Los_Control

I'm in the process of changing the carb now. It was a interesting day. I picked up the new cap and it was wrong, does not fit. I decided to push forward and change the carb, I really think my other one needs cleaned. Once changed I now have a no start issue with no spark .... I was checking for spark and it did start. I just used a spare plug hooked up to #1 plug wire and it started on 5 cylinders. .... I thought the light orange spark was pretty poor. So now I sit with no spark .... The new cap will be in next week sometime .... I do not think it is the cap. Good possibility my new condenser just failed .... I do have a known working spare to try. I'm kinda leaning as coil went out ..... I will check condenser first. I have been looking at a issue that gradually got worse and worse .... now the spark has failed I have someplace to look. The spring on the points is interesting ..... I had to modify the new points. If you look in the red circle, I had to trim off 1/4" and then make new slot to mount the wires. The body of the points was the same and bolted in perfectly .... just the points spring was too long and needed trimming to fit. I think it is fine, and it ran exactly the same when I started the engine. .... I also needed to trim down the bracket for the condenser and relocate the mounting screw .... so it would fit the distributor. While not ideal, I do not think these minor changes would affect the way it runs. .... It did start up and run perfectly crappy just like it did before I changed them. .... Made zero difference changing the points/condenser. Ran just the same. Now I'm starting to wonder if the coil has gone bad. ...... I hate to get too involved changing parts. I'm thinking I will now install the new 12 volt coil & ballast resistor plus wire the 12 volt charging system. I do have a 12 volt battery installed, it is time to make everything correct and let the chips lie where they will. Sigh I hate changing too many things at once ....

That is a terrible idea. I personally am down to one vehicle while I work on my Dodge truck. .... It is a bad place to be. My daily driver truck is a older 1991 chebby that has a really good running sbc 350 & a manual 5spd transmission. .... 5 months ago the clutch went out .... It was a bad thing to be without a vehicle while I ordered parts to get it going again .... I think it took a good month for me to do the job. Other then a small bearing noise when I pressed in the clutch .... The throw out bearing just failed and left me sitting. I hate having only one vehicle for transportation. Today in another thread I'm working on a sad running truck where I'm trying to get the engine running better on my 49 Dodge truck. I ordered a distributor cap and got the wrong one .... getting the wrong parts for a 75 year old vehicle is so common that you can not get upset. ..... It cant be your only vehicle though. My chebby I paid $2k cash for it, it ran good but needed some maintenance ... So it is paid for. I have been driving it for 6 years, new tires, brakes, clutch, starter, battery, exhaust, distributor, water pump, u-joints .... I have no problem taking care of it as it breaks down, It is cheaper then a car payment. But I feel capable of taking care of it before it leaves me sitting on the side of the road ....... And I still fail at that. I have to admit that someone with higher power then me helps me out. When my clutch went out, I was just backing into my driveway. When my front wheel bearing went out, I made it home from a 100 mile trip .... yeah the next morning I could not drive around the block. Last week I was going for a 150 mile trip to see a family member in the hospital .... I told myself I had to check my tires. I have been making the same trip for a couple months ... Something told me I had to check the tires again ..... Sure enough I found a screw in the tire .... Had it fixed before going for the trip to see the family member. I get by with a hope and a prayer with one vehicle ..... I'm not sure my Angel would stick with me if my only Vehicle was a Desoto. Buy a older dependable vehicle, pay cash, keep it running .... Then buy a Desoto as a 2nd car.

I'm with you Buddy, sure is a lot better then taking Heroin based pain meds. A couple beers during the day just helps me relax. Dr ask if I want oxy codeine for pain ..... Nope I'm fine. I wonder if this is a Albuquerque thing?

