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Does the '50 deluxe have rear seatbelts??
And whats the pros and cons of the 6V system, doesnt it cause accelerated erosion?
How do I use the transmission properly, like shifting and such??
And last but not least, can someone explain this manual choke thing to me??
Chris,
Seatbelts, at best, were optional. I am not even sure if they were available in 1950 but they may have been. I had a '51 and several '55 DeSotos with the 6 volt system and never had any issues with it. I would recommend leaving it as is. However, one thing I did do on my '51 was to buy an 8 volt battery. This of course required a small adjustment in the voltage regulator so that the generator would put out enough voltage to keep the battery charged. It helped with a smoother start but wasn't too much powere for lights, radio, etc.
Do you have a regular manual tranny on the car or do you have the Fluid Drive? Big difference in how they operate.
Dean
Dean Mullinax
1957 Fireflite 2 Door Hardtop
1941 DeSoto Deluxe 2 Door Sedan
It's Delightful, It's DeLovely, It's DeSoto!
Its the Fluid Drive Simplimatic. It has a clutch, just dont understand the shifting.
Where would I find an 8V battery and the VR to go with it?
and how would I make the battery fit? The terminals look different.
Chris
Seat Belts
In 1950 any maker did not have Seat Belts
offered in any manner to their production
car or truck.
The Six Volts & Positive Ground.
This was the auto industry standard until
the start of 1956. There is nothing wrong
or less about it.
An "mistake" that happens is a person who
now has the Six Volt System is they use the
current smaller diameter 12 Volt Diameter of
Wiring in their car. Because of the Amps
needed in the Six Volt System use wiring
from a set of Jumper Cables or Arch Welding
Cables as an Battery Cable.
Go back to the source and re-ask to explain
about the accelerated erosion part.
The Fluid Drive Unit and The M6 Transmission.
When this unit was first designed they did not
know how to use the Tech Information with
what they where learning, with what they had.
This is one main reason you have the still needed
Clutch.
While Stopped push the Clutch Fully to The Floor;
move The Shift Lever Down and Towards The
Direction of Gas Pedal. Let out the Clutch ( but
keep the Brake Pedal Pushed ). When ready remove
the foot from The Brake and Drive Forward up to
a speed that you feel/ hear the engine screaming...
let off the Gas Pedal slightly and it will shift to the
next gear. In this Gear Slection the car can be driven
in The Saint Patricks Day Parade or on your local
inter-state.
If you need to stop only use the foot brake and press
The Gas Pedal when you are ready again.
The next time The Clutch is needed is when you are
Parking or want to go in Reverse.
Reverse
There is no Sycro so a full stop is required.
One Foot on The Brake and Fully Press The Clutch
Pedal. Move The Shift Lever Up and Towards your
Fore-head. When this is done let out the Clutch Pedal.
You may drive the car To New York City if you want in
this manner. But ... if you want to go forward again
you must be stopped to Shift into Drive.
There is no Towards You and Down Position.
So Far you are doing good. Do not purchase anything
for the car until you ask why and fully know why. This
will make it so that you continue to have a car that
others "Will Ahh" about.
Rodger & Gabby
COS
FltSgt@outlook.com
Perfect description of the shifting!! so the clutch isnt necessary to change from 1st to 2nd or 3rd? nice.
and I found myself a 6v battery for $112 off the shelf.
And I will have to put at least one seatbelt in the rear for my darling little daughter. and I need to get some tailight assemblys still....
Chris, I am here in the Phoenix area and have a 53 DeSoto that came from CT in the early 90s. The 6 volt system does not cause any electrolytic and/or galvanic corrosion of any sort even with damp and sometimes salty road conditions. Besides, if it did, a 12 volt system would be more likely to cause more. I would not worry about it.
The 53 had no seatbelts -I had to have them installed. If they are attached to the floor pan, make sure the load is well distributed so the bolt and washer do not just pull the floor pan material out. Attachment to a structural member would be better but be careful about drilling the frame.
The con to the 6 volt is there will be no 12 volt to run modern radios and other electronics. I am not sure why pepole do not just add a 12 volt alternator with self contained voltage regulator and leave the 6 volt to do its usual business.
I would keep the 6 cylinder rather than making it suck a lot more gas with the 440.
Roger's explanation is good on the transmission.
Most manual chokes you just pull out and as the engine warms up you keep pushing it back in. Do not leave it out - the car will run way too rich when warmed up.
Good luck and enjoy. Feel free to keep asking away.
Awesome Paul. Hopefully Ill see you at some of the NPP car shows out at Chilly Bombers or the MixTeca! When my desoto is up and running im gonna head out there myself!
Im gonna find some old seatbelts at the junkyard, and ill have to mount them up and be good and done.
Chris, I often take my car to the Scottsdale Pavilions - the 101 and Indian Bend in the East Valley. There is a car show every Saturday. Where are the two car shows you mentioned and when do they have them?
Friday from 5pm to 8pm at Chilly Bombers Night club on 51st Avenue and W Bell Rd, and then Saturday from 5pm to 8pm on 67th ave and W Bell Rd.
The Discover Classic Car people go out there a lot, and sometimes all those KiT replicas from Nightrider come out and the cars talk on thier own and such. pretty cool stuff. There is a DJ, they give out prizes and plaques for best cars and stuff. Its all good fun
Chris,
Your DeSoto when new should have had an automatic choke on it. If it has a manual choke on it, it was probably put on later as an easier fix for rough performance when cold as opposed to properly adjusting or repairing all the components associated with the automatic choke.
Your transmission actually has four forward gear ratios. Roger has described how to start off in 3rd gear and shift to 4th gear. Under normal circumstances, this is all that is needed. When you are on a severe incline or when you want to get off the line faster, you can start off in 1st gear by shifting the gear shift lever in to what would normally be the 2nd gear position on a 3 speed manual shift car. In starting from this position you would be in 1st gear and as you reached a speed of 10-15mph you would let off the accelerator and it would automatically shift into 2nd gear. When the engine revolutions became sufficient in 2nd, you would engage the clutch pedal and shift the gear lever to the high position as described by Roger. More than likely, when shifting to this position from 2nd your car would be traveling too fast for the transmission to go into 3rd gear and it would go directly into 4th gear. It can be done, but one would have to work hard to start in 1st gear and go through all gears to get to 4th gear.
These transmissions are almost bulletproof: however, they are greatly misunderstood. I believe there is a linkage from the transmission to the carbureator which has to be adjusted properly for the transmission to shift properly. From time to time you see these fluid drive cars advertized with disclaimers such as "won't go into 1st gear" with the seller not knowing there is no standard 1st gear position on the car.
Mac
