A starving hemi and other musings [John]

This engine isn't getting enough fuel. Irregular squirts from the fuel pump, even when siphoning from a gas can, inspired us to replace it. Car Quest/Kragen had it in stock, but we had to tell them it was for a Dodge 340. The new one squirts better and is now protected by a supply-side filter. Engine still starves on a moderate hill -- clearly the fuel supply can't keep up with the demand. Maybe it's crud in the tank.
I dropped the tank, destroying one seized tank strap and the rotten hose that connects the filler pipe to the tank in the process. There was a lot of sediment in the tank, including this stuff:

Fuel tank sediment

I don't know what this is. Could possibly have been dropped in the tank at some point, but I suspect it was a device that hung on the end of the tank pickup, maybe to keep it near the bottom. The pickup is a fixed tube that enters the tank through a welded fixture and disappears into the thinner part of the stepped tank. I don't see any way to get at it. Do we need it? I'm doing poorly at researching this in the DeSoto manual and the web.
The tank had a lot of particles in it. After draining, I loaded it into Barbara's Fiesta and drove to the radiator shop. Closed Saturdays. Tried another, also closed. So back at home, I used a pressure washer to break the stuff inside the tank loose wherever I could reach it through the sending unit hole and the fill pipe connector. Rinsed the tank perhaps 20 times, catching the water in a white bucket to inspect it for more grit. Eventually it cleared up. Mostly.
So, do I know why it's starving? Well, I noticed the fuel line is a bit kinked near the tank. That could be it. Or there might be a clogged sock or screen on the (not-visible) tank pickup. The pickup passes air in both directions, with more resistance than a 5/16 hose. But the flare fitting on it has a rather small orifice. Is it clear enough? Current plan is to price a tank boil out. and have it done if it's reasonable. Need to find a replacement tank strap (an RV shop maybe?). Probably should cut out the pinch or kink in the fuel line. Then we can try it again.

Other progress

• Straightened the steering wheel. Harder than expected to put the horn switch back in correctly. Why didn't I shoot an iPhone photo of it while taking it apart? No horns are installed, and the horn wire tests continuously grounded. A project for another day.
• Installed side mirrors. I hung them on the top of the door so they don't block the vent windows from opening all the way. I've seen some on the front post of the door. 
  
  
  
• Got a new tank sending unit. The float arm is too short -- we'll need to extend it when we put the tank back in the car. 
• Installed a hood prop rod that compensates for the weak hood springs. 
• Found that the new cable didn't fix the speedometer. The meter appears to be seized at the point where the cable connects. 
• The temp sensor on the car is bulb type, but the '56 engine has an electric type, with a much smaller bore into the intake manifold than the bulb needs. Maybe a new modern (but 6 volt) gauge. 
• A blog reader agreed to sell me his spare set of wiper towers, arms, and blades! I didn't know where I could find those. Now if I can track down the rear fender moldings....
• Researched transmission operation somewhat. The TipToe (M6) has two mechanical forward gears and an overdrive that can apply to both of them. If it is working correctly, it is reported to be satisfactory. Ours isn't. The '56 carb lacks the electric solenoid dashpot the '53s have -- that must be why it tends to stall at stops sometimes. The carb also lacks a kick down switch. Maybe that's why it won't drop out of overdrive with a floored throttle. I've heard a manual switch within driver's reach can make the car more drivable. Probably worth a try. 
• Turn signals need work. They worked for a while, but don't seem to now. Wiring at the flasher connector is trash, so that might be a good place to start. 

Progress [John]

Phil and I spent a few hours on the car yesterday and made some headway. We are now familiar with how to remove the gas tank, and we have deeper insight into the dash wiring.

Electrical Problem

The erratic ammeter needle noted in our last post turned out to have a simple cause, but it took a few hours over a couple of hobby days to find and fix it. Removing the dash binnacle disclosed some hot-to-the-touch wires that were related to the ammeter motion. Removing wires from the ammeter and then the ignition switch revealed that the problem was in the stoplight circuit. Under the car, we found the stoplight switch was not connected, but the two wires leading to it were neatly draped over the exhaust pipe. Most of the wiring in this car is original with cotton fabric insulation, but these two wires were low melting point plastic and had melted through. Tracking down some screws for the stoplight switch posts and attaching the wires cured the problem. Stoplights work, and no more evidence of shorts. We added electrical tape to the broken insulation we found behind the dash. 

