Wiper Blade ???

[55 Fargo]

Hi everyone, hope your spring is as nice as it has been here in Manitoba, today was in the 70s. Anyway here is my question, I have a few sets of stainless wiper blades, but the rubber wiper itself are warn and gone. Is it possible to replace just the rubber, where could I get new rubber for them. Or would I have to custom make some wiper rubber for them, the blades are stainless and in good shape otherwise, be a shame not to use them........Thanx Fred

[windsor8]

Hey Fred, I've wondered about the same thing. I thought about using some high quality super glue to attach new fresh rubber from a new wiper blade. Loctite has some (super glue) that is used to glue o-rings toghter.

[55 Fargo]

I would imagine if you slide the rubber blade into the stainless it could be crimped snuggly............Fred

[Norm's Coupe]

You can buy just the wiper blade with the stainless on it. No need to buy the arm too. This is the way they were sold back in the day. The blade consisted of both the rubber and the stainless it's attached to. Just unhook it from the wiper arm and hook the new one on. You can buy the blades at just about any place that sells old car parts. Doesn't matter if it's a Ford, Chevy or Mopar dealer. All blades were made by just a few company's and they made them for all cars. The only difference is in the length of the blade and the type of hook on the arm to hold them on. Just make sure you get the same type with the same hook and you're all set. I got mine from a local old Ford vendor. I even bought new arms since they were the same too. Did that because I had two different types of arms on my coupe when I bought it. The Ford arms I bought are just like the Mopar ones. Actually, one of the largest makers of both arms and blades back then use to be Anco.

[Niel Hoback]

The Anco factory was in my neighborhood in the 40's-50's-60's when I was a little kid looking for trouble. Founded by John Will Anderson of Gary IN. Today there is a boys and girls club named for him which he founded. After I married, my wife went to work there for a short time. Each employee could take home wipers for there own use every six months. There were several annual parties given at the plant for employees and their families, too. Overall, a decent place to work, then they were bought by Cooper industries, makers of Champion plugs, and it went downhill from there. Production is now in Mexico with distribution centers here in the US. We still friend working at their facility in Michigan City IN.

Thanks for listening to the ramblings of an old man.

[55 Fargo]

Hey Neil, keep the stories coming from the old days, I for one enjoy reading them..................Fred

[De Soto Frank]

Fred,

Are your wipers electric, with a nut that holds the arm to the pivot ?

That set-up is unique to MoPars with elect. wipers. Vacuum-wiper models used the push-on style with the serrated-drum.

I have found that the later Anco replacement frame & blades are designed for curved glass ( blade has a curve to it when laying on the bench); the OEM-style blades for 1940's vehicles would lay flat, and work better on flat-glass.

I have carefully removed the rubber strip from new Anco 11-10 refills and installed it in the stainless spine from 1940's- '50s Trico "flat-glass" blades, and this has worked better for me than using the Anco refills, even though the Anco will fit right on the stock arm.

Also, if you get a new replacement arm, I've found that the spring is heavier than the stock arm, causing increased drag on the wiper motor.

I'm still hoping to score a nice set of SS arms and blades from a Ford vendor, like Norm has been speaking of... just haven't run across the right vendor yet.

I must have a dozen useable arms, if I could find new springs...

Good luck,

Frank McMullen

[Norm's Coupe]

The Anco factory was in my neighborhood in the 40's-50's-60's when I was a little kid looking for trouble. Founded by John Will Anderson of Gary IN. Today there is a boys and girls club named for him which he founded. After I married, my wife went to work there for a short time. Each employee could take home wipers for there own use every six months. There were several annual parties given at the plant for employees and their families, too. Overall, a decent place to work, then they were bought by Cooper industries, makers of Champion plugs, and it went downhill from there. Production is now in Mexico with distribution centers here in the US. We still friend working at their facility in Michigan City IN.

Thanks for listening to the ramblings of an old man.

Niel, I too was in the Anco plant many times from 1968 - 1970. Actually, it was named "The Anderson Company". Northern Indiana and everything south of the Chicago Loop was my sales territory back then. Spent a lot of that time in the plants from Michigan City, IN to just a little west of I-55 and down to Decator/Springfield/Danville area. Maybe we crossed paths back then at ANCO. Use to hit the Northern Indiana (Hammond/E. Chicago/Gary and Michigan City) area at least once a week. Sometimes even crossed further east when requested to by the company I worked for.

[Norm's Coupe]

Fred,

Are your wipers electric, with a nut that holds the arm to the pivot ?

That set-up is unique to MoPars with elect. wipers. Vacuum-wiper models used the push-on style with the serrated-drum.

I have found that the later Anco replacement frame & blades are designed for curved glass ( blade has a curve to it when laying on the bench); the OEM-style blades for 1940's vehicles would lay flat, and work better on flat-glass.

I have carefully removed the rubber strip from new Anco 11-10 refills and installed it in the stainless spine from 1940's- '50s Trico "flat-glass" blades, and this has worked better for me than using the Anco refills, even though the Anco will fit right on the stock arm.

Also, if you get a new replacement arm, I've found that the spring is heavier than the stock arm, causing increased drag on the wiper motor.

I'm still hoping to score a nice set of SS arms and blades from a Ford vendor, like Norm has been speaking of... just haven't run across the right vendor yet.

I must have a dozen useable arms, if I could find new springs...

Good luck,

Frank McMullen

Frank,

You might try the Ford Barn in Appleton, WI. He's always at the local swap meets around here and that's where I bought mine. Since Ford also used various arms and blades he has them all. As for the arm connection to the post, he has both types. May be a little more difficult for you on the phone though to get the right Ford year type to fit your car. Since I was going to the swap meet anyway, I just took along one of my old arms to match them up. Much easier than trying to do it over the phone.

[Young Ed]

Anyone seen one that uses the style arm with the nut but then has a 6 sided output piece where the arm sits? Its painted OD so I suspect it may be military.

[55 Fargo]

Thanx a bunch Frank, that was my thinking also about the straight glass, I plan on repairing these , I can also buy NOS here for $20 a pair. The wipers are electric, ssem to work fine, but the slow speed is well slowwwwwwwww. Check your email, I sent you one Frank........Fred

[Norm's Coupe]

Anyone seen one that uses the style arm with the nut but then has a 6 sided output piece where the arm sits? Its painted OD so I suspect it may be military.

Ed, if you are talking about the kind that has a nut on top of the arm post to hold the arm on, I think I have seen those. Not painted ones, but chrome. If they are the ones I think I've seen them in the street rod catalogs. Not sure which one though, but they are chrome or stainless in the catalogs.

[Young Ed]

It has a nut but also has a six sided output on the wiper motor. These are for my truck which has a wiper motor for each side with no linkage. The arms go directly on the motor.

[blueskies]

Here's another option...

These wiper blades came off of my '53 chevy truck. No idea now where I got them, but they hold refills just like modern blades, and connect to the wiper arm just like the factory blades to. My original blades for the car were shot, so I robbed the truck of it's blades. I can't drive them both at the same time in the rain, so I've just been swapping them back and forth...

I just buy the cheap plastic refills, and cut them off with a pair of dikes to the right length.

Works for me.

Pete

[Don Coatney]

Thanks for listening to the ramblings of an old man.

Neil;

From one old man to another. Been there done that! Times change.