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Hello All, I own a 1948 DeSoto S-11 Custom Club Coupe. I purchased it in September 2020, it is my first project car & first pre model year 2000 car I've ever owned! Now is a good time to say I'm probably one of the youngest members on here (22-years old), but have a great respect for these old cars and want to keep my 48' DeSoto as stock as sensibly possible. While I've had the car for about 2-1/2 years, I haven't physically done a ton of work to it. I am a read the manual cover-to-cover type of guy. So out of principal, I've taken the last 2 years to study books, forum threads, and videos on these old Mopars before barreling in. Opposed to taking things apart, have no idea what I am looking at, and then end up with a pile of parts and me scratching my head! As such, in these past 2 years, I've learnt ton about flathead engines, or L-head if we're being technical, Lockheed drum brakes, the Tip-Toe shift transmission (My DeSoto has the M5), the difference between the semi-auto shifting transmission and Fluid Drive coupling, and how to properly repair and maintain a 6-Volt positive ground electrical system. Now I feel decently prepared to finally get my hands dirty and work towards getting my 1948 DeSoto back on the road! A little background on my car. It spent most of it's life, both active and while it sat for several decades, in Worcester, MA. It is now in NEPA (Northeastern Pennsylvania). It has 118,700 miles on the odometer. It was last on the road/inspected in April 1960. The black paint is original as far as I can tell. It has the original 237ci flathead engine in it, including the "S11" stamp on the side of the block! It has the M5 Tip-Toe shift transmission with Fluid Drive coupling. The wiring harness....exists, but I would not dare to put a 6-Volt battery in to even "see what works". All the wires in the engine bay, under the dash, and in the trunk are crusty, corroded, and the cloth insulation crumbles at the slightest movement. On a positive note, none of the wheels are locked up, so hopefully when I go to pull the drums off it won't be a nightmare. Unfortunately, said original S11 engine is locked up. Before everyone types-up all of their remedies to freeing up a stuck engine, I already know what the cylinder walls look like....it would do serious damage if I did manage to free it up. Two members from the Maryland Chapter of the National DeSoto Club graciously made a house call this past October 2022 and helped pull the cylinder head....the diagnosis is not good. A broken head gasket right between cylinders 3 and 4. Those two cylinders must have sat full of coolant for decades and rusted the cylinder walls and pistons in place. As long as the block is not cracked, I do intend on reusing the original block, but it will definitely have to be bored-over .030, .040, .060..?? What are my plans: A full mechanical and electrical restoration, but keep the body work to a minimum. I don't want to create a show car with perfect paint, I would never drive it if I did. There are definitely some rust issues that need to be addressed. The chrome rocker panels are hiding the majority of the rust. It needs both inner and outer rocker panels on both sides. Also, the trunk pan is quite thin on the driver's side, so much so, the seem running along the inner wheel well has separated! Currently, I am planning and gearing up for an engine pull in the next month or two. I already have an engine puller, load leveler, and engine stand. I plan to do the complete disassembly myself: intake and exhaust manifolds, valves, tappets, camshaft, pistons, crankshaft, etc. Then I will take it to a machine shop and have it boiled out (get that rust, scale, and sludge out!). Have it checked for cracks, and if it passes, then have them tell me how much it needs to be bored-out to get to all clean/fresh metal. Aside from the boring-over, I'll have the machine shop deck the top of the block, install new valve guides, and maybe have them install new valves and lap them. I am definitely getting all new valves, just not sure yet if I'm going to lap them or have the machine shop do it. All other reassembly I plan to do myself. As I've said, I've spent the past 2 years researching. I've actually read through many threads on here as a guest for over a year! I figured it might be fun/helpful to create an account now that the work is starting so I can post my progress updates! Thanks for reading! Carl I know you all love photos, so here are a few, and so you can see the unfortunate state of my engine! Obligatory photo when I rolled it out of the garage this past Fall 2022: A photo I found of my DeSoto at an auction before I purchased it: Driver's side rear quarter panel. Worst of the visual body panel rust. But the rocker panels are hiding the nasty reality...: Current state of the interior: How the engine bay looked when I first got the car: Original S11 stamping!: Immediately after removing the cylinder head, prior to any vacuuming/clean-up - October 2022: Cylinder 3 & 4 Close-up...Yikes!: Broken head gasket:

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?