Speedometer

While sorting out the stoplight switch, Phil disconnected the speedometer cable and found the last inch and a half was twisted off. Could have been an easy fix: we got a new cable, cut it to fit, slid it into the existing sleeve and went for a ride. Speedometer still doesn't work. Next is verify that the meter end of the cable really turns when the car is moving, and if it does, look for a meter rebuild source. 

Fuel tank

We decided to drain the tank, remove it, and clean it some how. Draining -- no problem. Removing -- pretty difficult. One retaining strap came off easily. The other is rusted and frozen. The attachment is an apparently special, hollow, hex-headed bolt. Worse, the steel fuel filling tube is attached to the tank by a formerly flexible reinforced neoprene hose section that is now completely rigid. The top end of the filler pipe goes through a fender hole protected by a rubber grommet, also now completely solid. We shifted to plan B: filter the gas and rinse out the tank. That went apparently well, and we removed a couple tablespoons of solid sediment. Also replaced the in-line fuel filter with one that can be inspected and cleaned. 

Gas Gauge

The gauge has showed constant full since we got the car. While cleaning out the tank, we removed the sending unit from the tank. Testing indicated the gauge itself is OK, but the sending unit rheostat is trashed. Local NAPA has a generic replacement, but it won't fit. We'll find one.

Air Cleaner

I changed the generator belts for a pair a half-inch longer. The air cleaner is now on the car, and there is a tiny amount of travel left in the generator support bracket. I think we can live with it. 

Note half inch of travel left in support bracket and 1/8 inch clearance between power steering pump and the cleaner. Perfect! 

Test Drives

Several trips around various blocks show that the engine runs nicely, the brakes work, and that with a little practice, you can get the transmission to do some shifting. No kick-down, and not quite reliable shifts into overdrive indicate there is more work to be done here. A small puddle of coolant appears on the floor when you pull back into the garage. 

Overall, a good work day.

Labor Day update [John]

Throttle and Ignition Key Issues
The throttle problem and lost power was indeed caused by the actuating linkage. The linkage clevis had worked a retaining nut at the carburetor up tight, binding the clevis and freezing the throttle setting. A jam nut now locks the problem piece in position and the car is much more responsive. A local NAPA had new lock cylinders in stock, so we replaced the badly worn kit and retapped the switch-retaining bolt hole with the next size up, so the switch stays nicely in place now.

Holiday Demonstration Rides
Took a nephew and my son around the long block, finishing up with a long uphill street yesterday, and noted radical bucking under power while going up the hill. Further experiments this morning confirmed it happens when under severe load for several seconds, not really related to the nose-up orientation of the car. Reason said it had to be restricted fuel flow, and on inspection we found our new inline fuel filter plugged with rusty colored mud. A new filter cured the problem, but it looks like we need to pull and clean out the gas tank.

Air Cleaner
We now think we can live with the eBay $1 + $35 shipping oil-bath air cleaner. I bought a new pair of generator drive belts, a half-inch longer, and I think the air cleaner will fit as soon as I change the belts.

Cool Cars Swap Meet
We drove 10 miles to Qualcomm stadium this morning for a miscellaneous car show. Longest trip so far, and we would have made it with no repairs, except for the plugged fuel filter we had to replace along the route. Met a few MOPAR guys and talked to the organizer of a San Diego club. Mostly, he says, they have 60s muscle cars, but he was enthusiastic about some 50s cars in the mix. We plan to get to one of their monthly meetings at the Montgomery Field Mexican restaurant. Talked to a chrome shop guy in the vendor field. He estimated straightening and rechroming the bumpers and guards, along with vent window frames and hood scoop, for much less than we feared, under two grand for the works. We will soon have to decide how much appearance stuff we want to take on. Some, for sure.

