This 1911 Maxwell AB Runabout (engine #14909) was acquired by Kimball from the estate of Dr. Homer A. Wise of Los Angeles, in 1950. The body tag identifies it as a Maxwell Messenger #74199. Dr. Wise had purchased it in 1945 from Richard A. Teague. At that time the car was not running. It was painted in its original blue and used for display.
The mechanical restoration was done by Warwick Eastwood of Pasadena, California in 1951. Eastwood did an engine overhaul including boring out the cylinders by .030", new pistons, rings, valves, valve seats and valve springs. Also, some modifications, mainly the addition of a waterpump, electric fuel pump, change of the intake manifold and use of a Zenith 7750 downdraft carburetor were made. In addition, the original Splitdorf coil was missing. A motorcycle coil was substituted and used the Model H's commutator to fire the plugs. The oil tank was moved from the engine side to the passenger side of the cowl.
The car was cleaned and painted fire engine red. Kimball designed the striping and decoration. The signage reads "Chief" on the side of the seats and "G.F.V. FIRE DEPT." across the engine cover. [Grizzly Flats was the name of Kimball's backyard railway.] The decoration includes a large brass bell on the engine cover, an electric siren on the left front fender, a bermuda bell and a boxing warning bell mounted on the passenger chassis side below a Stewart hand klaxon. A lot of bells, but no whistles.
When I bought the car, it had not run for over 30 years . The left front wheel bearings were shot and the rear axle's had end play of almost .125". One of the brake drums had worn a groove into the brake shoe arms. Before driving, the rear end was rebuilt with a new gear set from Bob Benz and modern bearings as described by James Moe, with designs from Merle Simonsma. Bob Scott and the late Ozzie Blackburn did the machine work on the housings. The left front wheel bearings were replaced. At this time I moved the oil tank back to the engine compartment and replaced the motorcycle coil with a restored Splitdorf. The water pump was removed. The radiator core was rotten and was rebuilt by Bob Trepanier. The original radiator hose elbows were almost closed by rust and not salvageable, new elbows were fabricated from brass and copper piping. The Zenith remains in place along with its fuel pump, powered by a 6 volt storage battery. The Splitdorf magneto's magnets need recharging so the battery supplies power for the spark coil. A motley assortment of springs was used to hold the valve lifters in place and they were replaced and properly fitted.
When all the work was finished, the gas tank was cleaned, refitted and filled. The carburetor was cleaned and new gaskets were made and fitted. Fresh oil was added and we tried to start her. After 15 minutes and a rapidly diminishing humor, we realized we had not opened the gas valve. A few turns later, she fired up and ran.
For more photos, go here.
Album cover for the Firehouse 5 + 2
Ward Kimball -- Trombone and leader
Danny Alquire -- Trumpet
George Probert -- Soprano Sax
Frank Thomas -- Piano
Dick Roberts -- Banjo
Don Kinch -- Tuba
Eddie Forrest -- Drums
This is the only cover upon which the Maxwell appears. Ward owned an 1915 American LaFrance fire truck which appeared on the other 11 albums recorded by the band during its 22 year life.