Arty Condito Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 Can anyone please tell me what year this Runabout is and if the commutator works like a magneto, there is no magneto on the car also the email of any member that would know alot about this car thanks for the help Arty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cudaman Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 (edited) Nice car! According to David McCredie's book, the Maxwell Model A was produced as a 1909 model. It did not come from the factory with a magneto. The energy source for the ignition was two banks of 1.5 volt dry cells, with three cells each, for a total of 6 volts per bank. When one bank ran down, you switched to the other bank and replaced the run down cells of the first bank with fresh cells. I highly recommend obtaining a copy of David McCredie's book, "Maxwell the 2 Cylinder Models", it contains a wealth of information on these cars. User manuals, Illustrated parts lists, and other documentation is likely available from the HCFI Library website: https://www.hcfi.org/ Edited June 13, 2022 by cudaman (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arty Condito Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 Thanks so much for the help do you know how long the battery pack would last seems to me a magneto was a better way to go was it to keep the price down? again thanks too much Arty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cudaman Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 The batteries of the time were larger than today's "D" cells, but they would still run down eventually. If you wanted to run the car today on a 6V battery, a good way to go would be to get a "Group 1" six volt lead-acid battery and a matching trickle charger. The car should easily run on tour all day on the Group 1 battery and you could charge it back up overnight. David McCredie's book has pictures of a very original Maxwell with its original battery box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arty Condito Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 great is the 6 volt lead acid the type battery used in most six volt cars? thanks again Arty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Arty Condito said: great is the 6 volt lead acid the type battery used in most six volt cars? thanks again Arty Generally, yes it is. Many auto parts stores and farm tractor supply stores sell this style battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arty Condito Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 Thank you. Would you know what type of coil box was on the dash on the model i have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cudaman Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 Page 154 of McCredie's book shows the correct coil box and a wiring diagram. I can't post the picture here due to copyright. It is a wooden box with two "trembler" or "buzz" coils in it. On the front of the box is a three position switch A, Off, and B. The bottom of the box has two connectors for the battery wires and two insulated high tension wires that go to the spark plugs. You really need to get a copy of McCredie's book! https://maxwellbriscoeowners.groups.io/g/main/message/2994 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arty Condito Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 Thanks again . I did email David to see if he had his books available. Here's what's in mine would this be correct? but under the floor boards it has to model T type coils in a box that fits a six volt car battery and thats what is being used for now. Can you tell me if a magneto can be added and would it be a difficult install if possible? and where did they mount the battery's ? maybe under the seat or is the box under my floor board correct? I could wait for the books but im very excited to hear from you all about this little runabout it does run pretty good. any chance of finding original top irons for it? ti can't thank you enough for all your time and help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cudaman Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 FYI, there is a Maxwell section in these forums, there might be some good stuff in there: https://forums.aaca.org/forum/25-maxwell/ I don't personally own a Maxwell (yet), you might be better served by going through the Maxwell section of the forum and contacting some of the Maxwell owners there directly. I currently own a 1924 Model T Ford and a 1912 Flanders 20. You need to post pictures of your battery/coil setup so that folks can determine if it is adapted from a Model T or not. If the car runs well with it, drive it and enjoy it as-is until you accumulate the definitive information on what is correct for your car. Otherwise, you may spend money on parts that you later find you can't use. Starting in 1909, some Maxwell models did use a magneto, but it was a Splitdorf low tension magneto mounted on the top of the crankcase that sent a low voltage AC signal to a non-trembler coil box on the dash that stepped up the voltage to fire the plugs. It was a "wasted spark" system that fired both plugs every crank rotation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arty Condito Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 This is the coil box is for the Flanders. The 1910 Flanders 20 is also one of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cudaman Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Great Flanders pics, thanks for posting them! The original Maxwell battery box was under the seat. The coil box would be mounted on the dash. Interesting that a prior owner was able to get the Maxwell running using a Model T Ford period accessory "Master Vibrator". It was originally designed to be mounted on the dash near to the existing Model T Ford coil box to so that all four coils used the same set of points, making their firing times more consistent. http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/822076/830007.html?1516755906 http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/250469.html?1322760281 https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=17500 http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/331880/348361.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arty Condito Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 Thank you so much for the info, The Maxwell has two Model T coils wired to a 6 volt battery the Master Vibrator is not hooked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldtech Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 Thanks for all the pictures. These early cars fascinate me. You can just see how they were learning as things progressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akstraw Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 11 hours ago, Arty Condito said: Thank you so much for the info, The Maxwell has two Model T coils wired to a 6 volt battery the Master Vibrator is not hooked up. This is the setup that my 1909 Maxwell has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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