New Electrical Problem
Driving home from the swap meet, we noted an irregular clicking sound that pulsed the ammeter one way or the other. Even with the engine and ignition off. The charging circuit isn't that complicated on this car, so it almost has to be a problem voltage regulator. The meter indicates charging with the engine running, just has that erratic movement superimposed.

Current List of Improvements Needed

These aren't in any obvious order.

1. Sort out the ammeter issue
2. Clean out the gas tank
3. Change the generator belts and put the air cleaner on 
4. Finish fastening down the new steering column pad
5. Attach the logo castings that had just been laid against the car with no fasteners. DE_SOTO letters in front (the S is still lost), FIREDOME on front fenders, DESOTO on the tail gate,  missing when we got the car. Haven't located those yet, so we might go ahead with laser-cut acrylic letters.
6. Align the steering wheel so it's level when going straight.
7. Connect the '53 bulb-type temperature sensor where the '56 electrical-type one is fitted
8. Fix the speedometer (probably a cable will do it.)
9. Fix the gas gauge (most likely flooded float in the tank? No, it reads full.)
10. Remove, shorten, and reinstall the hood springs in the hope they will then hold up the hood
11. Address the body lean. Driver's side is low when parked and presumably when in motion
12. Get the inch-thick crud off the front suspension parts and check for slop, missing sway bars, rotted rubber parts, dry grease joints. I think the car should steer better than it does.
13. Re-arch the rear springs maybe. The air shocks will hold it up until they leak down, but good springs might be worthwhile.
14. Find and purchase the missing side moldings. The chrome guy said he could probably make us a set from stainless if we don't find them.
15. Check the Tip-Toe Automatic transmission. It usually shifts up as promised, but it often does not drop out of overdrive at a stoplight as it should, making it very sluggish off the line. I've never seen it kick down, and it should be able to according to the manual. I think there are missing or unconnected electrical controls. There's no switch on the carburetor, for example, and manuals indicate there should be.
16. Check for radiator leaks. I've seen a little water on the garage floor after a drive, but I haven't determined whether it's overflow or a leak.
17. Buy and attach some side mirrors. I don't see how people used to drive without them! 
18. Reconnect the heater and defroster, discover a leaking heater core and repair or replace.
19. Never mind the 6V, positive ground radio.

And then...

• New chrome? 
• Repair rust inside roof where the driver's side visor has broke off? Requires new headliner.
• Body work? Right front has cheap, crooked, collision repair. Some rust under body. Rust through in a few spots, low on doors and fenders. Tailgate is pretty bad. 
• New interior? What's there is original except for deck planking in back. Missing floor pads and carpet, missing door sills. Windlace is shot or missing. 
• Window rubber? Some is painted, all is hard. Doesn't rain enough here to tell if it leaks, but it probably does.

Two steps / one step [John]

Some progress since the last report! And some setbacks.

• Brakes, early July

We bled the brakes and completed the overhaul, for now. First drive was a bit scary; moderate pedal pressure locked up one wheel, screeching the tire dramatically enough to attract attention from the neighbors. After a little deliberate heating of the brakes, braking was near normal (guessing at what normal is), and I think we are done with the brakes for now. Satisfied that the car will stop, we are turning to making it go.

• Ignition tune-up, middle July

It took several trips to the parts stores and a bunch of time on the web doing research, but we finally identified the points, condenser, and distributor rotor this 330 ci hemi requires. Found them in stock at NAPA. I removed the distributor to install the new points and condenser, carefully setting the gap before reinstalling. Engine now starts fine and, maybe, runs a little better. Driving it around the block disclosed alarming backfire through the carburetor, a known cause of engine fires. It needs at least ignition timing adjustment. Let's see: if an intake valve doesn't close, could that lead to ignition of the fuel/air charge in the intake manifold? Let's get the timing right first.

• Ignition timing, August 17. 

Easily located a timing pointer, drivers' side, but there were no timing marks visible on the vibration damper. After idling the engine while holding a wire brush against the damper, enough rust was knocked of that we could see some marks. Maybe a whole scale. But we could not read it, and it was too faint to use. With a dot of Wite-Out on the first and clearest mark, we adjusted the timing to match the pointer, hoping the mark is at the specified 8 degrees BTDC. The idle came way up with this adjustment, and the car ran well enough to drive to a gas station and Target (see next topic). But is it correct?

