a moment of weakness

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 1:28 am

It must be the heat, or working too much, but I picked up a 1941 Desoto today. Not sure just what I'll do with it after I get it running.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welc ... cOWTdy3Y8U

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 4:06 am

Nice, I'm sure you could get that looking pretty sharp!

Desoto rings a familiar bell in my head for some reason though.. These weren't the cars that had the spark plugs in the bottom end of the engine were they?

At any rate, congratulations. The fewer computers in a car, the better! This one looks to be a real catch by those standards. Kind of odd coming from someone who built his first computer at the age of 10, I know..

mdrburchette · Post by **mdrburchette** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 7:46 am

Good deal Mark. It's in great shape for a resto project.

racydave · Post by **racydave** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:25 am

Gotta love it! Tell more.

Jim DeShon · Post by **Jim DeShon** » Sun Jul 30, 2006 11:39 am

Spent many a hour wrenching on flathead six Chrysler products in my early years. My family seemed to like them. I even had one of my own in my teen years (a Plymouth). All Chrysler's sixes were much the same with some displacement, carburetor, distributor changes between models but, a De Soto is a rare find ! Send more photos for sure !

...J.D.

spidernut · Post by **spidernut** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:27 am

Nice looking project! Should be a beauty when fully restored.

My friend's dad had a Desoto with the progressive fluid drive automatic transmission without shiftpoints. It was an interesting car to drive. You'd hammer it to the floor and you could hear the engine slowly drop in RPMs as the car increased in speed (very slowly mind you).

Inside it was huge! You could have fit a major league baseball team in the back seat.

Jim DeShon · Post by **Jim DeShon** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:18 pm

I remember "packing" universal joints on a 37' Plymouth. It had a rubber joint with a leather boot. [Predates roller bearing universal joints].You packed the boot full of grease and wrapped it around the joint. It was strapped on somehow but I don't remember that part. I also remember working on many sets of brakes on these with the master cylinder under the floor and the front drum brakes had dual cylinders, one per shoe. Lug nuts were left and right handed thread.

. ...J.D.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:32 am

I got the old beast fired up tonight. Just for a moment, but long enough to get 40psi of oil pressure. Found the PO had the battery hooked up backwards

Jim DeShon · Post by **Jim DeShon** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:16 pm

40 psi sounds OK ! If you can keep oil to these old motors, they will keep on chugging. As for the battery, polarity was not standardized back then. I don't remember if Chrysler was + or - ground but, you must have figured that out ...IT's ALIVE !!

...J.D.

spidernut · Post by **spidernut** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:01 am

That even makes it a better find!!! By any chance did you see the program where Jay Leno found the Deusenberg in some lady's garage that had been sitting for 40 years? Talk about a priceless find!

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Thu Aug 03, 2006 11:01 am

I didn't see the Leno show, but it's amazing what is stored in barns, garages, etc.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Sat Aug 19, 2006 3:52 pm

a little update on the Desoto. I've had it running but it had an obvious misfire, so I did some diagnosis this morning. After taking a compression test, I removed the cyl head and found the #1 exhaust valve stuck wide open and a head gasket leak between 5-6 and 3-4! Hard to believe it even started. I got the valve freed up and dug out about 1/2" of sludge in the cooling system, probably block sealant.
I'll get the head surfaced next week and hopefully have it running on all 6 cyls soon

Jim DeShon · Post by **Jim DeShon** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 11:01 am

Ahh the days of 15min. to remove a cylinder head !. With sticky valves it makes you wonder, how much sludge had built up inside in 65 years ? Get out the "Bardall" ...J.D.

a moment of weakness

a moment of weakness

she alive!