mrcvs

My 1917 Maxwell tends to overheat when put in forward and reverse in a short period of time n order to fit in a tight space after a run. The spark is advanced to start. I have heard that retarding the spark and increasing rpm's (hand throttle) can prevent this from happening. I tried this today, but steam was already starting to form and it seemed to not do much (but was being shut off at that point anyway).

I heard repeatedly that vent windows were eliminated due to COST.

If moving, the Maxwell isn't bad! In hindsight, 90% of the sweating may have occurred when I stopped to put air in the tires in the hot sun! My regular driver has no a.c. either, and as 95% of my driving in it is 10 miles or less, and it is usually not sweltering hot, it isn't bad. I would be lying if I did not admit that my company car does have a.c., and that is the vast majority of my driving. Even so, I believe I am more likely than most to hold off on the a.c. until it simply is really unbearable.

Well, the top was down because I generally keep it that way because I cannot make it into the garage otherwise. I Do prefer to ride with the top up, other than for this most practical reason. I lived nearly a decade in Virginia in a house that lacked air conditioning and I did just fine. When hot, sat by a fan, and had no problems. Now reside in Pennsylvania in a house with central air, and ever since then, the summers have seemed hotter and more unbearable. When I lived the better part of my life without air conditioning...well, you just can't miss what you never had!

I took my 1917 Maxwell for a spin yesterday, and, don't get me wrong, I had a blast. Temperature had to be 90 deg F, or more... Of course, pre-dates air conditioning, had top down, still was dripping sweat when I was done... Automobiling in the summer months had to have been a sweat-filled proposition. Is there any mention of this in the literature and/or what did affluent individuals, who would never be seen in public actually breaking a sweat, do to counter this?

Before and after photos?

This looks like a 'homemade' pickup truck, made from a converted four door touring car.

Now, I like that! I tend to appreciate vintage stuff more than anything, so that is right up my alley. Not much for plastic and junk with the dreaded "Made in China" label.

Yes, that's exactly what I thought! Clincher tires should never be driven on low pressure, and this is why I wanted to solve the problem at home. I did take the Maxwell to Giant last summer, and I could not recall what I got the pressure up to, but it wasn't even close to 55 psi. I thought it was something I was doing, but I see now it might just be impossible to get to 55 psi unless you have a compressor at home--or, a real workout with the bicycle pump!

Well, I went to Wal Mart today and the compressor I wanted was in stock and still on sale! Problem solved! I think the issue was that it was just not available for Christmas Day, and not the cost of it, and that it was retail, etc. I like trying to find stuff at auctions below retail, for me it is more a game, than anything. But, in this case, well worth it! Tires can pump up a lot faster now! A member brought to my attention that this topic was an object of ridicule. I am not offended, but it seemed to make sense at the time. That is, said air compressor not available before Christmas, let's keep things affordable at Christmas time, AND, if I need only 55 psi and a tire pump can do 70 psi, let's do it. I think 42 psi would be just fine to drive on at 25 mph for two miles until I made it to the Giant with the air pump. I just like the idea of being to inflate my tires at home.

Yes, this is a valid option, and I have used this option before. I was at 42 psi and used the bicycle pump to get to 55 psi before driving the Maxwell. I could have driven 2 miles to the nearest air meter at the local Giant, but it seemed sensible to have the tires properly inflated before driving. It isn't a good idea to drive on underinflated tires, but, in this case, I would probably have been okay. I suppose because I needed 55 psi, and the cheap bicycle pump states it could pump to 70 psi, it seemed like a great idea at the time.

Okay, so I am not crazy! I assumed because I never saw a vintage air compressor for sale, I am either attending the wrong auctions or they simply did not exist in 1920 or thereabouts; obviously, the second option was the case. Yes, the air compressor I was looking at was even for sale at a third off at Wal-Mart. Part of the reason I did not get it, in addition to what I already stated, was because it wasn't even in stock. I guess several others determined that 1/3 off was indeed a good price. No, I don't intend to get one at 10% of retail at auction. I could just luck into this, but unlikely. A third to half of retail is a realistic expectation. Grimy, if I was around in 1915, and you were, too, you would be my best friend! Check this out: http://www.usinflationcalculator.com If you type in the years 1915 and 2015, and use $10 as the value, you just paid me the equivalent of $234.99 to inflate your tire! If you reverse the years and want to know, if you feel that inflating a tire is worth $10 today, what you would have paid in 1915 to do so, the answer is 43 cents.