Template for a replacement floor pad

After a few blocks, it was clear that there are issues with the throttle linkage however. Takes too much force to operate, sticks in open position. A little more driving and the engine lost most of its power. Time to quit for the day though, so this will have to wait. Probably that lost power is caused by linkage defects, but could my forgetting to dab the grease (included with the new points) onto the cam-following block cause really rapid wear and ruin the gap?

• Other improvements

The steering column pad that keeps out engine noise, heat, and dirt did not survive removal and replacement as we worked on the steering box and brake master cylinder. We made a cardboard template from the old one, extending its length to cover brake and clutch pedal openings that were (not) closed by the perished draft seals. As might have been expected, the pattern wasn't quite right the first time. 

We found a doormat at Target that seemed about right for material. I drew the template in iDraw and passed it to Dr. Mark, who converted it to a vector file and cut it out on his garage laser cutter. The pedal holes weren't spaced correctly, so grandson David use his digital caliper to remeasure them. The second one we cut fits well; just need to screw or glue it down. 

Laser cutter at work on the Target doormat

Completed floor pad, version 1

'56 Desoto engine showing the proper air cleaner

Found an old MOPAR air cleaner on eBay, bought it, and cleaned it up. We made an air filter gasket for it, but the air cleaner won't fit over the power steering pump. We really need one with a big notch on the bottom to clear the pump. A filter from a 56 ought to fit I would think. 

While test driving, the ignition switch fell out the back of the dash board. Found a screw and washer on the floor while working on the pad. Could be related. 

Motor News [John]

Phil scraped the grease off the engine serial number. Although the car is a 1953 Firedome, built with a 276 cu in hemi V-8, the serial number decodes to a 1956 Firedome 330 cu in hemi. The 276 claimed 160 HP; the 330 claimed 230 HP with 2-barrel carb. The accessories on the engine might be a mix of 1953 and 1956 parts. The generator has a power steering pump on the back of it, and unless the pair of drive belts are removed, the pump interferes with the used oil-bath air cleaner we found. With longer belts, it looks like it can be made to fit, but there won't be much adjustment in the generator support strap unless we extend it.
This finding narrows our observations slightly. Since this is not the original motor, or even the same displacement, we're not very interested in heading for an as-bult restoration. Not that we ever were. On the other hand, another 70 horsepower is not all bad. This is a heavy car, and with the tip-toe automatic transmission, it's pretty sluggish.

The Letters, continued [John]

I mentioned in my missing parts post that we need a complete set of DESOTO letters for the tailgate and an S for the hood. These occasionally pop up on eBay, and in fact, my daughter bought a set as a gift. When they arrived, we found they were in disappointingly poor condition, and the S was bent badly. Condition is probably average, considering their age, but we are not at all sure we can straighten the S without breaking it.

The "new" old letters

So the new status of letters is we need two Ss, and if we decide to use these, they will all probably have to be cleaned up and rechromed. 

Given all that, and given that my son-in-law Dr Mark has a newly imported laser cutter in his garage, we investigated some alternatives. I looked for a suitable font on the web, and found some candidates. I distorted the proportions to make them fit in the same size rectangle the originals use. and I got the first 5 results shown. 

Meanwhile Mark traced a photo of the originals using a drawing program and came up with the sixth line shown. Local viewers all agreed that the factory font was much nicer looking than any I had found. 

Mark cut a set of the traced letters shown in the last line from a 1/8th-inch sheet of black acrylic. The arms of the T turned out very thin, unlikely to stand up to a car wash. Close examination of the original chromed pot metal letters reveals they are beveled: the delicate face of each letter is backed up by a stronger, larger, thicker piece of material. The laser cutter, although computer controlled and very precise, can only cut vertically, so it can't reproduce the bevel of the originals. However, we came up with an alternative: make a second set of letters, in the same or a contrasting color acrylic, such that the outline of each letter is everywhere a millimeter outside the outline of the first copy. Glue the two together for added strength, and then attach them to the body using some kind of automotive grade double-stick pad. The pad can be cut by the laser to exactly fit the outline of the larger set. Here's how they came out:

And here's a closer look at the first two. These are just stacked and not properly registered.

