Inliners International Forums General Discussion MOPAR DeSoto?

I'm thinking about picking up a '51 Desoto project. Don't know much about them and I typically stay away from Mopar like the plague. This car is cheap and relatively complete and solid, so it's hard to pass up.

I am completely ignorant to the chrysler 6's. Would this car share the same motor as a dodge/plymouth of the same year or are they all different? Are there any hop-up parts out there for them?

This one has a flat 6 in it that hasn't run since '68, but my buddy has a '52 Plymouth flat 6 that's a runner. Would it be a drop in?

Any info anybody could shed on the topic would be great. Any web resources would be good too. Thanks.

Trump, I am going to post a link to a forum i was reading last night. If you go there I am sure you will get the DeSoto. I'll start a new thread and hopefully it will shed light on these great engines. It's bigger that a Plymouth. Tom

I read the whole thread. Didn't have a chance to check out the other links yet.

So I guess that what the consensus is is that the motors are for crap to do anything with performance, but they are reliable and last a long time.

My biggest question is about after market parts and if there are any available.

I bought the DeSoto, so now I got to get it running or chuck the drive train and stuff my already built Chevy 250 in there.

I'll try to get the original motor running first though.

Well, nevermind. I had to bail on it. Had a friend go to pay for it and pick it up and he said that it was grossly misrepresented. Said the rockers were non-existant, he could push his thumb through most of the sheet metal if he tried, radiator/fender support was rusted away from the fenders, no metal under the headlights. No floor in the rear. So we declined.

Guess the search is still on for a super cheap project. I keep telling myself it's the thrill of the hunt.

That is too bad! It could have been a fun driver. In your search don't over look some of the older Studebaker inlines, all the Mopars, and the big GMs.

The 49-54 Mopars are generally inexpensive, but that's because most people aren't interested in them. The styling isn't on par with the others of the time. If you are going to buy one, note that the brakes and front suspension are very expensive to rebuild by comparison to a Ford or Chevy. Research what availability and parts costs are for some of these cars before you go buying anything. Spending a little more up front may save you alot later on. Just my opinion...

Did Blueskies sell his '50?

Nope... but I think I'm going to hang on to it for now.

Pete

You couldn't part with it, could you?

I personally feel that a De Soto is a class act of that era. They had some advanced features, being Chrysler's 'test the market' line, things like the fluid drive attached to their standard gearbox.

And they look different to the more common Dodges and Plymouths.

Great engine, as blueskies will attest, though a De Soto is more likely a big block than a 218 as fitted to most Plymouths.

I can't see why the front end would be so expensive, either. But I do admit to not having personal experience with it.

No, not yet anyway... time will tell.

Pete

A friend of mine rebuilt the frontend on a '50 chrysler about 2 years ago. that's what I'm basing my statement on.
Just look up the parts sometime. They use a dual wheel cylinder arrangement and you need to send the shoes in to get relined.

Yes, that's the front brakes... which I would recommend replacing anyway...

What about the front end? The suspension bits?

I just looked at Kanter, not necessarily the best or cheapest, but I know they sell things in "kit form" so it's easy for comparison. You could probably piece it together for less, but I'm not going to spend my time on it. I'll leave that up to you...

http://www.kanter.com///productdetail.as...&Cat=39&Prc=181

http://www.kanter.com///productdetail.as...=0&Cat=7&Prc=36

Here's a list of what I spent on my '50 Plymouth brakes and front end rebuild kit, all from Kanter. Hit reload on your browser if the image doesn't show up...



This adds up to just about $500 for completely new brakes stem to stern. These prices were a few years ago. The brake shoes are available (at least for Plymouth) with a core charge for your old shoes.

If I had to do it all over again, I would replace the front brakes and master cylinder with a disc conversion and dual master cylinder setup, for about the same money. I had already purchased all the replacement stuff before anyone had a disc conversion kit for sale for my car, back in 2000. A year or two later, the kits started to appear on the market.

The front suspension isn't bad for the era. It is a dual A-arm setup, but the arms are un-equal length unlike modern setups. The ride is nice, and handles fine for a daily driver. I had my alignment done after rebuilding the front end, the alignment shop was amazed at how easy it was to set up the alignment. They thought it was great that a 59 year old car had such a well thought out suspension.

With drop spindles, shock relocation kits, and disc conversions, I see no reason to do an MII swap or clip one of these cars.

Pete

I have a '47 DeSoto S11 coupe with the 236. I like
the early '50s DeSoto station wagons, but there is
not much interest in these cars, even with a hemi
motor. I like the honest styling, this is the era
of the first hardtops. I think these car are less
rust prone than the tail fin era Mopars.

Blue skies
I have a 1941 plymouth and I rebuilt the stock front end then added 11' disk brakes and changed the front shock mounting points which made a fine front end but I then removed the stock sway bar and adapted a front sway bar off of a middle 80s chevy police cruiser and you would not believe the difference in the handeling, it now thinks it is a small sports roadster instead of a big top heavy sedan.

the arms are un-equal length unlike modern setups?

Name one.