Electric Wipers for '51 Plymouth? - Going 12 volt

[Bob Riding]

I'm been stymied looking for an electric windshield wiper that will fit my '51 Plymouth. Newport Engineering makes an aftermarket system that will fit the '49-'50 Plymouths and Dodges but apparently there were enough changes to the cowl in '51-'52 that it won't fit. The usual suspects (Obsolete Parts, MoparMall) want a pretty penny for NOS stuff. Anyone find a aftermarket setup that will fit? Also, I'm going 12 volts.

[Sniper]

I just run the original six volt motor in my 51 but it goes real fast on 12 volts. So fast I figured it was going to beat the linkage to death. So I made a current limiter to slow it down. They do make a 12 to 6 volt converter rated at 10 amps which is the fuse rating for that motor. I've got one but haven't tried it yet. I got it off of Amazon.

[Bob Riding]

I'm not sure if mine came with electric or vacuum- I need to sort through my stash of parts (I disassembled the wagon in 2018 so I can't always be sure of what I have)

Is this the voltage converter you were talking about?

DROK 12V Step Up Converter

[Sam Buchanan]

If you want to run a 6v motor on 12v you need a step down converter.

[Loren]

No generally they are a resister type. The one you showed is a step up type.

You have to mount it in a spot which has no chance of anything combustable touching it because they make a lot of heat.

 

As I recall there's four levels of Windshield Wipers, Vacuum, Vacuum with a dual chamber fuel pump, single speed 6 volt and 2 speed 6 volt electric.

The parts book isn't a lot of help. It shows one speed and two speed motors for 1951-52 Plymouth or Dodge and they seem to have two suppliers with variations based on where the car was made. What a mess!

I think I'll stay with my vacuum wipers and add a dual chamber fuel pump, that seems to be a whole lot simpler and cheaper.

There were electric vacuum pumps back in the day for wipers. The aftermarket pumps today are designed to produce enough vacuum for power brakes so they are over kill and pricey. Another way to supply vacuum would be an alternator driven pump as used on diesels for power brakes. If you are going to change to an alternator anyway that option has merit. The last one I bought came from eBay at a reasonable price.

[Young Ed]

From what I've heard Plymouths got 1 speed and the fancier dodges got 2 speeds. Dad always said he was going to swap a dodge unit into his 51. Looking at the parts book it appears all the Plymouths got the same while some dodges had a different number. I would assume then the 2spd was optional 

 

Bob 51 was the first year for electric wipers so you should have an electric setup

[Sniper]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08BXFC6MD?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

[Bob Riding]

On 11/30/2024 at 8:00 AM, Sniper said:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08BXFC6MD?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Is this the one you bought?

 

[Sniper]

Yes, it is.  The only concern I have is that the motor might rotate opposite of when it did as a 6v positive ground setup thereby messing up the parking feature.  I am not certain it does rotate opposite though.  But my parking doesn't work and that might be more of a case of the switch inside the motor needing attention.  Have not looked at that.  When I got the car the motor was out and the linkage completely disconnected, took me a while to sort that out so take pics, number the linkage ends, make a diagram, whatever you need to get it back together with minimal fuss.

[Bob Riding]

19 minutes ago, Sniper said:

Yes, it is.  The only concern I have is that the motor might rotate opposite of when it did as a 6v positive ground setup thereby messing up the parking feature.  I am not certain it does rotate opposite though.  But my parking doesn't work and that might be more of a case of the switch inside the motor needing attention.  Have not looked at that.  When I got the car the motor was out and the linkage completely disconnected, took me a while to sort that out so take pics, number the linkage ends, make a diagram, whatever you need to get it back together with minimal fuss.

Noted, thanks. Would this voltage reducer also work with my stock 6 volt horns? I know they require enough current that Chrysler used horn relays. Some have said you can just run them on 12 volts, but my '40 wagon's horns are already pretty darn loud on 6 volts.

[Sniper]

I do not know, it is rated at 10A, which is the fuse size for the wipers.  Not sure what fuse the horns use.  I run my horns on 12v and they will wake the dead, in the next county, from last century.

[Plymouthy Adams]

3 hours ago, Sniper said:

I do not know, it is rated at 10A, which is the fuse size for the wipers.  Not sure what fuse the horns use.  I run my horns on 12v and they will wake the dead, in the next county, from last century.

are you saying if you were to blow your horn near a Civil War cemetery the war would start up again..(not that in some areas it ever was over to begin with)

[Sniper]

That would be the century before the last century, lol.

 

But I was thinking that when I wrote it, lol.

[Dartgame]

Do a search for VW beetle 12 volt to 6 volt wiper. I found and built my own voltage adapter using info for VW's.

 

http://vw-resource.com/wiper1.html

[DJ194950]

Bob,

 

If you go 12 volts have you looked at this type of update  for the whole wiper system??

 

There used to be several companies making this type of update, but now at least one I saw on a quick search , this ca. has been around for several  years.

 

https://www.specialtypowerwindows.com/power-windshield-wiper-kits

 

DJ

[Sniper]

1 hour ago, Dartgame said:

Do a search for VW beetle 12 volt to 6 volt wiper. I found and built my own voltage adapter using info for VW's.

 

http://vw-resource.com/wiper1.html

 

That is pretty much what I did for my 51.  It works, but the wipers are slow. 

[Bob Riding]

3 hours ago, DJ194950 said:

Bob,

 

If you go 12 volts have you looked at this type of update  for the whole wiper system??

 

There used to be several companies making this type of update, but now at least one I saw on a quick search , this ca. has been around for several  years.

 

https://www.specialtypowerwindows.com/power-windshield-wiper-kits

 

DJ

I had not seen these guys before. i will check them out- thanks!