Laser-cut acrylic letters

Not sure we will use these yet. They are consistent with our emerging goals for restoration in that we are not concerned about restoring the car to completely as-built. Might not last forever in sunlight, but it's a simple matter to cut a couple of spare sets. We might still find originals, but if we have to restore and rechrome, not sure it's worth the money compared to this slightly custom touch. If we do use them, the color of each layer is negotiable. Needs to be visible on whatever paint we pick, and might look more elegant if the top copy contrasts with the lower, larger copy. Opinions welcome.

The Brakes [John]

The brakes were bad. We found the master cylinder was full of debris, had weak seals and a nonexistent boot. We rebuilt it first, then pulled off a front wheel and drum. These cars have two single-acting cylinders on the front brakes, and both of these were dripping fluid. The shoes have a good amount of lining on them, but they were wet with brake fluid. There is a variety of advice on how to deal with this on the web, including some that recommends waiting until your wife isn't home, pulling the shoes and baking them in a hot oven "until they quit smoking." We tried a less agressive approach: spraying thoroughly with brake cleaner, wiping them off, and repeating. They look much better, and we will see how they work in a week or two. One of the shoe retractor springs was broken, but we found one in the NAPA catalog that had similar measurements to replace it.
Next was the driver's side rear drum. Another Chrysler innovation was to rivet the rear drums to the week hub, which in turn fits a keyed taper on the axle shaft. We located a puller for the job and ordered it, and with it the drum came off without too much fuss. Phil put the axle nut back on the axle before he applied the puller. This is recommended to protect the axle from spreading under the pointed end of the puller and to catch the drum when the taper suddenly breaks free. Phil says he was very glad he remembered to put the nut back on. We actually wound up with two of these pullers, and will be glad to part with one of them.

Heavy duty hub puller

The rear drum brakes have a single, double-acting cylinder. Although the cylinder was dry, these shoes were wet too. Stepping on the brake pedal produced no fluid at the rear cylinder. Eventually we found that the short hose that connects the frame-mounted brake line to the Y-connector on the axle was packed full and would pass no air or fluid. Replacing the hose cured that, and the rear wheel assembly is now back together and ready for bleeding and adjustment next weekend, when we hope to rebuild the remaining two weeks.

Parts Needed [John]

1953 DeSoto Parts Wanted

Please contact me with leads or offers. Anyone know of a 53 wagon in salvage? 

John Boyd

Drjohn96@icloud.com; 858 997-7002

San Diego

Looking for a few parts for my 1953 DeSoto Estate Wagon fix-up project.

1.     Oil-bath air cleaner. Carburetor is a Carter BBD, and I measure the OD of the opening at 2-9/16 in. Might not have to be DeSoto if the throat diameter is right. Need the clamp too of course.

2.     DESOTO letters for the tailgate. The S has two pins and the others appear to have only one/ Not sure what the theory is for keeping them straight.

3.     The S for the hood. Thought we had that, but it seems to be gone.

4.     What is the content of the hood medallion supposed to be? Mine appears to be almost blank, but there might be a head of Hernando DeSoto in it. Anyone have a replacement? A photo?

5.     Moldings for rear fenders, both sides.

6.     Draft seals for the clutch and brake pedals. These are oval stampings with a slotted, rubber or fabric fill to keep engine compartment air out of the cabin.

7.     My car was built with power-assisted brakes, but the booster that should be at the master cylinder under the floorboard is gone. Might want to replace that if I can find one.

8.     Advice. Should this car have welting between the rear fenders and the body?

9.     Rear license plate bracket and lamp. The original bolts to the body below the tailgate, and it should have a lamp fixture that fits the rectangular hole just visible under the edge of the bumper.

10. Windshield wiper towers.  Chrome castings that hold the wiper armature bearing in place. I also need the wiper arms, but I might find those new at a parts store. The first photo is my car; the second is a 53 Chrysler that has the towers. I presume the DeSoto towers are similar to the Chrysler.

