crazycars

Strictly a driver, Bill. Will never be a show car!

Bill, I will happily buy whatever you can come up with. It's more than I have now!

Do not know but will give you $2800 for it if you buy it and want to sell.

Thanks, Bill. Let me know. Gary

Looking to buy; stainless trim for back doors and rear fenders 1941 Desoto 4 door sedan. gdenn@aol.com

1924 REO generator-distributor unit from 6 cylinder model T6. Complete; flanges for water pump, points, rotor, fuse box. untested, turns, but worked when stored. $90 + shipping. Also have several clean gas tanks from same model.

Howard, After going thru my Maxwell, I have come to the conclusion that we both have the same, no free-play, issue. My clutch engages partially but slips no matter what adjustments I make on the springs. I recall a number of large spacer washers and one ball bearing washer in the assembly on the trans shaft and it's possible that I put them together in the wrong order or spaced incorrectly in relation to the front and rear of the fork. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet on this one and take everything apart again! I'll let you know how I make out. Right now, I'm getting pretty tired of redoing things on this car.

Hey, at age 67, I have to agree with you! I used that blue silicone gasket maker for the bell housing and it worked pretty well. Before this motor swap, I used the Permatex and it leaked and make a constant mess. I must have owned a hundred cars in my time and have to say that this one is a royal pain in the butt! It's beeb a hard luck car from day one. Funny thing is that I own a 24 Chrysler touring car and , despite being a close cousin to Maxwell, it is a much much better vehicle all around.

That's a tough one. Although it's a lot of work, the trans can be backed off to allow access to the fork, or, if memory serves me correctly, there is an access panel which allows you to look inside the bell housing. Funny, I put this whole thing together a couple of years ago and it worked perfectly. After this latest motor swap, my clutch is a mess. As I recall, there are a couple of spacer rings which can be assembled in the wrong order on the trans shaft next to the bearing. Let me know what you come up with. Maybe it will give me some insight! One thing's for sure, this Maxwell is a tough car to get along with!!

Hi Howard, The adjustment for free-play is made by re-aligning the ridges on plate B5774 with those ridges on the pedal shaft. these run fore and aft and provide about an inch of adjustment. There are two bolts which, when loosened, allow for the movement of these surfaces. I guess "clutch fingers" was the wrong term. There ARE three clutch springs which can be tightened putting more pressure on the "clutch plate". My set up is definitely the oil bath, leather cone type. Funny story: I installed that motor you lined up for me ,started her up, and she ran pretty good. I then checked the oil which was FULL OF WATER! I took off the pan , drained the radiator, and removed the head to inspect. I discovered that there was NO HEAD GASKET on the motor!!! I assumed that everything was in place even tho I had found the head bolts somewhat loose and retorqued them. Can you imagine? It ran, and not bad either with no head gasket! Needless to say, I cleaned everything out and quickly corrected the problem with the installation of a head gasket. That qualifies as one "for the books"!

Anyone out there have any odds 'n ends parts for a Renault 4cv they'd care to sell? Stuff is so scarce and what new parts are available are super expensive.

I just finished this work on my Maxwell after a motor swap. Your clutch adjustment is made by aligning the two grooved halves , one on the shaft of the clutch pedal, the other attached to the rod which runs thru the bell housing and connects to the throw out bearing fork on the inside, and rebolting them together after the adjustment. Loosen the bolt, realign the pieces to allow for free play, tighten up. These two grooved sections allow for the pedal free movement. Now, if someone can tell me why my clutch now slips like crazy after the motor swap, I will be really grateful. I tried adjusting the pressure plate finger springs but no luck.

You simply cannot, accurately, sand down brake linings. The shoes will not correctly meet the drums. In addition, you will be breathing all that good-old-time asbestos. Bad idea. Driving with tight brake shoes to wear them down? Really a dumb idea! You might even wind up overheating the rubber components. Really compare your old shoes with the new ones. ALso, call the supplier where you purchased the shoes, explain the problem, and ask his advice. I STILL maintain that you received an oversize set of brake shoes. I have owned ten MOPOR product cars, ranging from 1936 to 1959 and can speak from experience.

