Until recently we had not yet found/had contact with the Ramsey family and are very pleased to share his email with everyone. We will be meeting with Andrew (13), his father Peter (Alice’s grandson) and quite possibly Alice Ramsey’s daughter, Alice, sometime in the next month or so. Alice has recently reached the amazing age of 98 years old. Congratulations Ms. Ramsey, we look forward to meeting you to learn more about your amazing mother and share our drive with you and your family.

Thanks for reaching out to us Andrew! We look forward to meeting your family and working with you to celebrate your Great Grandmother’s amazing feat!

Dear Emily Anderson,

My name is Andrew Huyler Ramsey, Great Grandson of Alice Ramsey. I live in Weston, Massachusetts, and I am 13 years old. My mom found out about your drive from a family friend in Indiana and told me about it. I think that it is a wonderful excursion you are planning, and the time and effort that must go into making this happen is a great tribute to my great grandma Ramsey.

My Dad, Peter Ramsey actually rode across the USA with Alice when he was a kid. I never met Alice, but i know her daughter, My great aunt Alice Ramsey Bruns. We just sent her a copy of Mr. Franswa’s book, and the info from your website. She will be very excited. In may, we are planning to help celebrate her 98th birthday in Florida! she actually drove across the USA with Alice TWICE in her life.

We would love to come see you off in NYC on June 9th, 2009, and if you have any space left in the car at all, i would love to squeeze in, if only for a short period of time.

Good luck,

Andrew Huyler Ramsey

Restoration of the Splitdorf coil box is nearly finished. Lud Gocek from Vintage Brass supplied us with some very nice parts to finish the box. Bill Ottemann researched and sent us the wiring diagram for this system. We are waiting to get the firewall back from the painter so we can install it, wire the system and finish the electrical system.

Typical problems with this kind of restoration have developed. The upholsterer called yesterday and informed me that he would not have the car finished before he left on vacation for two weeks. We had been promised it would be finished by April 15. It now looks like it will be May 20th or later. This delay adds complications to meeting our deadline.

We are still needing to retube the oiler on this car. It has a gear driven oil pump with oil lines to each cylinder, front and rear main and the clutch. The engine came without any oil lines so we will need to make new lines. Flaring, bending and fitting the brass tubing to do this will take some time and is an art. This challenge still awaits us in the next month.

Rick Britten has informed us that he is on schedule with restoring the brass. We already have the head lights and cowl lamps done and they are beautiful. Rick is finishing the hubcaps and tail light and promises to have them done by mid-April. He had previously finished the brass steering column. This will leave us with the horn and carbide generator for next year. When it comes to finished and coated brass there are none better than Rick. Thank you !

NEEDS: We are still in need of a luggage rack and trunk for the rear of the car. I haven’t taken measurements and gotten into the details yet but have wondered it there is a product out there on the reproduction market that might work. If anyone knows of sources please contact me and let me know. I did look into the Model A catalogue and there are some options there.

We also need to sew pennants for the drive. They are triangular banners that mount on sticks that attach to the car. The ones we want to make have a circle on them with the letters MBMC inside the circle. The initials stand for Maxwell Briscoe Motor Club. If anyone knows a sewing hobbist with an embroidery machine that could make these banners, please let us know. We need about 1/2 dozen.

Finally, we are in need of a trailer. We would prefer to get one donated so we can adapt it to our needs and splash the outside with sponsors logos and pictures of Alice. Any leads on trailers (24-28′) would be appreciated. We need something big enough to carry the car plus extra parts etc. Dragging it across the country and back will but some miles on it so it needs to be durable. We would be happy to promote a sponsors trailers all along the way if we could get one donated.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Pam Smith
4th Grade Teacher
%South Forrest Attendance Center
Brooklyn, MS 39425

I am a social studies teacher in Alice Ramsey’s hometown of Hackensack, NJ.

Jared Wexler

“The Alice’s Drive project started as a family bonding experience however it has grown into so much more. The reasons I am involved are many - to commemorate a milestone in women’s history, to celebrate women’s accomplishments great and small, to promote education and reading nationwide, to challenge myself (and our team of people) to do something that was crazy 100 years ago and many think is still crazy today, and to encourage young girls across the country that the possibilities in life are endless!

Many of you have shown me the endless possibilities of experience, challenge and strength - in things we have done together, through ways you live your daily lives, by setting many challenging goals and accomplishing them and quite simply by being who you are.

On June 9th, 2008 we will be exactly one year from our kick off day at 1930 Broadway in New York City. I am coming to a new crossroads in this journey where I am realizing quickly that this project is becoming much bigger than myself. I can’t think of a better way to “join” some fantastic women in my life and I would love to invite any of you who are interested to get involved.

My goal is to start the ‘Alice Ramsey Centennial Committee’ - made up of all women helping to plan, to procure sponsorship, support, encourage and execute celebrations across the country.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect of our first meeting. Before anyone came to the door - I suddenly was nervous. I had set up an Alice display of maps, photos, the route and Alice’s book.
I felt like a little girl wondering if anyone was going to show up to her birthday party!

