So, I am going to look at a 46 Limo on saturday. I have a couple of questions. I am not new to old cars, but I am new to desoto.
First off what is availability of parts for something like this?
Also, how can I tell what I am getting? How do I know it is a limo and not something else? This car appears to be in great shape for a sixty y/o car. Never restored, owned by a funeral home. less that 100k miles. no rust through.
This all sounds good, but just don't know much about the desoto marque.
Thanks in advance, and hopfully I will be adding a 46 desoto to my cars.

You can tell a DeSoto limo. The sedans are huge inside, the limo is humungous.

If in doubt measure the wheelbase. The sedan is 121.5", the limo is a full 18" longer at 139.5".

Technically a limousine has a divider window between front and back compartments. I don't think DeSoto made any of those. It is most likely an 8 passenger sedan. It will have a 3d seat between the front and back seats and in most models the rear most seat folds down.

They made thousands of these as taxis and airport limousines so they are not astonishingly rare but then again they aren't so common either.

Production for 1946 tallied 2642. Total for this model, 1942-48 over 12000 counting DeSoto only, they made another 10,000 or so Chrysler and Imperial limos with this body.

Much of the chassis and body is shared with Chrysler limousines and I have even seen a Dodge version.

The body,brakes, suspension, and rear axle are different from the regular DeSoto/Chrysler line but engine and trans are the same.

All the parts you need to keep one of these babies going are easy to find. I mean things like belts, hoses, tuneup, tires, brakes. Generally available from your local NAPA dealer or in extreme cases, from specialist suppliers.

They are a very sturdy well made car for their times. If you want that type of car, it will make an excellent alternative to the usual Caddy limo. Although in their time, the DeSoto was more in the Oldsmobile price class.

Here is an interesting story about one man's experience with a slightly newer DeSoto 8 passenger sedan.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/desoto/suburban-1951.html

The 46 will have a lot in common with this model especially the engine, transmission and general mechanical layout.

If you do buy the car come back and look up the Fluid Drive threads in the DeSoto and Chrysler boards. These transmissions are simple, rugged and easy to drive but they do require a slightly different technique. Easy to learn, but not so easy to figure out all by yourself. They combine some characteristics of the automatic and manual transmission.

This Desoto would not happen to be in the portland area, as it sounds like the one that has been running on the internet(i will not state where )as you found it and are interested but i believe its not a limo but an 8 pass sedan.
Good luck and negotiate with him its been advertised for a while.

Some more info on the 1946 DeSoto limo.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/desoto-cars1.htm

This is an extract from the "Plymouth Desoto Story"by Don Butler. The least popular of all desoto's during this period was the custom 7 passenger limousine, offered throughout the S11 marketing program. only 120 were built. the 1946 car weighed 3.937 pounds and cost $2,013. its 1948counter part weighed 3,995 pounds and cost 2,442. seven passengers and the chauffeur rode in formal luxury.the rear seat had a folding centre armrest. and the glass devided front compartment was done in black with leather on the seat and cloth on the doors

Only the Suburban had the third seat that folded down. And the middle seat was a full 3-passenger unit - actually the same as the front seat.

Regular 8-passenger sedans and limousines had a stationary rear seat with 2 folding jump seats behind the front seat.

DeSoto shared its body with Chrysler and Dodge with the chassis frame shared with the Chrysler Royal and Windsor. The Dodge used a 2" shorter wheelbase while the 8-cylinder Chryslers were 6" longer. As you can tell, the differences between the three makes was all in the hood.

Production for Chrysler Corporation's 1946-48 LWB models -

Dodge Custom 8-pass sedan - 3,698

DeSoto Taxi - 11,600
DeSoto Custom 8-pass sedan - 3,530
DeSoto Custom 8-pass limou - 120
DeSoto Custom Suburban 9-pass sedan - 7,500

Chrysler Royal 8-pass sedan - 626
Chrysler Royal 8-pass limou - 169
Chrysler Windsor 8-pass sedan - 4,390
Chrysler Windsor 8-pass limou - 1,496
Chrysler Crown Imperial 8-pass sedan - 650
Chrysler Crown Imperial 8-pass limou - 750

Chrysler has no breakdown of production between 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1st series 1949.

Bill
Vancouver, BC