Help identifying Maxwell

[Midway]

I'm not a car collector, but I ran across this old Maxwell in an apparently abandoned junk/antique shop. I have no interest in the car itself, but am just curious about the type, vintage, etc.

[72caddy]

That's a neat car. Where is it located? Probably in the mid-late teens for time period. If you post in the 'what is it?' section you would get more traffic.

[imported_Desertexplorer]

Appears to be 1914/15. What part of the country is it located in?

[JO BO]

Looks like a nice candidate for restoration. Can you get more pictures? I also think 1914/15 . Thanks JO BO

[Midway]

Sorry I posted to the incorrect forum. This was my first post here so please pardon my mistake. Perhaps a/the moderator can cross post?

Anyway, I'm a photographer (not a pro) not a car collector, although I owned a 67 Tornado for a number of years, but sold it sometime back.

The Maxwell is in Boone, NC at a place called "Antiques and Stuff" By far, it is mostly "stuff." It is located at a major intersection - East King Street and 194. This is a major intersection, and the car is almost right on the road. I can't imagine why no one has picked it up by now.

The store appears almost abandoned, and there's a "condemned" sign on a stairway. I was attracted to the place because I thought I could find some interesting photos there and I did. Oh, BTW, in the stall next to the Maxwell is a '29 Model T that looks like you could "drive it off the lot."

While I'm not interested in restoring cars, I would hate to see them lost forever. Perhaps someone will see this post and go after these cars before the bulldozers come in.

If you do, please keep me posted.

[72caddy]

You posted in the proper forum to get the Maxwell people going. Obviously, this group would be more interested than any other. I just know the 'What is it' forum is seen by a large number of people and if this car is for sale - it would go rather quickly.

I would love to have it, but the effort/time to track down the legal owner and negiociate a deal is prohibitive for me right now - I am just to far away.

Let me add, that I appreciate you taking the time and effort to spread the word on this car. I am sure others are appreciative as well.

You should also submit your photo to Hemmings Motor News for the annual 'Abandoned Autos' calendar. I think this would be a great candidate.

[MCHinson]

Midway,

Unfortunately, I am on the wrong end of NC to easily stop by and see these cars.

Do you have any photos of the other car? If by Model T, you mean Ford Model T, it will not be a 1929 if it is a T. I would like to see any photos of that car if you have any, to see if it is a 1929 Model A, or an earlier Model T.

I would like to know more.

[Midway]

Hi McHinson, Yes, here's a photo of the other car. It may be hard to see at this resolution, but the embossing on the radiator is "Ford." The white card in the windshield said it was a '29 T model, but I thought that was might late for T models (what the heck do I know!) so it may be an A model. There's too much glare on the windshield to make it out. We will be back up there in a few weeks and verify. I'll also try and locate an owner.

Yes, Wilmington is a LONG way away. Lovely city, though.

[keiser31]

Actually it looks like a 1926 or 1927 Model T. NOT Model A (1928 thru 1931).

[F1FanWoodsie]

Are those headlights original to the car? I would love to have that car, but unfortunately I'm also too far away. If someone would be willing to track down the owner for me and then get it up here to Iowa, though, I'd be more than happy to take it :P

[Tempest Storm]

I hope that I am in the right forum.. Well kinda in the right forum.. I have a Maxwell - Chrysler Truck.. the body at least.. and we are trying to identify the year.. I know that these pics are not wonderful.. I took them with the truck insitu and then we got it home and stored it.. I have none of it since we got it home..

[Maxwell 17 owner]

I think this is a 1916 to 1917 Maxwell,I have a Maxwell and have been looking for a simular one to determine what year of Maxwell I own. This is just like mine except the one I have is a custom hot rod and I tried to retain the origional boby as much as possable. This car is wonderful, today is the first time in the 15 years I have owned mine that I have ever seen one just it. I am very excited to see this picture.I am a new member

[Maxwell 17 owner]

I have a maxwell I would like to post pictures dont know how ?

[72caddy]

Use 'Full Reply Screen' button below and then attach you image using the File Manager option at the bottom - wait for the filenamt to list in the dialog before saying you are done.

[Maxwell 17 owner]

I am trying to come up with a better picture of my car,it looks Just like the one Maxwell of Midway took .I still have the origional sheetmetal,doors body and fenders.The rest is a custom streetrod,I would have never done this but the car did not have alot of metal left after 92 years and liveing some of its life in the North West. Maxwell 17

[DavidCa]

For Tempest Storm,

Interesting serial # tag. I own a 1925 Chrysler 4 open touring car that was made in Canada with an identical tag but tag number of WC 102 C.


The Maxwell in earlier question has more intersting headlight lenses than mine - obviously older.

