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Dear DeSoto enthusiasts
Since july I have bought in Detroit a '49 convertible coupe. An amazing and delightful car. And little by little I learn more about the car. As it is 67 years old, the technique is ofcourse from that era. Ofcourse I hear you think. And you are right.
This morning I saw this little movie on Youtube; 1949 DODGE - HOW THE CONTROLS WORK
And this gave me the following idea; Is there a member who is willing and capable of filming his car and tell us how to drive it, or how to maintain it or how to deal with certain issues like rust or mechanical issues. Or what new items you have done to the car. Mine has e.g. a fluid drive 4 speed and reverse. Now how is e.g. the best way to drive it. Use the first and second in daily driving or not? I just don't know.
Maybe it is possible to have a special folder of the website in which all those movies can be shown and seen. For me it would be a great opportunity to show our cars and our experiences to each other.
I hope to hear some answers and maybe even better ideas
with a friendly greeting
Jan Hermans
Hi Jan, welcome to this forum and welcome to the delightful world of Desoto. It doesn't say where you live only that you bought the car in Detroit. It would be interesting to know where you live.
I can answer your question about driving with fluid drive. You are right, four speeds and reverse. It is meant to be driven in high range (third and fourth gear) for normal driving. The only time I use first and second gear is if I am taking off on a hill or just want to make a quick start like across a busy intersection or pulling into heavy traffic. The fluid coupling lets the car idle without using the clutch so you can stop and go without using the clutch. The only time you need the clutch is when shifting from low to high range or into reverse. In normal driving, take off in high range (third gear), accelerate to over 25 mph and let up on the gas. When the engine rpm's drop to idle it should shift. If it doesn't, try going a little faster and try again. Remember the engine rpm's have to drop back to idle or it won't shift.
Having said all that, there is a little trick that it took me a long time to learn and many don't know about. If you accelerate up to 20-25 mph (or almost any speed) let up on the gas and depress the clutch it will shift immediately. You don't have to wait for the engine rpm's to drop.
your question where I live is in Holland. After finding my dreamcar I flew to Detroit to have a look at the car myself. I just fell in love with the car. Shining in the sunlight it was standing there as if it was alive. The owners were the most loving people you can imagine. And also the carbroker. A more than great man who was very trustworthy. My feeling said that it would be a great buy. And so it was. I went 3 times to an oldtime show and won 3 times the first price. Even the women who are not interested in cars, fall in awe when they see this great glade green beauty. I wished I could send a picture to state this when I was at an old castle for my sisters 55th wedding day.
This is what I was after; an american legacy to show to the people in Holland how great it is to be part of that era. Only to show the american dream of having a car that opens up your heart. So know, that whenever I drive, I have a smile on my face. Rain, wind, sunshine. The beauty of the car needs no words. Only eyes to gaze at.
So therefore it is also hard to find people here, who can work on it in a professional way.
Jan,
I was hoping that the club's web-master would speak up and say whether or not your idea of a movie folder is doable. I like the idea, but I'm guessing that the size of the video files would be more than we can handle. Still, we'll wait for the all and powerful web-master to speak and see what he has to say.
Bill Noble
Whoops! Thanks for the reminder, Bill! And, flattery gets you everywhere.
I think the idea is great. The "easiest" way to probably do it due to file size would be to provide a link to a youtube video, or wherever the video is being hosted.
We would need individuals capable of 1. Creating and editing the video of whatever topic they are featuring and 2. uploading their video to a hosting site such as youtube.
Most smartphones these days create reasonable video files, or my Canon digital cameras at the shop create videos as well as still shots. And of course, there are dedicated digital "video cameras".
Much of 1 and 2 aren't really that hard, it just takes a little bit of a learning curve. I record my shop videos, and then edit them in Windows MovieMaker, which came pre-installed on my computers.
We could also start a movie forum for movies that have DeSoto in them. I think there's already a data base doing that, but we could create one dedicated to De Soto.
For instance, here is a link to the full movie "Vertigo" starring Jimmy Steward and a '56 De Soto Fireflite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4U6whuEgec
Tim
It's supposed to be fun!
1949 De Soto Custom Convertible (project)
