Jacobson’s organ (vomeronasal organ): Located on the roof of the mouth, this organ detects chemical signals in the environment. Heat of Combustion – This chemical property is the amount of energy that is released as heat when a substance is burned with oxygen. That there are no numbers present in the chemical formula means that there is one atom of each element present in the molecule. There was a new model: the Custom Town Sedan, a formal but pretty adaptation of the standard issue with closed or “blind” rear-roof quarters, priced about $50 higher. Styling was bolt-upright formal through ’31, then smoothed a bit with barrel-like grilles. Sedans were sold with either outside spare tire or “trunkback” styling that enclosed the spare in an integral luggage compartment. Styling still left something to be desired. DeSoto first observed a model year with the January 1932 introduction of its SC-Series “All New Six.” This wore chunky but attractive styling as a standard sedan, seven-passenger sedan, and Custom sedan, convertible, and phaeton. Model choices held firm for ’42, but there was a “squarer” six, bored out to 236.6 cid. Though model-year output rose some 11,000 units, DeSoto again placed 13th. Like other Chrysler makes, it might have done better had the firm not suffered a crippling strike at the start of 1940 production.

Chrysler’s Fluid Drive, which allowed the driver to start and stop without using the clutch, became available on DeSotos. The great Ray Dietrich of coachbuilding fame was hired to direct Chrysler’s corporate design in this period, so DeSoto looked as conservative as its sister makes, though in tune with contemporary tastes. DeSoto Division rode out the last half of the ’30s with increasingly larger and duller cars. DeSoto went on to build its most-exciting cars in the ’50s, only to die in late 1960 after a flash recession and sibling rivalry obliterated its narrow, well-defined price niche. All the pros and cons of the 1934 Chrysler Airflow naturally held for the DeSoto versions, only they came in a single four-model series versus a multiplicity of Chryslers. Even so, DeSoto history generally parallels Chrysler’s with one key exception: While Chrysler offered a group of conventionally styled Sixes for 1934, DeSoto relied exclusively on that year’s radical new Airflow. Eights cost around $1000, early-’30s Sixes around $800-$850. In particular it aimed to produce electricity with only a 10% cost premium and to show that hydrogen can be produced at $3.80 per GJ, equivalent to petrol at 12.7 cents per litre. When products can be produced (and purchased) very cheaply, it often makes more economic sense to simply throw away old items and purchase brand new ones.

● Pandolfi, Keith. “Boost home value, get cheaper bills.” This Old House. ● This Old House. ● U.S. Energy Information Administration. ● U.S. Department of Energy. ● Zweibel, Ken. “Harnessing Solar Power: The Photovoltaics Challenge.” Plenum Press, New York and London. ● Noufi, Rommel and Zweibel, Ken. ● Darlin, Damon. “Financially, Solar Power for the Home Is a Tough Sell.” New York Times. Though good times soon turned to “hard times,” DeSoto would be one of the few pre-Depression “expansion” makes to survive them. Thanks to the Airstreams, production rebounded to 26,800, yet DeSoto dropped to 13th in the wake of Packard’s highly successful new medium-priced One Twenty. But Eights appealed to only about one in three buyers, so DeSoto offered nothing but sixes from 1932 until its hemi-head “FireDome” V-8 of 1952. Actually, the six was but a single engine that was periodically enlarged — essentially a smaller version of Chrysler’s six. With an option to select among three different scents, this product impressed us a lot. There was also a $35 two-tone paint option.

There could be repeat count afterward or not. There are many systems out there today that you will have to switch the filter every time it happens to be too dirty. If this is the case, remove the fresh water tank and pull out the filter below it. A more-extensive restyle for 1942 introduced “Airfoil” hidden headlamps that were “out of sight, except at night.” Though not an industry first (the 1936-37 Cord 810/812 had something similar), they were Detroit’s only hidden lamps that year, and imparted a cleaner look. Kids learn by doing, and nothing helps make them aware of water-wise practices better than asking them to tag along while you look for toilet, faucet and showerhead leaks. When you unwrap them, make sure to check for any muscles – it’s that small rectangular-like tough tag on the side of the scallop we mentioned earlier. It is very important that a thorough background check of the cleaners has been done before employing them.