Carburetor overhaul for my 48 DeSoto

[MarcDeSoto]

A while ago I put in my old water pump and it had a leak out of the weep hole.  So I ordered a new water pump that looks pretty well made and its permanently sealed with lube.  Now I'm going through my carburetor that I rebuilt 40 years ago.  I work slow.  I thought I better at least service it first.  I bought a carb kit online, which came with new gaskets, float bowl needle, and accelerator plunger.  The leather rings on my accelerator plunger and dashpot plunger were both hardened after 40 years.  I have another good accelerator plunger with good leather and I thought I could take the ring off of it and put it on the dashpot, but no soap.  I found out the these leather rings are permanently attached on the bottom.  So I ordered a new dashpot for cars with Fluid Drive from Ebay for $26.  The carburetor kit I bought did not come with a new dashpot, but that kit only cost about $20.  If you are new to these carburetors it might be confusing which one is the accelerator and which one is the dashpot, so I put some pics below.  The first pic is the accelerator and the second smaller pic is the dashpot.

Edited October 31, 2022 by MarcDeSoto

[LeRoy]

Good luck Marc.

 

I recently overhauled my carb and came to find it's a frakencarb. The top and bottom seem correct for a dashpot but not the center section, I've got a fluid drive as well.

 

I have it running pretty well but I think I'm time I'll buy a correct one from that outfit that rebuilds, installs, tunes and swaps for a core. I don't recall the name of the place of the to of my head but it seems like it was about 400 bucks for a guaranteed top running carb.

[Bob Riding]

10 hours ago, MarcDeSoto said:

A while ago I put in my old water pump and it had a leak out of the weep hole.  So I ordered a new water pump that looks pretty well made and its permanently sealed with lube.  Now I'm going through my carburetor that I rebuilt 40 years ago.  I work slow.  I thought I better at least service it first.  I bought a carb kit online, which came with new gaskets, float bowl needle, and accelerator plunger.  The leather rings on my accelerator plunger and dashpot plunger were both hardened after 40 years.  I have another good accelerator plunger with good leather and I thought I could take the ring off of it and put it on the dashpot, but no soap.  I found out the these leather rings are permanently attached on the bottom.  So I ordered a new dashpot for cars with Fluid Drive from Ebay for $26.  The carburetor kit I bought did not come with a new dashpot, but that kit only cost about $20.  If you are new to these carburetors it might be confusing which one is the accelerator and which one is the dashpot, so I put some pics below.  The first pic is the accelerator and the second smaller pic is the dashpot.

Marc- thanks for posting. Where did you get the carb rebuild kit, and are you happy with it?

[DonaldSmith]

In 2015, I got my fluid drive carburetor exchanged at Carburetor Exchange, www.carb-x.com.   It's been good.  No more demons or gremlins.  

The only recent problem was that the link from the throttle shaft to the choke interfered with the downshift switch.  I may have distorted the link somewhere along the way. A little judicious bending corrected the issue. 

 

 

 

 

[MarcDeSoto]

I have several old carbs in my shop.  One of them is from a 48 Dodge parts car I used to have.  I need to get rid of that one.  And I have a couple of extra 48 DeSoto carbs.  

[MarcDeSoto]

I think I bought it on Ebay, but the cheapest kit there is $39.94, so I think i was wrong when I said I paid only $20!

[MarcDeSoto]

Here's my 48 Dodge Carter Ball & Ball D6H2 carburetor for cars with fluid drive.  It's a left over part from when I parted out a 1948 Dodge 4 door sedan back in the 80s.  

 

 

[LeRoy]

My 47 came with a Stromberg, does anyone know if they are  interchangeable?

[DonaldSmith]

There's no kickdown switch in MarcDeSoto's Dodge carb.   I think the Dodges of that era had the fluid coupling with the 3-speed trans.  The DeSoto had the semi-automatic trans that needed the kickdown switch.  Is there a dashpot for a stick shift trans? 

[Dodgeb4ya]

I've only seen D24 cars with the Stromberg carb.

D6H2 Carters are used on 1949-53 Pymouths....not on the larger engine DeSoto.

[LeRoy]

9 minutes ago, DonaldSmith said:

There's no kickdown switch in MarcDeSoto's Dodge carb.   I think the Dodges of that era had the fluid coupling with the 3-speed trans.  The DeSoto had the semi-automatic trans that needed the kickdown switch.  Is there a dashpot for a stick shift trans? 

Mine is a 3 speed with a fluid drive, they require a dashpot (but the one I'm running currently doesn't have one so required is a loose term)

[LeRoy]

18 minutes ago, MarcDeSoto said:

Here's my 48 Dodge Carter Ball & Ball D6H2 carburetor for cars with fluid drive.  It's a left over part from when I parted out a 1948 Dodge 4 door sedan back in the 80s.  

 

 

Thank you for the pictures Marc, I really appreciate it. I think I'll trade mine in to carb exchange for the correct one.

