Team Blog

Well, the car is coming along, albeit slowly. We are the final assembly stages for a handful of the car components. Parts keep finding their way to me through a little luck and a lot of communication with contacts and ebay. The body is completely built and is currently being painted. The engine is pretty well completed save a few parts I am still waiting on. We had to cast a brand new exhaust manifold as I simply couldn’t find one out in the world. One of the cars I own is a 1908 Maxwell that we modeled the manifold after and I think it’ll work nicely (picture attached). I anticipate starting the engine for the first time sometime in March. It will be pretty exciting to see if it will come to life after all the time and effort we’ve put into boring out the rust and casting a myriad of new parts. It is my hope that we will have the engine running smoothly so Emily and I can road test it (and Emily can get some old school driving skills under her belt) for almost a year before the drive.

Yesterday I picked up the Maxwell from the paint shop and brought it to the fabrication shop where we started to build the top from the bows and irons we had accumulated. Tomorrow I transport the body to the upholstery shop for installation of the front and back seats……Just last Friday I got the restored headlights in the mail. They had been at Rick Brittens Brass Works in Michigan for restoration for the past 3 months. They are beautiful, and all ready to go on the car. Last Thursday I picked up the new brakes. I had taken the brake shoes in for relining and got them back with all new lining and ready for paint. I’ll pick the chassis up from the muffler shop Wed. where they have fabricated a new exhaust pipe and muffler and installed it all on the car. Thus, one more piece of the puzzle solved and one step closer to starting up the engine. We’ve made a lot of progress in the past two weeks, but that is kind of how this project moves. It sits for a few weeks with nothing, and then lots of activity for a couple of weeks and we jump ahead again. It’s all coming together now. When we started this project 5 years ago I wasn’t sure we would ever have a Model DA to do the drive. For the past 4 1/2 years I was still not certain, but with every step ahead became more hopeful. Today I know we have a car, that’s for sure! Getting the details of smooth operation worked out is the next step, but at least the car is ours now.

On Thursday 1/31/08 I took the Maxwell into the Washington State Highway Patrol examination station. There the officers look everything over, write down the serial number, and issue the paperwork necessary to get us a Washington State title. The officers involved got so excited seeing something this old and unique, that they not only spent an extra half hour talking about the centennial drive, and antique cars, but they offered suggestions for the best way to fill out the paperwork so the title process could move smoothly through the state office. Just one more little miracle to nudge us forward on this journey. Thank you gentlemen.

Feb.21, 2008 Currently the Maxwell touring car body is at the upholstery shop. Questions about details on the upholstery get answered by looking at the way Maxwell installed the upholstery on our very original 1910 Model E Maxwell. This is an unmolested car that allows us to see what was originally done in 1909-1910. Details such as how the pleats in the leather were made, how was the trim on the edges of the seats, door panels and sides installed. What did the door panels look like, how were they sewn and what size were the pockets and flaps. None of this information would have been available without an unmolested original car for reference.

Presently the top is being painted at the paint shop. The top irons need to be painted gloss black and the wood top bows need to be sealed so they will not warp. The paint shop is getting all of this ready to go to the upholstery shop for the fabric to be installed. I’m working with scheduling the pinstripper to meet me at the upholstery shop in a week or so to pinstripe the car. He wants to do the hood and body separate from the chassis because of the amount of time and work it takes to do the entire car. This finishing touch just makes the contrasting colors of dark green with black revels stand out all the more. Its very exciting to watch the pinstripping being done and the final product evolve before our eyes.

The rebuilt carb. came back from Tim Simonsma just this week. He went through the carb and made some minor interior changes to increase its efficiency and give us the best performance possible without changing the outside looks. Similar to Vern Campbell’s restoring the magneto, we want to use the original equipment, not change its outward appearance, but upgrade interior portions to perform at its best.

Currently the fan is being given new sealed ball bearings and a new shaft at the machine shop. We are also working on making new fiber magneto gears to drive the mag. The old gear is crumbling and not good for anything other than a pattern. We will machine a new one and it should work just fine.

I found out from our Department of Licensing that I have to visit someone in the office to have all of the receipts from this project reviewed inorder for a “value” to be established for this car. Once they give it a “value” they will then know how much to tax me in order to issue me a license and title. More hoops to jump through, but I’m not taking this car on the road without legal registration and license. We plan to use the license plates made from the original Alice Ramsey plates on the car. In all the pictures its obvious how her 1909 NJ plates stood out - front and back. With an identical set we will look just like the real thing. I guess I’ll have to keep the Washington State plates under the back seat in case we are questioned.

Alice also ran her trip with triangular pennants attached to the car with MBMC logo on them. This stood for the “Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Club”. I’ve found a gentleman with the equipment to make these banners…..so will move ahead and have some made for the car. Hopefully we are attending to every last detail - at least as accurately as we can using the photos from her book as a reference.

This past week (March 17-20, 2008) was spent working with the upholstery shop to be sure details on the upholstery were being installed correctly. I also arranged for Gary Ebert, our pinstripper, to come to the upholstery shop and begin stripping the car. Monday, we got the hood and part of the body pinstripped in an off-white stripe. Tuesday Gary finished the body and does it look good. That little stripe around parts of the body really makes the car look finished. Gary will come back sometime in the next two months and pinstripe the chassis, but we need to put it into finished paint first.

I’ve begun working on the ignition system and am having Bill Ottemann of San Diego help with a wiring diagram. With this Splitdorf Model D Type E magneto, we need a single coil and a switch on the coil box giving us the options of off, battery & MAG. The bakelite base of the switch on the coil box is in bad shape, but talking with Lud Gocek at Vintage Brass, it sounds like he can supply us with a new one. We will get the other insulator parts we need for the coil box from him as well. I’m always amazed at all the people out there willing and able to help us get this car on the road. A big thank you to all of you for your help and support.