Let me toss out my two cents You do not have to be a Ace mechanic to enjoy driving a Desoto. There are many different situations for different people ..... The one thing that brings us all together is we enjoy these old cars and they mean something to us. Some people like myself, I can not afford to buy a running driving vehicle. I do enjoy having the project and look forward to working on them when I can. Sometimes I think just having the project to work on keeps me sane. There are some people that can do the work, the investigations, everything needed .... They just do not have the time. So they have a mechanic or shop where they take the vehicle to and have it serviced. ..... Some while they know what needs to be done, just do not have the physical ability to do the job. I'm just suggesting that many drive old vehicles and we all have a different level of understanding, mechanical ability and time. A very good analogy is, buy the best car you can afford. Majority of people like myself, buy what they can afford, then spend years trying to make it a decent vehicle and in the end they have more time & $$ tied up in it then what they could ever sell it for. Sooo, in my book, if you can buy a running driving car, then use your experience to keep it running and take your wife out for afternoon drives ... take it to the shop when needed. You and your wife will enjoy the vehicle while you are still mentally, healthy enough to do so ..... Life is too short to be unhappy. So personally I'm all for you buying a running driving car and just figure out how it will be properly maintained for reliable driving pleasure. As far as using your existing car for a parts car ..... I dunno about that ..... I do not know the condition of your car, maybe it would be better for another to restore? None of my business. Just enjoy life while you can, it is much shorter then we first planned on. ..... If driving a Desoto makes you happy .... DO IT!

Looks like a old Hill Billy trick I might use when you have a flat cam. The lobes on the cam is flat and no longer pushes the pump lever far enough to make it work properly. So you add cam extensions to the fuel pump. To give it more lift. I wonder if it was someones Grandfather that made that in the garage at home, or if a company actually sold them? I can very easily be wrong here, that is what it looks like to me .... never seen one before. The fuel pumps are still available new, although it would be nice to have a original and have it rebuilt .... almost mandatory to replace or rebuild. The original rubber will not hold up to todays fuel and soon stop working .... if they do work now.

While one may call it the shotgun approach or throwing parts at it ..... One goal I hope to accomplish here is to have a complete set of known good working used spares, in case of a roadside breakdown. points, plugs, cap, rotor, condenser. I will keep them stored under the seat along with needed tools to change them if needed. I just have little faith in modern replacement parts. Since I do not have a spare cap, I need one to complete my set of used parts .... If it turns out that it is the problem. Well then I will throw the old one in the trash, and will still need to buy another just to complete my set of spares. As a old retired carpenter, is hard for me to get the correct mechanical terms out. I'm more apt to say "It revs up lickity split" Or I say the engine keeps dancing in and out with rpm changing. Like a couple dead cylinders coming and going. Then a mechanic jumps in and says " Surging at a constant throttle position with no load " I'm jumping up and down yeah yeah yeah that's what I just said. Sooo, Surging at a constant throttle position with no load ....accelerator pump is not in play. What about the vacuum advance? Would that be a constant vacuum leak and cause this issue? Could I just plug the port at the carburetor to test if the condition changes? And as far as installing my rebuilt spare carburetor to test with. I think it would be nice to know if my work was satisfactory and it actually does work if I ever do need it. To be honest, my new rebuilt carb I bought in 2018 has not led a sheltered life. Would be a good idea to go through it before actually driving the truck on the road. The photo is from a few years ago, you can see my fuel tank sitting on the bumper and same tank I use today. I really would not be surprised if it has a clogged passage inside, and can be causing the lean condition. So again I'm just calling it maintenance and not throwing parts at it. At least I did have the air cleaner on it, and where it is parked is where it will spend most of its time when not being driven. The cap is here, going to go pick it up and try it.

One thing I notice, is funny how our brains can play tricks on us. We can have pain that would have sent us to the Dr when we were younger ..... now it is just another day. I judge how my day will go by the amount of pain I have before getting out of bed. So many times my brain tells me I can do something, and I attempt it ..... then later have to bail out with the project unfinished. I will turn 62 this summer, so not really that old. .... But have been medically retired with a bad back and legs since I was 48 years old. I have really turned into a softie over the years, was 65F today and was wearing my insulated coveralls while out working. When I went inside and got down to T-shirt & jeans, I turned on my gas heater in the office and warmed it up to a cozy 85F

This is my thought also .... and it did run like this before I changed anything. I also doubt all new condensers. So changing points, condenser, rotor, plugs .... it runs exactly like it did. Something is obviously worn out or broken. Possibly a bad cap could cause it. I agree with @Dave72dt my cap does not look that bad, I assume it is why I never bothered to change it before ..... maybe it has a hair line crack and throwing spark around. My theory on current timing. ... I have the original hard line going from distributor to carburetor. Just drop the distributor in and let it relax, will be where it was before. Unless I forcefully rotate the distributor. My dirty little secret about my timing light ..... I bought it from the Good will for $5. Is a Actron inductive DC powered timing light brand new in the box and never opened. .... 6 years later the box has still never been opened. I plan to use a vacuum gauge to time it .... would be a good idea to hookup the timing light and watch the consistency of the spark/timing. Napa did not have the cap in stock, they did have it in the warehouse and will be in town in the morning.

