Dutchy-56 Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 So I picked this up on the weekend - 1953 Desoto. Its an original Alberta car, has 33xxx miles on the odometer and apparently just came our of a museum, which it was stored at for the last 30-35 years. It has the hemi, power steering, power windows, and power brakes and everything seems to work. I even drove it home! I realize the 4 door isn't as desirable, but it will work great for my family! So a couple of questions, I want to go through this thing before I haul my kids and take them to some car shows (brakes, carb, electronics, lights, etc). Any recommendations or things to watch for? Recommended oil, tran fluid, gear oil etc? For the Fluid Drive transmission - any recommendations or literature on how to service it? I need to find a mirror for the drivers door, does anyone have a up close picture of what they are suppose to look like, having a had time getting a good idea of what stock looked like. Haven't been able to find a 1953 mirror but see some other options from 55-58 dodge/desoto cars. Car seems to be super clean, apparently had a repaint once early in its life but the interior is original. Chrome is impressive, no pitting or peeling. Has a few little dents and scrape but overall pretty sweet condition for a 1953. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knuckleharley Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 (edited) Safety is always the number one concern. Check the brake hoses for cracks and splits. If it were me,I would replace the master cylinder and all 4 wheel cylinders at the minimum. Better yet is to also replace the hoses and brake lines. Pull the gas tank and drain it. Look closely at the gas coming out to see if it looks like it has rust or debris in it. If possible,have it dipped and coated inside to keep it from rusting with the ethanol gas. Replace ALL the rubber in the gas line and any plastic fuel filters with modern ones that are rated for use with ethanol. Check the radiator hoses and belts for cracks. Check the tires carefully for cracks from dry rot. If questionable,replace them,too. That should cover the biggest concerns. Edited May 9, 2016 by knuckleharley 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb1949 Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 Beautiful set of wheels. Enjoy the ride(s). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Spyder Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 Nice car. I love those grills. Get a copy of the service manuals. Best thing other than joining this forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bingster Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 That really is nice! Good lines and love that grille. I have a '47 Desoto. Interesting how design changed in six years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worden18 Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 What an awesome car! Congrats on bringing it home. Oh, the whole 2 door/4 door thing is a personal preference; I love the 4 door cars 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 Safety is always the number one concern. Check the brake hoses for cracks and splits. If it were me,I would replace the master cylinder and all 4 wheel cylinders at the minimum. Better yet is to also replace the hoses and brake lines. Pull the gas tank and drain it. Look closely at the gas coming out to see if it looks like it has rust or debris in it. If possible,have it dipped and coated inside to keep it from rusting with the ethanol gas. Replace ALL the rubber in the gas line and any plastic fuel filters with modern ones that are rated for use with ethanol. Check the radiator hoses and belts for cracks. Check the tires carefully for cracks from dry rot. If questionable,replace them,too. That should cover the biggest concerns. Seen this in a few places. I know ethanol causes a lot of issues but I can't see how it would cause rust. The rust would be caused by moisture. I've heard the ethanol attracts the moisture and actually acts like adding HEAT to the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knuckleharley Posted May 10, 2016 Report Share Posted May 10, 2016 Seen this in a few places. I know ethanol causes a lot of issues but I can't see how it would cause rust. The rust would be caused by moisture. I've heard the ethanol attracts the moisture and actually acts like adding HEAT to the gas. `As you said yourself,it attracts moisture. Moisture creates rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLK Posted May 10, 2016 Report Share Posted May 10, 2016 I had a 53 Powermaster for 4 years. It had the 251ci flathead and no power equipment. It had poor acceleration but was a nice riding car. I am sure your car with hemi and power accessories will be a great cruising car once you have addressed the safety issues with tires, brakes etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted May 10, 2016 Report Share Posted May 10, 2016 `As you said yourself,it attracts moisture. Moisture creates rust. the moisture gets in there anyway. The ethanol attracts the moisture and pulls it out to be burnt with the rest of the fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knuckleharley Posted May 10, 2016 Report Share Posted May 10, 2016 the moisture gets in there anyway. The ethanol attracts the moisture and pulls it out to be burnt with the rest of the fuel. What about the ethanol gas that just sits in the gas tanks for week,or even months at a time as the car sits in storage for the winter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted May 10, 2016 Report Share Posted May 10, 2016 What about the ethanol gas that just sits in the gas tanks for week,or even months at a time as the car sits in storage for the winter? Good question. I can't say I've ever had an issue with it. My truck sits from nov-april every year and the tank is uncoated on the inside. I do use sta-bil in the fuel before storage though. My car already had a rusty tank so that one is coated. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchy-56 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) Thanks for the reply, I have ordered a service manual (reprint) and a mirror for the drivers door. Just need to get some time to spend in the shop to start going over the car. Think the generator (6v ground positive) may not be charging correctly so will need to look into that also. Edited May 11, 2016 by Dutchy-56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpollo Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 The generators are easy to service and if the car has power steering, the pump is on the generator. The best regulators are the original Autolites. Always use the regulators with 2 terminals on one side and the third on the other on cars built after '49. Use a good Group 2 battery and the electrics in your car will work just fine. Congratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 The generator/regulator only work hard enough to provide a properly charged battery. If the battery is new and has a good charge the genny circuit will basically idle along until there is a bigger demand on the system. So if all you are doing is starting the car and then running it, the genny will work just long enough to put back what was used by the starter, then it will reflect the minimal usage needed to power the ignition circuit. Turning onthe headlights and cycling the highbeams should spur some activity on the amp meter but again it might be minimal based onthe battery condition. A quick test of the generator is to momentarily ground the field terminal at idle, while observing the Amp meter. The meter should peg to full charge while grounded. If not then there could be a problem with the generator. Probably as simple and the need for new contact brushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Desoto land and the Imperial club websites have a great deal of information on the transmissions that were available behind the fluid drive unit. Also the ALL Par site (search transmissions) will provide a lot of basic information about the care and feeding of the fluid drive and transmissions. Enjoy your new purchase. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_shel_ny Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 If the vehicle sat for 30 + years is it possible that the generator needs to be polarized ?????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 only if it lost its residual magnetism.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_shel_ny Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 And then at this point the OP has not elaborated on the gen. issue, so we do not know what the issue actually is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 precisely Shel....too many questions get posted here with no supporting facts at all....anyone can guess...but with reports of a few simple test of 3which 95% or better are outlined in the manual....odds are there will either be a repaired unit on the road of a more in depth/specialized question... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutchy-56 Posted June 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2016 So it appears the battery was bad (battery had a 2015 sticker on it but who knows what the previous owner did for storage over the winter). I replaced it with a new 6v battery and it seems to be charging. So that was a easy fix Have replaced the spark plug wires (the old ones had ceramic boots that were chipped and taped up with electrical tape). I still need to rebuilt the carb, the kit just came in and know i just need to get to it. The car idles really nice, but when you try to rev it up it hesitates - my brother (who is a automotive mechanic) figures it might be a bad accelerator pump in the carb. I also need to look into the reverse lights (don't come on) and the passenger side rear turn signal. I want to pull the tires and check the brakes/wheel cylinder, and than master cylinder as well. But based on looks (no leaks coming from the brakes) and a quick road test they seem to be operating well. The more I dig into the car, the more i am impressed on the condition it is in for a 63 year old vehicle. Also looking into seat belts for the back to i can attach a car seat (thinking lap belt style) any suggestions for suppliers? I only plan to drive around town, no highway use, but would like to be able to bring the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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