The year is 1920 give or take a decade. Your car needs air in its tire; how was a tire inflated in those days? I do need an air compressor. Just too cheap to pay full retail and the ones I have seen at auctions tend to be fairly recent (within the last couple of decades) and are either too far gone to even consider or brought more money than I was willing to bid. My 1917 Maxwell needed air in the rear tires, and, being Christmas, my wife asked what I wanted. Now, I am really difficult to buy for, as Christmas shopping implies going to retail outlets and paying full retail. Interestingly, an article in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago discussed how Christmas shopping makes no economic sense, and I agree. My gifts are nice, but I would not pay what they cost; indeed, the basis of the article asked folks what their gifts cost and what they would be willing to actually pay for them, and it was only a fraction of the true economic cost of the gifts. So, my wife spent too much on everyone else, on folks that don't even really warrant a gift from us (such as her sister's ex-husband's second child, she being the half-sister of her nieces), so I suggested she not buy me the air compressor I need, for two reasons. First, it cost more than I would be willing to spend on it, and, secondly, because she didn't need to spend much on me having spent too much on everyone else. (Obviously, the obvious approach would not work: e.g., give me nothing today and reimburse me for the cost of the 'decent' air compressor I will hopefully find at auction some time in 2016 at a cost well below retail). So, I suggested she get a bicycle pump for under $10 at Wally World, which she did. It was rated to 70 psi, and I only need 55 psi for my 30 X 3 1/2 tires. Well...getting to 55 psi was a bear! Took me awhile, but I made it. Separated the pump from its base once and managed to put it back together. Which leads me to the question. How were tires inflated a century ago? It seems like they couldn't have used a bicycle pump, as it takes forever to do so and it ain't exactly easy. But, then again, I have never been at an auction where a 'vintage' circa 1920 air compressor is offered for sale. Beautiful weather today. Okay, a bit overcast, and maybe some drizzle. But, I got my tires inflated to the proper pressure and took the Maxwell for a spin. Who would have thought I'd be driving it on Christmas Day in the absence of adverse weather conditions?

Well, I attended an auction in Sellersville PA on Saturday that featured a 1941 Clipper in running condition. The high bid was $2,750 on it, but the executrix wouldn't sell it for less than $5,000. I was willing to go in the middle, and gave her my number. I later heard that she sold it to the high bidder for somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000. It was in running condition, meaning it started. I did not see it drive, nor did anyone else. Compression is unknown. Original interior with some condition issues, some body work needed, etc. http://www.auctionzip.com/cgi-bin/auctionview.cgi?lid=2565280&kwd=&zip=18062&category=0

Interesting...I noticed when I got this car back in 2011, the coolant level was 'low', and filled to the top. It did indeed 'puke' out excess coolant and found its happy level. I thought it was just a quirk of my particular car.

Oh, that might just explain it all, then! It is overheating in the time from when I park it, turn off the gas, and wait for the remaining gas to burn, which kills the engine. It has not overheated when driving it. What damage, if any, permanent or otherwise, could this cause? It hasn't overflowed significant amounts, but you hear it bubbling once it stops running, you see some steam, and some overflow comes out the overflow tube.

Sorry for the confusion. Third point of rotation is the fan blade itself. Radiator should be okay as it was flushed when it was repaired after being punctured by the fan blade.

The engine has not been modified at all. How does the thermos siphon principle work? I have a 1918 Dyke's automotive manual and that's where I came up with why it might be overheating, plus what is different now vs before. Any other ideas as to what to do?

My 1917 Maxwell threw a blade a few years ago, and it took some time to locate a new fan blade. I did not have the required 1 1/4" wrench, which was purchased for replacement of the fan blade; of course, had I had this, I could have removed the old blade then and note that there are several round holes into which the blade can be adjusted, so that it can ride lower. I was using a leather fan belt, with considerable tension, to keep the fan blade from hitting the radiator intake, and the blade has a metal band around it, so it did not prove disastrous, but, over time, the fan belt would stretch and the fan blade would ride against the radiator intake. With the replacement blade, and realizing this was adjustable, I set the blade lower, and am actually using a bungee cord to provide more tension. However, the belt is still fairly loose, but all three pulleys, including the one that runs the water pump, do rotate, but maybe this is not enough tension to cause the water pump to circulate to the extent it should. The car did not overheat prior to the replacement of the blade, but now it does. I have sent the leather belt to be shortened by 3", and, of course, when it comes back, if the car does not overheat, this was obviously the problem. In the meantime, is my thought process correct and/or does anything else come to mind?

Well that's it in a nutshell! Demand for Packards right now exceeds supply. Supply of skilled workers exceeds demand for them. Result=prices for Packards increases, wages remain flat.