I'm not sure about the vacuum advance. The carb I bought rebuilt from Rockauto and it was working fine. My biggest issue it seems is at a steady rpm you can really tell the problem. I have turned in the idle screw and it is running in 2nd gear at about 18 mph. Not sure how well you can hear it in the video, it just keeps dancing in and out with rpm changing. Like a couple dead cylinders coming and going but not consistently the same cylinders? I'm thinking neither accelerator pump or vacuum advance would cause changing rpm at a steady speed. I took a picture of the inside of the cap, we can see the shiny metal like a step at the bottom of the electrodes .... I'm thinking that is wear .... worn even, but still worn. ..... I think a new cap is needed, but not going to fix the problem ... unless it is cracked. It ran good but slowly & gradually started to run this way. So the new rotor, condenser,points,plugs have made no difference. Wires were new in 2018. Only thing left spark related could be the coil? I am ready to switch it to 12 volt. Will include new coil and a ballast resistor ... Just do not want to change too much at once then try to troubleshoot things. Unless it is the cap, will know tomorrow. I'm heading towards fuel related .... To me it feels like spark, I guess it could be a plugged carb. I do have the original carburetor. It ran ok but the accelerator pump was not working. I ordered a rebuild kit for it and went through it. Same time I bought a rebuilt carb from Rockauto and installed it. So the original carb I sprayed it down with oil and wrapped it up in the packaging the new carb came in and set it on the shelf. Just driving me nuts, I would think it would be simple to diagnose. Either a new cap tomorrow fixes it. Or I will bolt on the other carburetor ..... short of that I'm at a loss .... except for the coil maybe. Open to other suggestions. .... Not bad gas, I share the same 2 gallon can to fill up my yard equipment so it never gets old.

Random questions from a mad man! Why does my engine run so bad? It has slowly been getting this way, I figure as long as just driving in the driveway to move it around ... was never this bad though. I recently went through the distributor, expected I would find a problem there. I installed new plugs, the old ones were nasty. The wires are good I have replaced them .... pulling 1 by1 really ashamed can barely notice a difference. It starts good cold or warmed up, If I apply gas too fast it will start backfiring through the carburetor or just die. It will eventually get to 3k rpm as long as you apply gas slowly. I thought I put a new cap on it in 2018, pretty sure now I did not and it does show wear ... the spark from rotor would need to jump a little. ..... New cap will be here tomorrow. I'm guessing it might be some blockage in the new carb .... It has been running off of a open gas can for a few years. Easy to get dirt & bugs into the fuel system. But the backfiring through the carb makes me think ignition? Here is a video of it running, I have it in gear and warming up the oil in the trans.rear end to change it. https://rumble.com/v469dpr-running-rough.html

There are many ways that it has been done, usually by making a mounting plate for the MC then using the MC of choice. Another option is a 1991 Toyota Corolla, many have used it. It has the same oddball 3 bolt mounting flange as the pilothouse .... will need to ream out the holes slightly to make it fit the original truck mounting holes, you will need a brass fitting to adapt the 10mm Line threads to 1/4" brake lines. Will also need to shorten the rod going from the pedal to the MC. If you search this forum you will find articles from others that used this MC ..... also the results .... I've not read anything bad about the swap. This only gets you a 2 stage MC. Here is a photo from Rockauto, it is the one I used ~$46 .... The rubber cap on top I imagine could be modified to attach a remote reservoir to? .... I never have done it, would it matter if a guy just used a remote reservoir on the firewall and ran a rubber brake line down into the existing reservoir? I'm sure the reservoir could be removed from the MC, I'm just not sure how it attaches .... is it screwed in or press fit ..... I dunno. I do see other MC for sale with no reservoir on them, you use your old one and swap them over. Just a couple ideas for you.