I was thrilled to host 6 ladies in my living room that night. The conversation was intriguing. We shared stories about how different women have touched our lives and why. We talked about the educational components that can be developed to promote a significant moment in women’s history. I realized (again!) that this project could go in so many directions and I was immediately more energized than I had been in awhile!

Instead of feeling overwhelmed - I felt grateful and excited. The door is open and as tasks are being distributed I feel so thankful to have some fantastic company joining me on this journey!

In total, the trailer is about 5 minutes long and is painstakingly crafted telling the story of where Alice Ramsey began in 1909 as she drove across America and what sort of madness and love she’s inspired today. Emily, Rich, Ted and myself have been working with a handful of ideas that Alice inspired and you’ll see these themes woven throughout the video:

-Women in early America
-Alice’s accomplishment
-A century of change
-Rebuilding a near extinct piece of history
And introducing…
-The driver - Emily!

Thank you for all your support and please help us to spread the word. We are still interested in meeting with sponsors and volunteers. Send anyone our way.

Turn up the music, sit back and take a ride.

Send me your feedback!
media@aliceramsey.org

Bengt

P.S.
We are working on the download speed of the video and have posted it up on youtube as well. If you’re having a hard time please open a separate window and go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu3wsUDtX9I

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.

It took us a few minutes to locate #1930 amidst the hubbub of NYC during the holidays. Deep inside I was hoping we wouldn’t find it to be a large shopping mall in place of the old car dealership. To my surprise 1930 is now a large and quite classy apartment building. We spoke with the doorman for awhile about our trip and plans. He gave us some information about contacting the property manager about the drive in 2009 and wished us good luck and a Merry Christmas.

Walking out of the building my Dad walked over to the ground just in front of the street and set down a penny and said, “Right here…let’s start right here.” He was excited. I could see it in his eyes. Sometimes I think he’s more pumped up about this than I am, but I think it’s because right on that spot, where he set the penny, is exactly where he’ll be parking one of his pieces of art - the 1909 Maxwell DA. Pretty exciting, indeed.

There is still so much to do. Planning a road trip isn’t easy and this is no ordinary road trip. Ha!

See you all there!

June 9th, 2009 - save the date!

We are still looking for some missing parts. We desperately need an exhaust manifold. If we don’t find an original, we will have to fabricate one, but hopes are there is an original out there somewhere we can put on Alice’s engine. We need a pair of Maxwell headlites. They need to be Maxwell script and likely have a number on them. We also need a #4 Maxwell tail light.

We also need the pulley that keeps the brake chain equalized. Considering started with nothing three years ago, this is quite a short list.

January’s E-Bay was good to us. We were able to buy a top for the car that needs new wood and repaint, but looks like it will work out well. We also got a robe rail for the back of the front seat. Pieces like this tend to trickle in so bit by bit we will have a whole car.

We are very grateful to the many people who have supported this effort to date. There are so many I hesitate to mention names for fear of leaving someone out. We do need to acknowledge Tom Thoburn who long dreamed of being able to do this centennial drive, but sadly did not live long enough. This drive will be in memory of Tom and all he did to preserve the memory of the Maxwell automobile. His daughter Terry has been a great help and support, supplying the engine and transmission for Alice’s car. Obviously a metaphor for the work her father did for Maxwell in the hobby.

Also, without the help and assistance of Sterling Walsh we would never be able to get on the road. He had the frame for Alice’s car that kick started this whole project. He also has the only other 1909 DA Maxwell, so the photographs and templates taken from his car have given us the road map we needed to complete this automobile. Thank you all for your help and support. We could never do this without everyone lending a hand.

In July we did the final fitting for the sheet metal on the body. The body has been fitted, fenders and hood aligned and splash aprons adjusted. It really looks like a car with all its parts intact. After a few pictures, we disassembled everything and transported the body to the paint shop for final painting. We are promised to have it back and ready for upholstery before thanksgiving.

In August we put the finished engine into the chassis. Since then final assembly of all the drive parts, attaching manifolds, brake lines, etc. is moving along. We had to have an exhaust manifold made for the car as the engine did not have one when it was donated by Ed & Terry Huston. I took the exhaust manifold off of the 1908 Model K Maxwell roadster and sent it to Art Bergstrom for a pattern. By early October he had sent the pattern to the foundry, so a new manifold should arrive soon.

Our hope is to fire up the engine sometime in December. Once we get it running and work out a few mechanical kinks…..all of the running gear comes apart and will go to the paint shop for final paint. Going to Hershey in October and getting a bit distracted when I found original engine parts for the 1909 Pierce Arrow delayed work progress on the Maxwell for a few weeks, but we are back at it now and moving ahead.

The Horseless Carriage Club of America voted to support the drive and encourage regional groups to participate along the way. We are pleased to be able to promote the club to the people we meet across the country and to have other vintage cars join us on the drive for a few miles or the entire trip. Alice had others join her during different phases of her drive, and we welcome the same from others who want to participate.