BODY, Wiper Cable Replacement

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This should help if you have a broken a wiper cable. The wiper transmission assemblies differ from year to year, so cable length is our concern. To select a suitable donor car, measure from wiper post to wiper post. If that measurement is close or matches yours, you have found a set of cables that will work.

1. Remove wiper arm and loosen retainer. Lower wiper transmission assembly into car.

2. Remove applicable wiper cables from main cable drum. You should remember which position the damaged cable is in: upper or lower. If you suffer long term loss of short term memory, make a note with masking tape as to which cable goes where on the drum. Take pictures to keep as reference if need be.

3. The wiper transmission assembly has two cable spools and two cables. The cable guard has two stops to limit a runaway wiper arm. These tabs need to be bent up to allow the assembly to rotate freely 360 degrees for rewinding.

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The cable has a ferrule on both ends. On the wiper transmission side, ferrule resides in a detent.

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The cable is held in place by a pinch swage.

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Using a small jeweler's screwdriver, pry enough relief from the swage to release the cable. You will want to reuse this when reinstalling the replacement cable. Do not destroy the soft metal.

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4. Position the ferrule of the replacement cable into the detent on the spool. With a blunt flat screwdriver tip, stake the pinch swage where you relieved it for the removal. The new cable should be adequately secure.

5. Wind the cable onto the spool until both inner and outer cable ends are equal with each other. Restore the two stop tabs on the cable guard.

6. Preset cable tension to gain cable slack. Depress wiper arm head toward transmission body. This will separate the outer spool from the inner spool.

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Unwind the inner clockwise and the outer counter-clockwise against the internal spring tension. When all the slack in the cable is gained, release the wiper arm head and the two spools will mate together.

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Serrated grooves on each spool will hold them in the expanded position. Consider it in "mousetrap" state and avoid touching the wiper arm head.

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8. Reinstall wiper transmission. Check one final time to make sure the cables are in place around the drum.

9. Depress the wiper arm head to separate the two spools. Internal spring tension will rotate the spools and remove all slack.

10. Reinstall wiper arm

I have done this on my '57. The cables I used were from a '58. Replacing the outer cable is easier than the inner one, but the method is the same. Good Luck & Have Fun!
Bil