1941 4 door

[richjoyce41olds]

I recently came across a 1941 4 door desoto in drivable condition. I really don't know anything about these cars (I've only worked with oldsmobiles and pontiacs up until now). Before I buy it, I was curious to see how difficult it is to get parts (sheet metal, mechanical) for these cars. Thanks for your help.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Hi There!

A few words from " the man who owns one"...

In general, mechanical parts are readily available for Chrysler Corporation products from 1935 & later, the main exception being straight-eight Chryslers and Imperials (available, but pricey!).

Body sheet metal and trim do turn up at swap meets and on e-bay, sometimes as "new old stock", but I wouldn't say that it's "common". Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any companies doing repro body panels for Chrysler & De Soto; mostly only Plymouth,

My car presently has 98,000 original miles, mostly unrestored. (I do not count the "previous owner" repaint and interior as "restoration".)

My engine is knocking (rod bearings) and smoking and is generally ready for overhaul, but the car still starts and goes whenever I get behind the wheel (such as a run to the drug store tonight, in 20 deg. Penna. winter). I completely rebuilt my braking system about six years ago and put new tires all around.

Even if the car is "driveable as is", please consider re-building the entire brake system first-thing...the steel lines will surely be rusted-out or near point of failure. All brake parts are available, but usually only through MoPar"specialists" like Roberts Motor Parts or Andy Bernbaum, among others.

Basically, you can get anything you need to keep one of these MoPars on the road within a week's time, and if you go through and rebuild/replace questionable things like fuels pumps & such, and perhaps keep a spare on the shelf, you'll be able to drive it as long as there's gasoline available to fill the tank!

I have found fuel pumps, carb kits, and tune-up parts through my local auto jobbers.

I have driven my '41 De Soto about 20,000 miles over the eight years that I've owned it, and it has never left me stranded...to which I will add: my car is a "De luxe" model (lower priced), which came with a regular "dry clutch" (as opposed to "Fluid Drive") and a 3-speed manual transmission.

The up-scale Custom series (same car, fancier trim) almost always have Fluid Drive and "Simplimatic" semi-automatic transmission. This system was fairly reliable, and many car so-equipped are still functional; however, there is more potential for complications with the semi-auto.

If your '41 is so-equipped, if you go through the tranny controls and linkages, and clean and lube everything and replace the wiring, it should work fine for you.

I love my De Soto, and plan on keeping it; I've had nearly two-dozen "antique" cars over the years, and consider MoPars of the 1930's -'50s to be among the best engineered and most comfortable cars I've owned. The are almost legendary for their durability.

You may not win any drag races, but you also won't see an old flathead MoPar on the side of the road with the hood open, disabled by vapor-lock or other problems that seemed to plague the "hotter" flatty-Ford V-8s of the same era...

The engine that powered Sherman tanks during WWII was made of five Chrysler flathead-sixes ganged together to create a 30-cylinder tank engine, replacing the radial aircraft engine that the tank had initially used.

These are basically the same engine that's in our De Sotos...

Feel free to e-mail me with more questions...

[richjoyce41olds]

Thanks for the information.

[Guest bkazmer]

Something that may be different from your GM experience is that Mopar often used stepped bore brake cylinders - if you take them apart make sure you're not trying to force them out the wrong way! I remember learning this the hard way