Steering Box is Fixed! [John]

We decided to hire a mechanic to remove and replace the steering box, which gushed fluid as long as the reservoir was not empty. He quoted a decent price, but found the job much harder than he anticipated. He sent the box to a rebuilder and we now have it back. No apparent leaks and the car has power steering. (The steering wheel needs centering though. Somehow that got messed up.) We settled the price amicably at somewhat higher than he had quoted.

All told, the car was at the shop for nearly a month. Mrs. B bore up well for the whole period, disappointed and lonely as she was for the smells of exhaust, leaking gas, mold and mildew, and consoled herself by parking her own car in the temporarily vacant garage stall.

Once the car was back, we scheduled a work day: Phil, me, Larry, and Guy for part of the time. Installed a throttle return spring, hooked it to a jury-rigged but neat bracket under a manifold bolt, replaced the sloppy, spring-free, hood hinges with some 1952 Chrysler hinges (with springs) I had found on eBay, and spent a few hours trying to invent a way to align the hood. Eventually we got tired of this and moved on to other details, like replacing a missing bumper bolt and then bolting a junk-yard licence plate frame to the rear bumper. I neatened up the ignition wiring, and we called it a day.

A hitch: The springs are not strong enough to support the hood -- you still need a prop rod. I'm sure this is not the intent; something is wrong. Do springs tire and weaken with age? Is there some restorative? And then, another hitch: the S from the hood DESOTO legend went missing. It had fallen off the first time I closed the hood, but I kept it safe in the glove box. On work day we took it out and looked for speed nuts or something in our garage junk to hold it on, and in the process we noted that none of the other letters had any attachment except gravity and a tiny bit of friction. At the end of the day, and today too, the S was gone. Most likely I picked it up and carried it around, then set it down somewhere in the house. Mrs. B assures me it will turn up. I'm less confident. But I can say it is not in the trash bin or the recycle bin and it is not in the garage. Oh, well. We need the full set of letters for the tailgate, just have to get an extra S.

Later, I found the hood alignment section of the factory service manual. It describes a simple, 20-step process to align the hood. For example, loosen the two rear bolts on the hinge plate and drive the forward end down with a hammer and a blunt drift. And, if the clearance to the fender is too tight, loosen all fender attaching bolts and move the fender.... This is for some later day.

The car doesn't run very well, although we do know how to work the gear selector now. But we are getting unanimous advice to fix the brakes first and then make it run better. Other recent advice confirms some earlier opinions to not replace the engine. No need to convert to 12v either. Especially not in a warm climate.

So far, it's fun, kind of.

What We Call "The Fuel Pump Affair" [Phil]

You'll recall our fuel pump developed a fault, in the form of a ruptured diaphragm. This allows fuel to enter the upper chamber, and escape through the vent into the atmosphere. The result, of course, is pretty lousy fuel economy. Unacceptably lousy. We needed a fix.

We opened two lines of inquiry.
1) We shopped for a rebuild kit
2) We shopped for a replacement

The pump is a Carter 2241S. We searched and searched, and finally didn't find any. But we did find Hot Heads Hemis, and they sell an adapter that enables use of a more recent, easily obtainable mechanical fuel pump. So we ordered the pump and adapter.

In a short while (I give these guys an A+ for dispatch) their parcel arrived, and last weekend we went to work. The adapter is truly a spacer that extends the distance between the timing chest and the pump body by about an inch. It is packaged with correct-length hex-head bolts, and a gasket, ready to use.

Access is a little tight, and one works from below and above, and below and above to plumb and mount the new parts. But in the end all was in place. Cranking the engine, however, produced no flow from the new pump. Hmmm.

We swapped input and output lines, to make certain it wasn't so simple a fault, but nope, no gas to the carb.

So we took it all apart again, and convinced ourselves there was no problem with the new pump - no, it worked just fine on the bench, and we verified which port was 'in' and which was 'out'. Then, we measured the lever arms of the old and new pumps, and convinced ourselves that the new pump may well be installed absent the adapter. Which we then did.

That did it - Without the adapter/spacer the new pump instantly delivered a healthy flow through the filter and to the carb, and presto! we were running on 8.