David

[Tempest Storm]

Thanks David! We have pretty much narrowed it to a 24 or 25 we think.. Your tag has Maxwell Chrysler on it too? With the of Canada?

[DavidCa]

Yes. tag is identical in appearance. I read once that Chrysler used a coding system of letters for numbers. Don't know if that is true or not, but the letters w p Chrysler stood in turn for the numbers 0 through 9. If true, your car was the one made immediately after mine. For the four cylinder cars, if after June 1st it's a Chrysler. If before its a Maxwell. I believe that was the change over date. I'm not an expert on this stuff, I could well be wrong with these facts. Just been curious about my own car's history.

David

[jmax]

Thanks for posting this pic because it got me interested in rescuing this Maxwell. The car sits in the yard of an antique shop. I went and checked it out and thought I had a deal to buy it, but the seller waffled, delayed, balked, whatever, and in the end wouldn't sell. I think he's a pack rat that can't bear parting with the car. It's a shame really because it sits directly on the dirt and decays. I thought it would be cool to get it running, paint the wheels and put some tires on but otherwise leave the patina and drive it topless.

Here is what I observed. The car is fairly complete, but missing the following. Front seat, spare tire/rim, radiator cap. tail light, top. The starter handle is broken so I couldn't tell if the starter/engine would turn. The engine is leaking oil. The owner claims that it ran a couple of years ago when he aquired it.

[cardinal905]

I have a 1916, this is a 14-15 I think. The headlights mount on a vertical post on the earlier cars, mine mount off the fender. Makes me want to fly down there and look further ! Thanks for posting.

[imported_Bill-W]

Originally Posted By: DavidCa

Yes. tag is identical in appearance. I read once that Chrysler used a coding system of letters for numbers. Don't know if that is true or not, but the letters w p Chrysler stood in turn for the numbers 0 through 9. If true, your car was the one made immediately after mine. For the four cylinder cars, if after June 1st it's a Chrysler. If before its a Maxwell. I believe that was the change over date. I'm not an expert on this stuff, I could well be wrong with these facts. Just been curious about my own car's history.

David

The system was called FEDCO. If the serial number was 6 digits, three of them would be stamped as letters. If a car was stolen and retrieved, a new tag would be made up and with the first letter replaced with its numberic equivalent.

Chrysler was the only big company to use it, the rest being small companies such as Moon, Diane, Gardner. Chrysler adopted it for the 1926 model year and dropped it during 1930.

Chrysler's FEDCO decoder :

0 - W
1 - P
2 - C
3 - H
4 - R
5 - y
6 - S
7 - L
8 - E
9 - D

Chrysler of Canada used letters that were not decodable for the first letter in the serial number, as did the U.S. 1929 DeSoto (K) and 1929 Chrysler 75 (Z). In the case of Chrysler of Canada, I do not believe they used the FEDCO plate although they used the system. And as Canadian production was far less than 10% of the U.S. production, it was not a problem.

Letters that cannot be decoded are -
A - Chrysler (I,G), 1930 Dodge Brothers (DC)
B - Chrysler (F,H), 1930 Dodge Brothers (DD)
F - Chrysler (CC,CJ)
G - 1928 Chrysler (I*), 1929-30 Plymouth (Q&U)& DeSoto (K&CF)
J - Chrysler (J,W)
N - Chrysler (M,P,V)

No 4-cylinder cars were built as Chrysler in 1925 - they were all Maxwells. However, the Chrysler 4 began production in June, 1925, and some were registered as 1925 models, although Chrysler did consider them as 1926 models.

Chrysler Corporation of Canada, Limited, succeeded the Maxwell-Chrysler Corporation of Canada, Limited, on June 17, 1925.

[imported_Bill-W]

For the car with the Maxwell-Chrysler serial number, BW102H, is for a 1926 Chrysler 4, model F-58. Serial numbers for that model ran from BW100P to BW452R.

To decode -
BW100P to BW452R
B01001 to B04524

BW102H
B01023

So that car was the 23rd model F-58 built. Definitely a June, 1925, build.

Bill
Vancouver, BC

[imported_Bill-W]

Originally Posted By: DavidCa

For Tempest Storm,

Interesting serial # tag. I own a 1925 Chrysler 4 open touring car that was made in Canada with an identical tag but tag number of WC 102 C.

The Maxwell in earlier question has more intersting headlight lenses than mine - obviously older.

David

WC102C is for an American-built 1926 Chrysler 58, model F.

Serial numbers and decode -
WW100P to WY160W
001001 to 051600

plus
YC200P to YR056S
522001 to 540566

WC102C
021022

Which makes it the 20,022nd built of a total of 69,166 in the U.S.

The switch to to "YC200P" sequence occurred as the 1926 Chrysler 70, model G, began at WY580W.

Bill
Vancouver, BC