Shock absorbers

[Mike36]

Does anyone know a source for quality shock absorbers that fit a 1939 Dodge D11 ? I am not interested in standard units that are worn out in 5000 miles. Thanks for any help.

[greg g]

front, rear?  have you looked at Bilstein or KYB catalogs?  Why are your shocks wearing out after so few miles, my P 15 fronts have 40k on them and are still working well.

[atlbluz]

Are you trying to slalom that '39?

[BobT-47P15]

I got some shocks from a regular auto supply and they have been fine for several years. 

[knuckleharley]

I MAY well be wrong,but it SEEMS to me this very discussion took place a couple of weeks ago and even involved modern parts numbers.

 

Try doing a search of the archives using "1939 Dodge " or "Dodge Shocks" as the key words.

[Plymouthy Adams]

oh no another turning to the dark side...(use the search) ...lol

 

in truth for all new folks..the archived data under search is tremendous and easy to use, the left arrow will allow you to search any and all of the forum pages...since the new format the admin has got the technical pages restored also...see top banner for navigation tabs

[knuckleharley]

7 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

oh no another turning to the dark side...(use the search) ...lol

 

in truth for all new folks..the archived data under search is tremendous and easy to use, the left arrow will allow you to search any and all of the forum pages...since the new format the admin has got the technical pages restored also...see top banner for navigation tabs

 LOL! In this case I figured it would be both easy and worthwhile since it was so recent and since actual modern parts numbers were posted.

[desoto1939]

Also you can go to the Monroe Shock web page and also do a search for the current numbers for front and rear.

Front 5752   rears 31000

Rich HArtung

desoto1939@aol.com

Edited September 20, 2016 by desoto1939

[Don Coatney]

8 hours ago, Mike36 said:

Does anyone know a source for quality shock absorbers that fit a 1939 Dodge D11 ? I am not interested in standard units that are worn out in 5000 miles. Thanks for any help.

5000 miles seems like a short life. How many miles do you drive per year? If you drive 250 miles per year they could last 20 years.

[Mike36]

7 hours ago, greg g said:

front, rear?  have you looked at Bilstein or KYB catalogs?  Why are your shocks wearing out after so few miles, my P 15 fronts have 40k on them and are still working well.

 

[Mike36]

Telling me what brand they are would have been more helpful and fewer words. I did not specify front or rear because it is irrelevant to the question asked. I did not say I wore them out, they were that way when I got the car. Now can we move on past third grade playground remarks and be helpful when someone asks a question?

[Mike36]

1 hour ago, desoto1939 said:

Also you can go to the Monroe Shock web page and also do a search for the current numbers for front and rear.

Front 5752   rears 31000

Rich HArtung

desoto1939@aol.com

Rich, thanks much for the helpful answer I was hoping to get.

[Mike36]

Rich, thanks much for the helpful answer I was hoping to get. Have you tried these on your Desoto? Did you get gas or hydraulic?

[knuckleharley]

4 minutes ago, Mike36 said:

Telling me what brand they are would have been more helpful and fewer words. I did not specify front or rear because it is irrelevant to the question asked. I did not say I wore them out, they were that way when I got the car. Now can we move on past third grade playground remarks and be helpful when someone asks a question?

Sensitive fella,ain't ya?

People asked "front or rear" because they are different shocks with different parts numbers,and someone may have the parts numbers you need for one end,but not the other.

Also,best I can remember from the last discussion about shocks for a 39 DeSoto,they are different than the shocks for 40 and newer DeSoto's,and may even be different than the 38 DeSotos.

Don't be so touchy when asking for help. Take what you can use and ignore the rest. None of us are here to serve,but we don't mind helping.

[Mike36]

I asked for a source,not part numbers or year of fit. My thinking was to find out if a certain brand was favored by those on here, and best place to purchase. Touchy? Guess I am when a simple question can't be answered without smart remarks. I have answered questions on here and never done that to a guy needing help.

[Mike36]

56 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

5000 miles seems like a short life. How many miles do you drive per year? If you drive 250 miles per year they could last 20 years.

Don,thanks for the reply. I simply meant I do not want bargain basement, low quality shocks. I have seen new car shocks go bad in 5000 mi. I prefer to pay more and get more. I was attempting to brain pick the guys on here. Because it is a goldmine of knowledge and experience, and I don't want to pay more and get less. Hope you are enjoying your new, old car.

[greg g]

guess my vein of the gold mine just ran out.  

 

bilstein and or KYB  used to be considered good value for dollar spent, over store brand but what do I know....