I think it is unfortunate that everything today IS about how much is it worth? I don't know if 'Antiques Roadshow' did this (although I DO enjoy that show), folks investing in real estate only to be underwater only 10 years later, the state of retirements and the lack of pensions/the need to fund one's own retirement, the state of employment in this country and everyone's increasing dislike for their job (which makes sense--when there are more folks available to fill good jobs, perks suddenly disappear and wages remain stagnant). WAS IT ALWAYS like this? I think if wages had kept up with where they should have (I read somewhere that if they had increased at the rate they had in the 1950's and '60's, a 'middle class' income today would be $150,000 to $300,000), there would not be this over-riding concern as to what items cost. Indeed, one of those I supervise discussed this with me recently. He is breaking his neck to work all weekend on overtime, I work as much of it as I can, which isn't as much as I would like, BUT, if one's income increased 5 or 10% annually, or if he and I earned about 1/3 to 1/2 more than we did now, there would not be this burning desire to suck up overtime, but rather it would become, there is overtime available, I don't feel like working it, the weather is nice out. Then again, maybe if wages were at the numbers suggested above, an entry level Packard would be $100,000. For some reason, though, I think they would roughly be the same, as Packards seem to have continually increased, for the most part, so far, independent of lack of wage growth. Now that I write this, I think a large part of it today might be being significantly in the hole before even one begins. I mean, at the rate colleges have increased costs, and, being younger, the expectations one has NO MATTER the cost (!!!), and when this does not pan out, younger folks are struggling to make ends meet. Even nearly 30 years ago, when I was ending high school, there was tis pressure to go to college, which wasn't necessarily the right thing to do, and this belief that 'it will be all worth it', because there will be so much opportunity out there, etc. I fell for that trap. FORTUNATELY, money was not leant as easily as it was now, and I attended college the cheapest way possible, and ended up a few thousand in the hole, which I paid off quickly. My starting salary at my first Federal position with DC locality pay was $30,119 in 1995. It is easy to see now (there are tables for this) that if I started today, I would be earning $42,631. An increase in pay of only ~40% over a generation explains why things are the way they are. In the meantime tuition costs have quadrupled, perhaps. And then everyone who has a particular item, and pointed out, thinks they have a goldmine. These old-times hold out for top dollar, maybe because of may of the reasons outlined above. So...why do I write this? Well, it is one of the most frustrating things out there that one has to be about 'how much does it cost', 'Can I afford it', etc. I'm not saying that I need a multi-million dollar property with several nice storage buildings full of hundreds or thousands of vintage cars. However, it would be nice if most things out there could be had modestly on a middle class salary. You want a few nice Packards, not a problem, not a budget buster. You need a property with some acreage and a few barns for storage, not a problem, not a stretch, and, oh, when you do buy it, you don't have to worry about being under water 10 years later. The stories my grandfather told about things he bought just after WWII, and the stuff he passed up, all on a modest salary, are truly amazing. I also heard stories from old-timers about land they bought in the '30's and '40's, for 25 cents an acre. One old timer told me he had to pay $20 an acre in the 1960's and thought this was a lot, and this was in southern New England. Okay, enough perambulating. I just read somewhere that those that are movers and shakers today look to the future, and tend not to be nostalgic. Perhaps that is why I am not one of them.

Okay, I am clearly 'middle class', so I don't know what planet you are all on, no offence! I mean, when I go to the grocery store, I look for bargains, and when the bill is $80 or $100, which it often is, this seems like a lot of money...still! $20,000, to me, is a LOT OF MONEY for a car, whether it is brand new, classic, or otherwise. The most I have ever spent for a car was almost $15,000, and this was 10 years ago, I still have the car, and intend to drive it another 15 years. I intend to replace it, when it goes, with a 'classic' of some sort--that will be my daily driver. Then again, not for work driving is very minimal. BUT, to toss around figures like $100,000, $120,000, $70,000, these figures seem like they are enough to buy a property, and now, maybe not, but they still represent a substantial down payment. At the end of the day, with stagnant wages, there is little left over. I lead a far-from-extravagant lifestyle, but after paying a mortgage, a loan on an investment property, a student loan, well, it would be dishonest to say there is nothing left over, because there IS, but, it means that $10,000 is reachable, but it takes time, same with $20,000, but any more than that is reaching for the stars!

That is great to hear that. Maybe the good California weather and the number of days one can drive the car annually plays a factor. I don't see that so much on the east coast. Usually an antique car comes attached to an older gentleman or couple who are in their retirement years.

Yes, just found it. I have to be honest with you, I WISH I had $70,000 to spend on a car, but this is way out of my price range. As discussed in another section on this forum (brass cars), those in my generation have faced years of stagnant wages and wages have gone nowhere for 25 years. I bang my head against the wall about this all the time. If wages had continued in the upward trajectory that they had for the 25 to 35 years following WWII, oh, think of all the TOYS I could have bought.

Now that I think about this rationally, it might be best to buy a nice car that is in decent shape and requires little work. Perhaps I offer a little more than I want to but not something requiring more work and expense in the long run. This is doable financially in the next five years or so. At least I have direction or a goal.