Dwight, I have done brake jobs on dozens of these cars over the years and I believe that you simply purchased a really crappy set of relined shoes. If you are willing to take a chance, call Ray Helger at 401-635-4849 for a NOS set of brake shoes. ALso ask him about your problem, too. His prices are good and he is a good guy. (call wed - sat). It doesn't make any sense to turn down drums to accommodate ill fitting brake shoes.

I HAVE OFTEN PURCHASED AND USED nos 50'S SHOCKS FROM A LOCAL SOURCE AND HAVE HAD EXCELLENT RESULTS. personally, I PREFER THE FLUID SHOCK TO GAS SHOCKS FOR ANTIQUE CARS.

I have solved my own oil pump problem. I found that the oil pump plunger which pumps the oil from a tube in the oil pan thru a network of tubes to the dipper galleys is exactly the same size as a 12 mm socket. I measured the "throw" of the plunger movement and tack welded the correct length of 10-14 hardened rod to the socket top and then threaded the top portion of the rod into the oil pump piston in the block. This piston runs off an eccentric on the car and is governed by a heavy spring. I used Lock_tite and also a lock nut on the rod. I tested the movement and it works great. ALso, I noticed that there is a removable plug on the side of the pan to prime this set up. By 1922 Maxwell did away with this system in favor of a much more reliable geared oil pump.

I do appreciate you writing back. Thanks anyhow. Hopefully I can get a picture of the plunger and have one made.

Howard, I am hoping you can help me. I am working on that '17 motor which CHris dropped off to me and I noticed that there is NO oil pump plunger which, from what I can tell, must be some kind of rod that threads into the plunger in the block and pushes up and down in the pan oil pump chamber. I am pretty much in the dark about this piece since it is missing. What I can describe is this; there is a "piston" in a chamber running off the crank(?) which travels up and down but does not travel past the edge of the block. My oil pan has a round tube chamber which looks like it is made for some sort of plunger. In the "tube" at the bottom is a check valve using a ball bearing. Also, above the check valve is some sort of limiter pin extending from the side of the "tube". I understand that you have begun work on a similar engine. I would be extremely grateful if you would forward me a picture of this rod/plunger, perhaps with dimensions. If you knew where I might find one, even better. Thank you much! gary

Thank you! I have poked around on the mtfca.com website and found it fascinating. My sheet metal is pretty frail and has almost no rigidity so I am leaning towards replacement, full length, roadster side panels. So far, I have only seen partial panels.

Thanks, Dwight!

I am restoring a 1925 T roadster and everything is pretty well underway with the exception of the main body (often called the tub). (My turtle back is in great shape.) As you know, there are the two sides (one with the door, and also the back. My pieces are very frail and perforated with rust. I have seen patch panels in some catalogs but not complete panels. Has anyone had any experience with this issue and would you steer me in the right direction to purchase these parts? Thank you!

Have located and purchased a pair thanks to Jamie Sparrow of PA. Basically very simple units: rounded top with hole to bolt on hl bucket, short straight shaft with two drilled holes which fit into sleeve on inner part of front fender. Matching holes on sleeve lock in both the hl stanchion and the cross fender support.

He's back! This guy answered my "want to buy" ad for a 24 Reo oil pump assembly. Here is the text of the email: This is the message: You can e-mail me on thumpsup95@gmail.com with your needs as it will be a pleasure to help. A phone contact to reach you will be great too. Cheers, Dennis Carter Thruxton, Hampshire, United Kingdom I frequently receive these from the UK when I advertise to buy a part. All I do is write back and ask for pictures. Suddenly....no more emails! Look out for this guy. He has been kicked off the site several times

Leif, Does the motor run as well with this set up as it did with the original cap and rotor?

Thank you, Howard! I have arranged with Chris to purchase this engine. I really appreciate your help. The people you meet on this forum are really super. Gary