[James_Douglas]

This week I have been moving parts around.  I found the box that had the shocks I took off the 1947 Desoto Suburban when I first purchased it and the 1949 Desoto Convertible when I took it apart. The shocks are MOPAR with the CDPD stamp on them and factory part numbers.  They are Monroe shocks.

 

1947 Desoto S-11 Suburban:

Front 1121207, closed 8.75", open 12.875," Dia max 2.125"
Rear 1121208, closed 12.5", open 20.5", Dia max 2.125"

 

1949 Desoto S-13 Convertible

Front 1311851, closed 8.75",  open 13",  Dia Max 2.125"

Rear 1311852, closed 12.5", open 20.5", Dia Max 2.125

 

Interestingly the Monroe cross reference on the 1947 Desoto shows a front part number of 5752.  On Amazon or Jeg's they are about $22 each.  At NAPA or O'Reilly they show up as from Rare Parts at $200!  What a joke...

I may have a custom set made for the big Desoto.  The shock valves were different according to the master parts book for the heavy Suburban.  Custom adjustable shocks may be better for this daily driver than another set of modern Monroe's.

 

The 1947 Shocks are know to be original to the car. The 1949 I suspect may have been changed once.

 

Best all, James

Edited December 3, 2016 by James_Douglas

[Plymouthy Adams]

one has to be careful with some of the big box stores as they now have a second window they sell out of..the vintage parts side.  You access them through that venue you pay out the butt...you buy by part number you get the going rate....

[DrDoctor]

   I must again defer to my esteemed colleague Plymouthy Adams. I’ve made numerous purchases at my local auto parts store (not a chain store, but rather an independent operator), and I get first class service, since he’s also into old cars, and has a nice variety of them himself. He’s one of the most reliable resources around here for parts for non-contemporary cars. Our car has Monroe’s, but they’re certainly not new, but rather grungy (which is OK, because I’m way past primping the undercarriage of a car for some silly plastic trophy), and the car rides extremely nice, perhaps even smoother than my newer/everyday ride. They both weigh about the same, so I’m not sure why that is, but I don’t try to figure it out, I just enjoy the Plymouth for what it is, a nice looking, old car, that we both enjoy!  So, given all of that, I’d cast my vote for Monroe’s – good product, and reasonable price. Thx.

[desoto1939]

I have a set of Monroe Stock gas shocks in my 39 Desoto for over 30 years and have almost 20000 miles on the set.  So I also agree that they ride nice and have not had any leakage or issues with the ride or even the performance of the shocks, would recommend them as replacement and you also know the numbers because of prior posting.

You stated that the shocks you have been using wear out after 5000 miles. So the question is are you running on rough and rutted roads and back country roads with a lot of ruts and going very fast with your car to cause this issue or do you mainly travel of paved roads that are fairly good in condition?

rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[Bingster]

James. I've got a '47 Custom S-11.  What other stuff might you have in that parts box?

[James_Douglas]

Bingster, nothing I am selling...just LOTS of used and NOS-NORS parts.  I have been around, although not that active, on this site since 2003 or so.  I big Desoto I drive on a weekly basis here in San Francisco.  So, I stock my own parts to some extent.

I noticed in the master parts books that the valve's on the shocks for the larger cars were different.  I suspect some engineer did the math to match the shock to the spring rates.  That is why, I may go look into custom shocks with adjustable valves.

I am curious,  has anyone every taken apart a stock shock like they talk about in the service manual?

 

James

[desoto1939]

Yes the stock shocks that were supplied by Mopar were rebuild able but I doubt that anyone of our cars would have the rebuild able shocks.  You would have to assume that they would have been replaced when the newer airplane shock became available on the market.  The early shocks were made by Delco and they require special tools to take them apart and to service them and also hydraulic fluid.

If I have the opportunity to purchase the old rebuild able versus the newer hydraulic or gas filed shocks i would go with the newer shocks. even if you could find them I would think the cost is another factor and the other factor would be if you could get the internal parts and also the tools. There isa section in my 39 Desoto service manual that shows how to rebuild the old style shocks.

 

I just looked in my 39 Desoto parts manual and the only difference between the regular shock that were used on the 16 inch wheel for the regular cars versus the shocks that were used on the heavier 7 pass limo the parts number are allthe same except that on the 7 pass limo the inner parts for the rebound vale spring is a different number so that might provide a little more resistance but overall they were the same according to the break down of the various parts that were used for the shocks this was for the front and also the rears..

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

Edited December 3, 2016 by desoto1939