the Desoto ready for the road I put in new waterpump, thermostat, hoses, belts, etc. I also took the radiator out and it flushed it. Any ideas?

I am finally starting to get motivated...must be spring... I put the bumper back on and got the new wides installed.

Hi All! Well as I am driving my Desoto more and more I am figuring out that the stock shocks are pretty much fully compressed sinced I lowered it. Does anyone know off the top of their heads the part numbers for a short shock for the front of our cars? I cut 1 1/2 springs out of it. Thanks!

Well, I took the old girl on the highway again this weekend for a couple of miles. I did between 65 and 70 for a few miles. She did just fine. I think my 6 blade "truck" fan is making so much noise that it seems like the engine is working harder than it really is. Boy does that sucker suck a lot of air. It will be good in the summer during the hot temps. It smoked like a pig on decal though....so either miles will help it or I am looking at a rebuild at some point. Is it possible to clean out the crankcase ventilation system on these?

I actually put a few ounces in the tank earlier this week. The tank was 3/4 full. Should I put more than a few ounces in?

I clearly needed more coffee before getting behind the keyboard this morning. The smoking is on decel...and from highway speeds. I really don't see smoke on decel on neighborhood streets. I haven't done a compression check yet. I figured I would get a few hundred miles on her and see if it improves...if not I will look at the compression. The car runs great, starts beautifully and has great acceleration, so I would bet either stuck rings or valve guides....it just turned 90500 miles so very well could be time for freshening...although I doubt I will do anything until it gets worse.

Thanks everyone, this has been very helpful! One thing that might be throwing me off is that I put a 6 blade fan on from a like year Dodge truck. Boy does it pull the air through the radiator. It makes a lot of noise.... I will continue to get used to it (basically have 200 miles on it since all the work) and find out what speeds are comfortable. I think 55-60 is the ideal speed but unfortunately there are times when even 60 is too slow... Now to deal with the smoke on decal... The car hasn't really been driven in quite a few years...so most likely have valve guide issues.

Ok, I am sure this has been asked 100000 times and I have looked but didn't find anything on my particular car. I have a 50 Desoto with completely stock engine, trans and rear end. In 4th gear, what is a realistic highway speed that is "safe" engine wise for these cars? I drove it over 100 miles last weekend with a buddy who has a 48 Ford. We kept it between 55 and 60 but as you know there are times when on the highway you can't go below the actual speed limit. I did hit 65 once..the car did perfectly...smooth, stable, no tire shimmy, etc (front end is all basically new with 4 wheels discs). I had a 6volt positive ground tach built from Westach and will be installing that soon. What RPM's are safe but will still not get me rear ended by some idiot on the road that doesn't realize I am not doing their "modern" speeds. Thanks!

I personally applaud you for taking the time to research what things will cost and asking hard questions. It always seems to be way more expensive than you originally think. For example, I bought my 50 Desoto for a measly $1200. It was a running/driving-ish car. The interior was not great but it was a rust free Wyoming car that was complete and original down to the pack of Pall Mall cigarettes packs under the seat. Since then I spent $4200 on the interior (which was a very good deal from a friend), $1500+ on getting the disc brakes installed (this doesn't include my labor, just finishing things up), another $1000 for small miscellaneous items and at least another $1000 in parts like taillight lenses, chrome parts, another $1000 for tires...and remember, this was a very solid car AND I haven't done any bodywork....so right now I have over $10k in a car that maybe is worth $6k....

I think Mary Jane is the perfect name for her! Are you doing a full restoration or to make her a driver? Looks like a great starting point!