hddennis

Thanks Guys, I appreciate the help. I'll just tell him to replace the wires as it is now and connect a kill switch, for some reason that seems to be missing. Howard Dennis

Your schematic's have shown up on other searches I've done and they all show switches and coils that apparently my friends Maxwell wasn't equipped with so we are wondering if his solution was the wire in question simply replaced all that and allowed the magneto to be used as it's own ignition source? To someone who fully understands electrical systems completely this may seem to be a stupid question but we don't understand and are trying to revive this car with out burning up rare and expensive parts while doing it. Howard Dennis

Thanks George, Your diagram seems to indicate a solid wire. All the ones I found seemed to be dotted lines which I'm not understanding. I also am failing to understand the 4 and 5 terminal caps. Your pamphlet shows 4 terminals and is American Bosch which I think was after WWI and the 5 terminal caps like my friend has seem to be prewar.

My main question is do we just replace this jumper wire as it is, connect a kill switch and go ahead and try to start it? I'd really like to understand why the jumper would be needed and what purpose it served. Howard Dennis

I've been trying to help a new 1917 Maxwell owner revive his grandfather's car and am having a wiring problem. This car should have a Simms magneto but his grandfather put a Bosch DU 4 on it and I'm totally out of my element. Most I find online have 4 terminals and this one has 5 with the fifth having a wire running to the front . I found a set of pictures showing this same wire but it doesn't look like something the factory would do. Anyone have any idea why it would be done? Howard Dennis

I'm going to go with a 1915 Chevrolet Amesbury Special. Howard Dennis

I ran into this years ago when a customer complained that the points I sold him were defective. I found the steel spring still on his work bench. On some older sets of points the steel spring was loose in the box and you had to tuck it behind the copper strip before installing the points. Howard Dennis

That'll teach me to respond late at night! Oh well, you're doing a great job Ed. Howard Dennis

Ed, here's 2 pictures posted in the Chalmers section showing some of the woodwork. You might try contacting the owner for more detailed photos. Howard Dennis

Durk, Just found this in my 1914-15 parts book. Howard Dennis

Durk, I have no experience with these early Model 25's but seem to recall a warning in a period magazine NOT to remove the head unless absolutely necessary because of the unusual head design. I found one photo that suggests you may be right in your assumption of having to remove the studs. Later I will look in my parts books to see if I have any other pictures. Howard Dennis

As much as I want to believe what you are saying that's the only tin shed I've ever seen with an aileron and a fuselage? And when did tin shed's have to have NC registration numbers, just saying. Howard Dennis

Thanks, I looked online and saw a picture but don't understand how it worked. Seems to be a lot of bolts. The Maxwell set up uses 3 of the original holes to hold the wheel and plates all together and 3 are used to hold the wheel onto the hubs.

Wouldn't know, have any pictures of how they work? Howard Dennis

Hey Wayne, Thanks for the response. I initially thought this car was butchered but when I looked more closely through my Maxwell photo files I found maybe a half dozen 1917 Maxwells with these which suggests to me that maybe the factory tried these on a run of 1917 cars possibly to get rid of non-demountable wheels they had stopped using 2 years earlier? It couldn't have been a large run as there is no mention in period Maxwell literature nor in factory parts books. Howard Dennis

Since no replies, I did more online searches and think I have found at least it was an available accessory during this time and something I've never seen or even imagined. Kind of a neat idea, I think. Howard Dennis

Just had a discussion with a fellow who recently purchased a 1917 Maxwell and when he sent me pictures I told him it appeared his wheels had been altered as I was unable to find any in all of my 1914-1921 Maxwell parts books that were like his, I changed my mind after I went through all my photo files and found others just like his. They are non- demountable in nature at first glance but then you notice that 3 of the 6 hub bolts are like modern ones and their removal allows you to take the whole wheel off the hub like a modern car. Since I cannot find any listing at all in the factory parts books could these have been a popular aftermarket product? Howard Dennis

Just had a discussion with a fellow who recently purchased a 1917 Maxwell and when he sent me pictures I told him it appeared his wheels had been altered as I was unable to find any in all of my 1914-1921 Maxwell parts books that were like his, I changed my mind after I went through all my photo files and found others just like his. They are non- demountable in nature at first glance but then you notice that 3 of the 6 hub bolts are like modern ones and their removal allows you to take the whole wheel off the hub like a modern car. Since I cannot find any listing at all in the factory parts books could these have been a popular aftermarket product? Howard Dennis

Thanks Akstraw, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the one lead pans out. Funny story lead to this search. My Maxwell is a late 1917 and has a Briggs & Stratton dash panel that did away with the previous ammeter on the left of the steering column mount dash board and replaced it with a window showing charge/off. Apparently whomever ordered my Maxwell didn't trust that and custom ordered a separate ammeter in the same place as the older version. Trouble with that was late 1917 Maxwell's used that hole to put a gas gauge connected to the cowl mounted gas tank so my Maxwell left the factory with no way to tell how much gas you had unless they supplied the old wet stick method. Having never found a stick marked for a Maxwell I started a quest to solve this problem with modern parts never knowing there was a period version until seeing one last month on an unrestored early 1917 Maxwell. Howard Dennis

Thanks MaxwellFox, I've been looking for quite sometime for something I could modify with no success. I think I may have a lead on a period gauge. I've found out at least two companies made these to fit Maxwell's. One was Eugene and Tanner was another. Howard Dennis

Looking for a period gas tank gas gauge for my 1917 Maxwell. I recently saw one on an unrestored Maxwell that I'm assuming was a period aftermarket accessory and am awaiting more details but thought I'd ask if anyone has one they don't know what it fits. It has a circular clock face with a revolving needle set into the cap. Cap has 1 5/8" female threads and cap is mounted on a tube roughly 1 1/2 inches diameter and approximately 14 inches long with some kind of float that rises in the tube to make the needle revolve. Photo is just to illustrate what gauge could look like. Howard Dennis

Looking for a period gas tank gas gauge for my 1917 Maxwell. I recently saw one on an unrestored Maxwell that I'm assuming was a period aftermarket accessory and am awaiting more details but thought I'd ask if anyone has one they don't know what it fits. It has a circular clock face with a revolving needle set into the cap. Cap has 1 5/8" female threads and cap is mounted on a tube roughly 1 1/2 inches diameter and approximately 14 inches long with some kind of float that rises in the tube to make the needle revolve. Photo is just to illustrate what gauge could look like. Howard Dennis

Thanks for pointing that out, I missed it. Makes me feel a lot better about NOT being able to get my Maxwell leak free even after 2 years of trying! Howard Dennis

This picture was just posted on eBay and I wonder if anyone with a better knowledge of later Maxwell's can confirm the years shown. To me the left hand car is a very rare 1918-1919 Maxwell Towncar and the right hand car is a 1920 Maxwell touring. Howard Dennis

The diagram showed up on a Google search in the last year and since it was Maxwell related I saved it but have no idea where it was shown. Howard Dennis