marcapra

Wow, you seem to be pretty good at this. I'll do that tomorrow because I do think the steering column flange is at an angle. Yes, I looked at my pic again above and the lower flange is at that angle so that must be right. Boy was I lost on this one! Thanks. Marc.

I'm from the San Diego La Jolla area and I didn't know they had a car show there. I would have thought that it would be impossible to park all of those cars. La Jolla cove area is notorious for having parking spaces tight as a drum!

I can guarantee you, I don't see these on the road everyday, week, year, decade, and maybe century. Very great car!

I need to make a correction about this pic. The flange in this above pic is mounted backwards on the steering column collar. The black flange should come out over the shift lever side.

John, I do believe you are right. I've already fastened the upper steering column clamp to the dashboard, but I still screwed the strut to upper flange. It makes the strut hang straight down, which I think is the best way. Great illustration by the way as you always do. Marc.

OH, I see what you mean. I forgot that we are looking at the strut from the back, not the front. You may be right on this. I'll go check it out.

Actually I put the strut on correctly. It turns out there is a lot of slop in the in way I put it on above. The steering column goes up about a half inch which corrects the alignment problem.

they don't sell these at O'reilly's anymore!

Here is an unboxing video for an old NOS 48 DeSoto horn right for my DeLuxe DeSoto.

I should correct something I wrote above. The clutch fork contacts the clutch release bearing, not the pressure plate itself. Then the clutch release bearing contacts the pressure plate.

Yes, I have some what they call anti-rattle that I putting between metal surfaces. It's a kind of cloth tape with an adhesive on one side. The pic above was just for demonstration. of course, you have to screw the top clamp onto the dashboard before mounting the dash or you would not be able to reach the bolts way inside the dash after you install it. when I look at the side view of the strut above, it kind of looks like it might fit better if I turn it upside down. See how the slant on top doesn't line up right. Of course it might not line up perfectly if I turn it around either. Or maybe I should try putting the top strut on the back of the flange for a better fit?

But I put the steering column clamp on today to see if the flange on the clamp could somehow attach to the strut. And I am suprised that it did. The strut had just enough of a slant to fit. Here are some pics of it. Now I can proceed with installing the dashboard.

I am still not sure what the bottom of that strut screws in to. I can't see it in the pic. I thought it went into the flange on the steering column, but it's not in line. I'll have to ask my parts car guy.

Yep, I was the one that worked on that tiny radiator that was called a postage stamp radiator. I guess I didn't do a great job. That's the first time I heard the word love and Ford Fiesta in the same sentence! Glad to hear that you got some use out of it. Putting some Pinto horse emblems on it, that's a scream! Now i don't feel so guilty about giving you that Fiesta. Here is what one looks like, but mine didn't look this good!

John, that 1980 Ford Fiesta rings a bell. I think that's the car my dad gave me, and then I gave to you not running. I still feel a little guilty about giving you that piece of *&^$%#.

Yes I scold my 30 year old self all the time, but it doesn't seem to do any good. There are a lot of things i would do differently if I could be 30, or better yet, 20 again.

Good advice, but not for me. I took this car apart in the 1980s! Today, I'm working on finishing the throttle linkage all the way from the gas pedal to the carburetor. It's all done except for the gas pedal and the stem to the lever connection. Luckily, my parts car guy sent the missing pedal hinge and linkage clip to attach the stem to the lever.

I asked a question in techical about this flange on the cowl. I didn't know what it was for. No one else knew either. But my part car buddy, who has a 47 DeSoto took a pic under his dash. It turns out that a strut bolts on there and helps support the steering column by securing it to the cowl. Good to know, so I'm putting this obscure info here to possibly help other restorers with the same question.

My parts car friend sent me a pic of his 47 DeSoto under dash. It's good to have a parts car buddy, as no one else seems to have the answers on this kind of minutiae. And maybe these pics might help a future restorer of a Chrysler product of this era. What goes there is a strut that seems to be for holding the steering column firmly to the top of the cowl. The bottom of the strut screws into a flange that attaches to the top part of the steering column clamp. This strut is attached with 1/4" bolts.

I'm planning on putting my dashboard in tomorrow. I noticed this flange on the cowl. I screwed a 1/4" bolt into it. I can't see anywhere on the dash that would screw into it. Maybe it has something to do with the dimmer switch light?

Have you given it a test drive yet? Very important thing to do before buying it. Do you know what it's missing?

After playing around with the clutch some more, I think I understand it now. It is not whether fork rod moves when you push the pedal in 1", it is when does the fork contact the pressure plate. If you push the pedal in you can kind of hear the fork contacting the pressure plate. So I adjusted my clutch fork rod to contact the pressure plate at about 1" travel on the clutch pedal.

I have a question on the clutch pedal adjustment. How do I get 1 inch free play at the pedal? If I back off the clutch rod adusting nut, the pedal will stay down when pushed down.

On my DeSoto, you can't pull the cable out at the transmission because there is a collar at the gauge end. I had to pull the cable out at the gauge end.

Today I lubed the speedo cable and installed it on top of the trans. just behind the trans. solenoid. I wasn't sure if there is a correct way to route the cable so I placed on the exhaust pipe shield where the trans. wires are and snaked it up of over the bell housing into the engine compartment, then back through the hole in the cowl to be ready for the dashboard when I install it on Monday. Does that sound about right? The original cups for the solenoid and the interrupter switch had cracked off, so I substituted some new Everdry Mopar spark plug covers, which I think will work.