Electric Wipers

[randroid]

Gents,

Thanks to your input I was able to find a rebuild kit for my Carter B&B, and now for a real poser in search of an easy answer:

I hated vaccuum wipers when all I had to wipe-off was a little rain, and moving to a locale that includes snow hasn't improved my opinion of them. To this end I swiped the 6v pg wiper motor assembly from a '51 Dodge and Gerry-rigged it under the cowl. Worked like a champ for a few strokes then one or the other arm would pop-off its ball joint. Ball joints are made to allow for a little mis-alignment but I tried shimming it with washers to get it aligned on all axis to no avail.

I have reinstalled the vaccuum swipes until I can figure out how to make the electric unit fit. Has anybody done a swap like this in the past? I'm thinking that perhaps behind the glove box with alterred actuating arms might be the answer, but before I start drilling holes in the firewall I need a new place to start. I can measure the angle of the wiper posts and figure a way to go from there but aligning everything correctly the first time is my goal.

I have more thoughts on how I could accompplish the job and I will eventually figure it out, but I'd prefer to not spend the time reinventing the wheel if one of you has already done it.

Thanks,

-Randy

[Plymouthy Adams]

This is another area that causes lots of confusion and disgust. There are those out there that have the vacuum wipers refurbed, some have added reservoirs and all swear they are very much functional today. Then there are those who have upgraded and put later electric wipers on and as you did not state if it is a Plymouth using the Dodge or Dodge to Dodge..chances are the lengths of the rods is just enough to cause it to bind in over extension and pop off. I am thinking the Dodge is a bid wider than the Plymouths and even the 51 is not the same width as the earleir models.

[bob westphal]

There are several companys that make an electric motor conversion kit to replace your old vacuum motor. You can find them in Hemmings. I bought a kit from Newport Engineering for a '38 Buick Special. It was basically a bolt in and replaces just the motor and switch. I don't know if they make one for MoPars but give them a call at 888-829-1959.

[Justin Slingsby]

When this post was new there was a lot of great pics on installing an electric wiper motor and drive. I am not sure if this helps you or not but the guy that posted it works for either Rod and Custom or Custom Rodder I can't remember. Maybe he still has his pics handy. I have thought about doing this and if I remember correctly talking to Geprge Asche I think he may have said mid 50's Desoto? Otherwise if your electrical system can handle it the Newport Engineering system is nice. The guy in this article used a kit from a company called SPW..

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3071&highlight=electric+wiper+motor

[De Soto Frank]

At Fall Hershey, I picked-up an electric wiper motor for '41-'48 De Soto & Chrysler, thinking of installing it in my '41 De Soto someday...

I've heard that "there are differences" in the operating linkages... once I had the electric unit home, I began to understand what folks were talking about...

The electric wiper system is a "complete" system, from the motor all the way out to the mounting pivots on the cowl and the wiper arms...

The electric motor is mounted to a stamped sheetmetal spider that bolts to the dash at the bottom center, then has two "wings" that slip over metal posts on the wiper pivots (the part on the under side of the cowl)... so, if you don't have the electric wiper cowl pivots, you are missing two out of three mounting points for the electric motor.

Since I got the motor only, I can't say for sure, but I would suspect that the operating liinks (connecting the motor cranks to the pivot cranks) are slightly shorter for the electric motor system...(the two motor cranks are spaced further apart than travel arc described by crank on the Trico vacuum motor.)

So... for the time being, the electric motor goes on the shelf until I find the rest of the pieces to that puzzle. The arms & cowl pivots for the electric wiper option are easily identified by the threaded-stud mounting for the arm (arm has a captive chrome-plated acorn nut), and the wiper bezels are secured to the cowling by two phillips-head screws.

So, if anyone is going to liberate the electric wipers from a parts car, GET THE WHOLE WORKS...

I don't know about the '49 & later cars, but this is what I've learned about the '41-'48 wipers...

Good luck !

[De Soto Frank]

I'll just add that having actually owned and driven a '48 NYer, with the two-speed electric wipers, they actually work more slowly than the vacuum-operated; the biggest advantage is that they do maintain a constant speed, regardless of throttle opening...

Actually, the electrics slow down when you stop for a traffic light, and the genny stops charging... kind of like the switch for the dash lights, the two positions are "slow" and "slower" ... ;->

Thanks for the pic, Shel - now I know what my missing bits look like !