Thanks for the tip. I did not realize it was a option in settings. I thought it was mandatory when it was introduced and just enabled it. Since I have no problems logging in on my desktop pc, I just went in and disabled it .... of course I did need to supply the correct answer on the pc and did so the very first try. With it disabled I no longer have a problem logging in on the phone. It was all small letters as I would normally use for a passwd .... K.I.S.S. This got me thinking that the android phone automatically capitalizes the first letter .... possibly I did not catch it .... That was the issue? I will enable the option in settings again and try the phone again ..... I'm thinking it was simply user error. ... Maybe @Bob Riding is having same issue?

Verification Required To protect the security of your account, please answer the following security question Nickname for your car? Or verify using another method > If I choose verify using another method, Login from a previously used device. Get an email to recover access Contact us for assistance I do not know how to create a screen shot with a phone, this is what I see on the screen though.

That is fine with me, I am using email & not user name. .... If it is not correct it will not go past that section .... for example I fat finger my password and it will complain the email or password is incorrect and not allow me to go further. I do get past that section fine, it is when it ask for my project name I can not get past it. .... Always comes up with the answer is incorrect. I feel like I know the correct answer .... but not accepting it. Same thing with @Bob Riding ... They know correct answer, but not accepting it. I imagine @P15-D24 can look and see the correct answer on their side of things, and decide if we are wrong or if possibly something went awry when the vendor changed the software?

Good idea .... wont help. I had a problem in the past .... When I completed the registration question I used Hound Dog Hauler. Then as time goes by I mentally shorten the name to Hound Dog. So I did have issues logging in in the past and @P15-D24 reminded me to add the Hauler on the end. Just one of those thing where I have been there and done that ..... I know the project name, just not positive on if I capitalized the first letters or even if the server cares about it. So I tried every combination I could think of. Honestly I am not concerned with it because I never use the phone except to read out of boredom. When another person reported having issues, I thought it may be a possible bug. .... If I can provide any info to help I'm here.

In my case I use the registration e-mail, then add my password .... all is fine. Then it ask me the question on my project nick name and can not get past it. I have tried Hound Dog Hauler ..... HoundDog Hauler, hound dog hauler, hounddoghauler ..... every combination I can think of and it always fails. TBF I only have tried a few times while sitting and waiting for the wife in DR appointments .... Just tried it here at home and same outcome. Answer is incorrect try again.

I have tried a few times to log in on my android phone with no success. It ask me for the name of my project ... Hound dog hauler .... no matter how I spell it or change it around it fails to accept the name and log me in. @Bob Riding Maybe you can add your post here .... I think this is a better location then the classifieds

Really is no issue to go out to the garage, turn the heat on then drink a cold one and then lay on the creeper to scoot under the truck. I got 4 1/2" from center to center top to bottom on either side. Side to side on the bottom looks like 6 1/2" but is a real sketchy eye ball measurement. .... The belly of the trans is in the way and have to hold the tape below kinda guessing .... The side to side on the top is unobtainable while installed .... too much crap in the way and can not see the bolt in upper right corner. (linkage from column shift) It is narrower at the top then the bottom by at least 1" ...... I'm already guessing at the measurement for the bottom ...... I'm no help

I was out looking at my truck earlier since I have the toe boards out ..... pretty tough to measure. Might be easier from underneath, I do have it on jack stands and need to change the trans/rear end oil ... can check it out then ..... tomorrow when not raining. Just curious when or if they did change the bolt pattern on the 3 speed transmissions? I think around 1935-36 they changed the starter/flywheel some, which changed the bell housing ..... I assume the actual transmission bolt patterns stayed the same? Just thinking your 46 and my 49 transmissions would interchange. I do have a 1970 318/3 speed in the garage. I pulled the trans off of it and easy to measure .... but I bet they may have changed something by then.