So if you're looking to replace that leaky old fuel pump on your 276 cu in 1953 Desoto Hemi, I recommend the Hot Heads Hemi item code 80562, description "318 fuel pump" as a bolt-on replacement for the Carter 2241S. It has minor differences, but works perfectly, and at $29.95 is not even expensive!

Three steps forward, two steps back [John]

Owen visited this weekend, and he volunteered to help. We started with the charging system and found that there were loose connectors and corroded terminals on the generator and voltage regulator wiring. We cleaned up the wiring, replaced some bad stuff and got a nice charging indication on the dashboard ammeter. But, we observed fuel rapidly leaking from the mechanical fuel pump. That proved to need a complete overhaul, and failing to find a remanufactured pump or the requisite parts in this town, we ordered one from a web source. One week estimated delivery, so no more running. Sad, actually, because last week Mrs Phil had paid the sales tax and license fees and got temporary tags that will let us drive it for a couple of months.

With no fuel pump and no running engine, we took on the headlights and signaling systems. John David dropped by and he, Phil, and Owen renewed the front wiring, where we had found loose connectors, broken junction blocks, and perished insulation. Replaced one headlight and, after sorting out some grounding problems and corroded lamp sockets, the turn signals, tail and parking lights, and headlight high and low beams are again functional. No stop light or backup lights yet. Heater and defroster fans run, but the heater core is bypassed, indicating it probably leaks.

The threaded bolt belongs to the adjusting screw and is missing a lock nut and star washer. Fluid leaks quickly past this bolt. 

We inspected the power steering box in the hope of finding where the fast leak was and determined that an adjusting screw lock nut and star washer are missing. From the exploded diagram of the box, it appears that nut was not intended to provide an oil seal, so the shaft seal behind it is probably bad. The power steering stop leak is probably not going to be enough to fix this.

All in all, some good progress. As we expected, we are finding more things needing attention as we work our way through the list. But fixing things is kind of the point, isn't it?

A day at the junkyard [John]

Phil went home to do some Saturday work for our employer, and I set off for Otay Mesa, near Brown Field, site of numerous auto recyclers. I confirmed what parts stores in East County had already told me: it's either hard or impossible to find parts cars from the '50s around here. I was able to rack up almost 15,000 FitBit steps, which is a good thing, but I didn't find much in the way of parts for the DeSoto. I did get a couple of license plate brackets -- one from a late '70s Chevy and one from a Ford Fairmont, probably a '79.

I scrounged for suitable mirrors. In the '60s, I now recall, many manufacturers made their side mirrors with a pointed-but-rounded front surface, sort of like the original iMac. My '69 Mach 1 had mirrors like that, painted body color. Not suitable for a '53 car I decided. I found a Ford Ranger, about an '89, like the STX I once had, that had a simple, black, door mirror that I thought would be fine.

Candidate mirror on an 89 Ranger

But the other door mirror was gone. Almost all other Rangers I found had "West Coast," truck-style, multipoint-braced mirrors that I rejected for this project. I did find one other Ranger with both black mirrors, almost like the one I liked.

Anti-theft mounting screws have kept these mirrors in place  long after the truck was junked.

But this one and its mate were mounted with anti-theft screws -- socket heads with a post in the center -- and I had no compatible driver. So I settled on a pair from an '80 Ford full-size wagon. These were electric in the Ford, but if I use them on the DeSoto they'll have to be manual.

Ford side mirrors might work on our car.

Neither plate bracket was lighted, of course. Brackets with integrated lamps seem to have disappeared from cars in about 1955. But we found a plate illuminator at a dune buggy and VW bug shop that might work. 

Front plate bracket from the flat-faced Caprice. It's curved. 

I liked that it attaches to the bottom of the bumper, hiding the bolts and avoiding drilling new ones either front or back.

First start, good news and bad news [John]

This morning we installed the rebuilt carburetor, reinstalled plugs after a compression check (not great, not terrible), and cranked it up. The engine started immediately, blowing a good deal of smoke as we expected. 

Steering wheel was very difficult to turn in the garage. We found the fluid reservoir empty -- easy to cure, but not a good sign. A quart and a half of fluid made the steering work, which was good enough to support a drive around the block. 