[MarcDeSoto]

20 hours ago, Dodgeb4ya said:

I've only seen D24 cars with the Stromberg carb.

D6H2 Carters are used on 1949-53 Pymouths....not on the larger engine DeSoto.

The information below is very wrong!  See my correction below!

 

D-24 Dodges used both Strombergs and Carter Ball and Ball carburetors.  Dodge used the D6H2 model Carter and, yes, they do have dashpots.  The dashpot is for cars with Fluid Drive and it doesn't matter if they had 3 speeds or semi automatics.  But if a car had the semi automatic transmission, like my DeSoto, then it had in addition to the dashpot, a kickdown switch on the carburetor.  My DeSoto has a Carter Ball & Ball model EV2.  

Edited November 2, 2022 by MarcDeSoto

[Dodgeb4ya]

I learn new things here...thanks Marc!

[MarcDeSoto]

I would assume that D-24 Dodges could use the STromberg or the Carter B&B interchangeably, but I'm not positive.  Pre-war Dodges up to 1942 just used Strombergs.  Does a D-24 Dodge use a manual choke?  

[MarcDeSoto]

I need to correct some very INCORRECT information I spewed out the other day.  I got my new dashpot plunger and tried to put it in my DeSoto carburetor but it wouldn't fit because there is a jet at the bottom of the dashpot hole.  Maybe I didn't install it correctly.  So I opened up my Dodge Carter B&B D-24 carburetor, and was very surprised to find that it didn't have a dashpot.  So I read up on the subject in my Motor Manual and found out that dashpots are only in carburetors with Semi-Automatic transmissions.  It doesn't matter if it has a fluid drive.  It matters if it has a semi-auto transmission.  

[Plymouthy Adams]

I snagged my book out and Dodge did not get the B&B D6H2 until 1953. Plymouth used it 49-53  If Desoto and B&B would be an E series...as did the Chrylser use the E series.  I do not have a full listing of Strombergs for Chrysler but they were mentiones as the AAV, BXV, BXVD, BXVES series. I do not think I would ever call out a part as original unless I had bought and owned the car 100% down the line.  No dog in this fight....but for sure the info here does not match my book, that would not be a first either......lol  The part numbers in the master catalog do not have made and model of the carb...Streamline book does not list the carb as an across the counter 'speedy change' part

[MarcDeSoto]

I found out that jet that was in my dashpot hole did not belong there!  It was loose and it belonged right next to the dashpot.  Problem solved.  What carburetors did the D-24 come with?  So you think I have 53 Dodge carb?  It could be true.  I'll look into it.  My Motor Manual only goes up to 1942 because it is a 1946 Motor Manual, but I have a Chilton somewhere around here, a 1958.  I looked in my Chilton manual and you are right.  The Carter B&B carb D6H2 is for a 53 Dodge with standard transmission without fluid drive.  Does that type of Dodge even exist?  I assumed because I took it off of a 48 Dodge it was original.  Chilton says the 1944 to 1953 Dodge with standard transmission and fluid drive used a Carter Ball and Ball carburetor D6P1 and D6P2.  I think they also used a Stromberg, but the Stromberg section only goes back to 1950.

[MarcDeSoto]

I'm thinking now that maybe D=24 Dodge cars did have a dashpot in the carburetor.  I'm not sure though.  Does anyone know?  I looked at my carburetor shelf and found another Carter B&B D6H2 carb.  I tried to think where did I get that?  Then I remembered that I once had a 1951 Plymouth Suburban parts car.  And that's the right carb for that.  So I changed the wording of my ad on Ebay.  

Edited November 3, 2022 by MarcDeSoto

[Dodgeb4ya]

All of the D24's with FD did use a dashpot.

[LeRoy]

On 11/2/2022 at 10:39 PM, MarcDeSoto said:

I'm thinking now that maybe D=24 Dodge cars did have a dashpot in the carburetor.  I'm not sure though.  Does anyone know?  I looked at my carburetor shelf and found another Carter B&B D6H2 carb.  I tried to think where did I get that?  Then I remembered that I once had a 1951 Plymouth Suburban parts car.  And that's the right carb for that.  So I changed the wording of my ad on Ebay.  

My dodge manual says all d24 w/fluid drive would have a dashpot. Mine is a 1947 with a bxvd (frakencarb), all the dashpot fixens without a dashpot plunger. It's working ok but I'm looking to swap for a correct one.

[desoto1939]

Here is some info on Carb for Desoto, Dodge and Plymouth :  taken from my AEA catalog 1949-58:

 

Hope this clears up the topic to determine if you have an original or replacement carb.

 

Rich Hartung

 

 

 

[MarcDeSoto]

My car is a 48 DeSoto with M-5 trans, so it's not on your list, but I know what carb is has, an EV2 Carter B&B.  I just rebuilt it and getting the car ready for first start up in 42 years!