Well I can say it is a mopar year for me .....just which one? Pretty happy with the progress I made on my truck ..... although I wish it was further along then it is. ...... I did make my wife a promise that I would get the truck so far along, mainly welding because my welder can only reach so far and need the carport to use it. Well I got that far and even further with getting the truck painted. Well now it is time to move it to the side of the carport and work on her car. Some here know the story of me installing a used engine and it now has a spun rod bearing (I believe) It is time I start working on it. Cold dreary winter days it is tough for me to get motivated to go outside and work with my arthritis. But it is a good time to have the garage doors closed down with the heat on and work on her engine. ..... Slow as I am, will probably be 6 months before her car hits the road .... time will tell. So thats my plan ..... push the truck over to the back burner and start working on her car. ..... I figure I can still work on the truck when waiting for parts or if I just want to.

I was pretty sure @Plymouthy Adamswas right before he even posted the comment ..... Well I think you should keep looking and not stop at the website I provided Things that went wrong so far. First off I was surprised there was no tax included on the bill of $89 .... just something did not seem right. So when they actually took out $104.90 from the bank .... I figured well that was for the tax ... It is not correct the way they did it, but was realistic to what I expected to pay. The next day I did get a tracking # ...... Although the package can not be found or tracked at this time. Tough break for me because it is a Holiday week and so many people take the week off and no commerce is done ..... so I still think it is a scam, but they get a break because of the Holidays. I have been watching the bank like a hawk, checking it every day. The money transferred from my account went into a account labeled "cardiacmoment.NK" ..... Like they don't even try to hide it. So by now I'm pretty sure it is just a scam .... still watching the account daily, Then Friday I saw the same scammers took out $0.91 cents .... the memo said it was for customs duty. ...... I instantly called the bank and canceled my card. My card expired in 2 months and had to be replaced anyways .... I just did it a little early. I'm not saying it is impossible that I ever will receive my tires, maybe after the Holidays things will start moving along ..... I might get them just about the time me and the Easter Bunny goes for a ride in my truck this year.

I guess a sucker is born every minute ..... I just have a strange feeling about this deal. There is a place called Factory outlet at https://botiany.com/ I just bought 5 new 235 75 15 tires for $89.90 includes free shipping. Sounds totally to good to be true .... 4 for $79.99 & the 5th for 1/2 price at $9.98 ..... I did get a email for order confirmation, although I just ordered a few minute ago they are not shipped yet. Lets see what happens I did order a set of chrome shorty headers for a flathead V8 Ford motor from a clearance sale last year for $40 ... Think it was summit? ... dont remember. They are really nice & heavy casting, they will seal nice and are good headers. ..... Deals do happen at times. https://botiany.com/collections/new-tires

A photo for illustration. It is bolted to the starter with the battery cable going to it and then the main power wire to the rest of the truck is connected there. The lever is activated from the pedal inside the cab. While the power going in is supplied from the battery, the connection to the starter is made mechanically when you step on the pedal and it makes contact to the starter. The 6 volt relay in the photo posted above by the name I can not spell is what I think you want and what sniper is pointing you towards ...

Interesting .... that is a starter relay for a stomp starter. My truck has one and I suppose some cars but I dunno. The only wiring for it is the power cable from the battery ...... Negative cable from battery on a + ground system bolts to it. The relay is bolted onto the starter, then the stomp pedal inside the cab pushes on the button. Then mechanically the connection to the starter is made ..... there is no wiring. I just do not see how you can adapt that to work with your Desoto starter. ..... I suppose it is heavy enough to do the job .... would take some fabrication to switch the mechanical connection inside to a wire connection ...... I suppose anything is possible, pretty sure that is not the choice I would make though.

I really like your game plan ..... I hope to keep to the same plan myself. Basically fix what you have then run it .... then from your experience change what you feel is important. I have a Rusty Hope disk brake kit I bought for a different project & never used .... Current project has good original drum brakes ... I'm keeping them for now. Maybe in the future will change. The original engine runs pretty good, transmission seems fine. I probably want to change the rear end .... lets keep it for now and drive it. Then make up my mind. I recently picked up a 1970 318/3spd with supposedly 114K miles on it. Would make a nice donor for my old truck ..... maybe in the future ... lets try original first. Curious to see how the pvc conversion goes, something I have thought about myself.