I eased it out of the garage and around the block I went. Brakes work, transmission is weird. Hard to tell when it does that automatic upshift in L; more apparent in D. Linkage is sloppy -- took several tries to get it into reverse, but eventually I got it to back up.

Pretty day today. Sometimes it's worth it to live in Southern California. 

We put the car back in the garage and noticed a few things:

• Gear selection is very iffy. We'll need to find the sloppiness and address that, at least. Maybe the transmission and overdrive (wiki says it's really an underdrive) are OK.
• Accelerator pedal and linkage is sticky. Holds the throttle up off idle unless you pull the pedal up. At low idle speed, the engine dies. 
• To no one's surprise, the power steering fluid has made an even distribution of drips across the driveway, and at least a quart of it is on the garage floor below the steering box. I knew there was a reason for the empty reservoir.
• Cranks very slowly after 10 minutes of driving. Dash ammeter shows 0, and there is 4V across the battery terminals, engine idling or revving, and 2V across the generator terminals. Looks like there's no output at all from the generator.
• Headlights work, turn signals work, stop light doesn't work, horn is missing, gas gauge is optimistic (claims 2 gallons is a full tank). Oil pressure gauge shows reasonable output. Radio doesn't work. 
• Can't back it up: hard to get it in reverse, and if you do, it might refuse to go forward again. Also, no side mirrors.
• No license plate brackets. We will need those soon.

Well, it is a project after all. Wouldn't want to finish it in a day anyway.

Carburetor rebuilt [John]

The Carter carburetor is back from Rick. Looks like brand new. We'll install it Saturday.

Cleaned and rebuilt carburetor

Stale Gas [Phil]

I've been asked:
"Phil, how CAN you tell if gasoline is old and needs to be discarded and replaced with fresh?"

The answer is simple, really. First, you crawl under the gas tank and remove the drain plug. Then, if the stuff running down your arm into your armpit and collecting on the back of your shirt
1) Is brown,
2) Is cloudy,
3) Stinks
Then you're dealing with stale gas.

But, if it's golden, clear, smells good, and you want to drink it, it's fresh.

Will it run? [John]

We spent much of Saturday trying to get the DeSoto to start. It cranks well on its charged 6V battery and even better with a 12V jump. Fires and runs on gas splashed into the carb. We drained the tank and put in some fresh gas, then flushed the fuel line, pump, and filter. Removed the top of the carburetor and found the float bowl dry and dirty. Accelerator pump plunger was trashed, but we found a new one at a local carb repair shop, Rick's. We installed the new plunger but found that crud in the carb was blocking some internal passages. Took the complete carb to the expert, who inspected it and said we did the right thing to bring it to him, because we had no more chance "than a horse in church" to start the engine as it was. It will take a couple days for him to overhaul the carburetor.

Leather wiper completely perished; stretched distorted spring seal has fallen away

New plunger has fresh leather and a neat, tight spring inside to aid the seal. The slot is slightly longer.  OK?

On uniform advice from several old car experts we visited, we pulled the plugs to pour in a little Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder. It's recommended for your tank, for your oil, and I think you can brush your teeth with it. Compression ranges from 60 to 80 pounds, pre-treatment, and all cylinders hold the pressure, so we think no valves are leaking. The car should be running by next weekend unless something else is wrong. Not likely. 

Magic? Mysterious at least.

Our carb guy, Rick, says do NOT put a 4-barrel carb on this engine. All it will do is give you a little more oomph on a freeway on ramp. Leave the 2-barrel in place. Convert to 12V? It's a major headache: all the 6V stuff won't work any more except the starter. If the electricals are too weak for you, you can still get 8V batteries. Put one of those in, and the lights, heater, wipers, generator even, should all be fine. For the radio, you want a Vol-ta-drop. I found this interesting thread: vol-ta-drops-are-history.html, which contains bad news, but apparently H.A.M.B. has some alternatives. Anyway, maybe we don't need to convert. Winters aren't very cold in San Diego county.

I think he's right about the power upgrade. This isn't a dragster. But then, we haven't driven it yet.

Jan (Mrs Phil) stopped by to take a photo of other people working. Well, hobbying then.

Phil, John, and Andy concentrating hard, totally focused.