Projects my first project thread, 52 Desoto

Well everything is coming along very well. Hope to take my gas tank and filler neck in to get cleaned this week!! What is the best way to clean the fuel line itself? Replace it? I am also wondering if the rear brake hose from the Cherokee rear end with bolt onto my stock brake line. Hose was cut so I don't have the end to compare I pretty much have it all put back together. I was very happy to realize today that my stock driveshaft has a slip on it so the bolt on tole on my th400 won't cause any problems. Just need to maybe get it shorten. I'll see when I get a yoke I will also admit I totally guessed when put the brake booster on and it sits perfect. An inch either way and I would be screwed

 

Happy to hear you nailed the brake booster placement!

 

lookin' good!

 

... great post. Cool cruiser. Nice work. Hemi sure looks sweet enh' ??

 

The hemi looks very sweet, progress is still coming along well, Got a new gas tank, sending unit and straps, I got my filler neck cleaned and sealed and painted, got new fuel line(steel)plumbed and all hooked up for the most part, got new brake lines installed on the rear. It was a bit tough to find 2 1/4 hose for the filler neck to tank connection but I found some online, so with the fuel sysetem done for the most part it should run on its own in the next couple days

 

Great to see an update! All of the small victories add up.

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Well I got the new tank and fuel line all installed and hooked up and it seems the fuel pump isn't pumping. I got the adapter and 318 pump from hot heads. Had it running pouring gas down the carb and the filter bowl isn't filling up. Did they use multiple pumps the 52 model year? Anyone else ever run into this problem? I still have the original pump so wondering if I can get that rebuilt

 

On the Chryslers there's been a lot of problems for a few years with stock ones not working. One buddy installed one found the arm didn't contact the concentric, arm went off just enough angle to miss. I had a new rebuilt one from a parts house not work. The LA conversion solved by problem. Don't know what's up with yours

 

Best bet is to check the arm designs.
Take either pump and lay it on the edge of the work bench on a piece of paper or cardboard
so that the arm is flat on the paper and the flange is flush against the table edge.
Mark the top and bottom of the flange. Next, trace around the arm and specifically note
where the eccentric contact patch is located. Point an arrow or something to the center of the patch.
Now, overlay the second pump, without the adapter/spacer, and place the flange in the same
location. The mounting flange location does not change.
Now trace around the arm and mark the contact patch. Although the arm may look a lot different
the contact patch needs to be in the same place. Try it with the spacer to see where the patch moves to.
Better or worse?

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I will give that a try, thanks for the idea


I also have a yoke on the way so it should have a driveshaft on it shortly, Any idea which u joints I should use? Im using the stock driveshaft and the trans is a chevy th400 with bolt on yoke and the rear end is out of a 98 grand cherokee

 

Measure the bearing cups on the shaft & on the rear end, then find out what u joint matches.

 

Well great news it finally runs on its own!!! Fuel pump works after all. Just needed some more run time

 

Good! On one car I had to pressurize the gas tank with compressed air to get the gas to the F/P

 

Well I have a question, my carb seems to have a piece of crud stuck in it since it is oozing out of the carb and not getting any gas into the motor, I picked up the rebuid kit at napa and even though my carb is a carter 2590S there system was only showing the 2590, is there a difference? And are these carbs hard to rebuild? Ive never rebuilt a carb and Im debatting weather I should try this myself or pay someone to do it

 

Well after some trouble with the carter I ended up picking up a used edelbrock and spacer and boy she seems to run good , all i gotta do now is bleed the brakes although i think the master cylinder might be shit from sitting for 2 years now, thoughts? Get a driveshaft which I am unsure about bc after some comparison i dont think im gonna find a u joint to mate my stock shaft to the massive TH400 yoke, get some exhaust and Ill be on the road!!!!

 

if you had even looked at the top of this page you would see I kept the hemi

 

I am wondering if it will be possible to mount a P/S pump from a 57 341 on my motor

 

fab or buy the brackets.

 

So I have a question about my Driveshaft, I was hoping to use my stock drive shaft since it has a slip in it and I have a TH400 with a bolt on yoke but the problem I am foreseeing is that the yolk on the stock shaft is extremely tiny compared to the Yoke on the trans and there is no way I will find a U joint to mate the 2 together

 

Well I have made great progress recently. I finally got the brakes bled yesterday and they all work! I also got a shifter hooked up and found a donor driveshaft to cut up so I will be dropping the two shafts off at the driveshaft shop so they can work their magic and then all I need is exhaust and she'll move on her own!!! I am very excited. I still need power window parts which I am finding are quite hard to find

 

Super surprised to get a call this afternoon that my driveshaft was finished already today. Just picked it up. They ended up just making me a new shaft and it only ran me 280. Not bad at all

 

You're not going to look into a replacement m/c for the car?

 

Oh I already took care of that. I got the front disc conversion from old daddy and it has a brake booster and mc/ pedal assembly from an 84 Camaro

 

Big day today! It moves under its own power! Very rewarding after almost 3 years Next stop alignment and exhaust

 

Congratulations, Very impressive build, and a cool car to boot!

 

Really like that car, and it's a hard top, how cool is that!

 

Where do I find a steering wheel installation kit for this thing so I can put an after market wheel on this thing? No luck at any of the local stores and not finding much online

 

Glad to see all of your hard work has paid off. Most people would have dropped in a Chebby motor, UGH!!! We all want a video. I have a soft spot for the old mopar's. I drive '57-'61 P,D and Chrysler.

 

Here is a video of pulling it out of the garage for the 1st time! I also drove it around the block last night, It is in serious need of alignment so not much driving till it gets exhaust and alignment.

 

Some times you just gotta put your thinking cap on and make what you need. What wheel are you trying to adapt?

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