I need to spend the next 2 years rebuilding out daily driver of the last 20 years the 1947 Desoto Suburban.

At one time I had 2 fully restored (I did it myself) 1964 Chrysler 300-K's. A coupe and a convertible. So I have a good feel for the dash on these cars.

What I wanted to ask, is what kind of mess would I get into if I purchased a '59 and had to swap out the necessary parts to put in factory AC? I am aware of the engine side, the big evaporator unit is a semi-direct swap on that side. It is the under dash changes that worry me.

Do you think it could be done without pulling the entire dash?

Thanks for your thoughts.  James

I’m assuming the insignias are plated (be nice if it weren’t), so your caution was prudent. I’m wondering if vinegar might be an alternative as a non-abrasive approach?

I also have the dash and steering column components out for powder coating and the steering pump and steering box were both sent off to Power Brake X-Change in Pittsburgh for rebuild. That stuff should be back anytime not and then reassembly can start. I will mostly just be waiting on the chrome at that po

int.

Hey David,

What did you use to cleanup the Fireflite insignia?

I also wanted to separate the center decorative chrome "button" from one of the gauge faces to replace it with a nicer one, but that was very tedious and slow because it's a one-way retainer ring that has to come off. That wasn't a problem with the outer gauge rings, but on the center "button", it's only supported by the plastic face and thus very, very easy to crack. Over an hour later of working at it with a sewing needle, I finally got it apart successfully. I also cleaned up my best switch knobs, gauge center "buttons", and the heater cover plate, which will be going back on the car as-is since they are very nice, along with the previously cleaned heater control buttons.

Today I dropped off the balance of the dash chrome at "The Chrome Shop" in Menasha, Wisconsin. They are supposed to be about the best in the state and have done a number of cars I know, including my uncle's '58, a local '56 Imperial, and many cars for Bob Schmidt (recall we toured his shop in Branson in 2018 as part of the convention). The lead time is out to around May/June, but that may be improved on (I hope) since I have a small batch of stuff. I do have to procure a new glovebox trim because mine has pull indentations from over-torqueing the trim at some point in the car's past life. What I dropped off is the batch of parts on the counter in the photo below.

Next steps will be looking at gauge and gauge face restoration as long as it's cold. As soon as the temperatures climb out of single-digit highs here, I plan to finish stripping the last couple items off the dash (mirror, Autronic eye, glovebox liner, Fireflite emblem) and also get the steering column and steering box pulled for rebuild. I also need to drain down the coolant a bit and pull the leaking heater control valve for rebuild as well while that's easily accessible.