MTFCA Forum

Guys, My 1917 Maxwell was sold new without a body because the original owner wanted to build a body to suit his needs. It came to me with 1929 PA plates and I always assumed it had an Amish built body. It should have had a factory under cowl mounted gas tank but appeared to have been ordered without a tank and instead came to me with what I assume to be a rear mounted Model T Ford tank. Wanting to restore it back to factory condition I have found and installed an original cowl tank. My question to you guys is what years used this tank and would it have been available to the original body builder?
Thanks for your help,
Howard Dennis

That tank would have been made after the car was built. Used from about 1920 to 1925 in cars and up to 1927 in trucks. In 1917 Ford would have been still using the round tank.

Looks like one in a 20 and another in a 22 which are in my possession.
Norm

It’s a T gas tank used from around 20-25. It was used under the front seat. They were used in the Black era T’s and pretty common because those were the years Ford made a LOT of cars.

1926-7 Fordor also use the oval tank.

Thanks for your help guys. I was hoping to solve the mystery of why my Maxwell never had a cowl mounted gas tank like others built in 1917. IF this tank had been available when my Maxwell was built I would have been able to assume it was a preference of the body builder. But since there is no evidence of it ever having a cowl mounted tank and your reply of a later date for the tank I can only conclude someone changed whatever system it had in 1917 to the rear frame mounted Model T Ford tank and vacuum tank system that I found on it when it came into my care.

Howard Dennis

That would be my guess that it was changed out for the more common later style T tank.