I'm looking for a non-aftermarket (cheaper) windshield wiper conversion. Does anyone have any ideas or info on what motor to use? I'm going to use the stock wiper transmissions- unless somebody has something better. Thanks!
I used a 12 volt unit off of an armored car at the scrap yard. I got the 2 speed switch also. Easy conversion in my 48 3100 Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
On my '40 coupe I used the wiper motor from a Toyota hatch back, it's small and mine was easy to breed up to the old Ford drive arms, also has the multi-speed switch from the sme car.
I used a Hyundai in a recent build, very compact and easy to hook up after sorting out geometry. 2 speed as well.
Texaswino , is the motor fairly compact on the armored car setup? The scrap yard here in town use bto have a lot of those trucks.
I've seen where some guys have used the wiper motor off the rear window of Mopar Mini vans but haven't tried it to see how it works.
I've never done the conversion, but done some reading in the past. SUV and minivan rear wiper motors seem to be a winner, low profile compact 2 or more speed, some even have integrated washers. Hit a scrap yard, cut out the surrounding metal as well so you can patch that into your current vehicle for a clean mounting solution.
Hey Neighbor! I believe I bought a 5 window cab , lwb frame etc... from you several years ago! You lived on right coming into Mt.Vernon ?
It is very pleasing to read about the use of junk to make one's vehicle roadworthy, and not to read about a 'kit' for sale through a vendor. I am impressed with the number of people who responded with equally strange answers. Truly awesome. I've had similar thoughts about the wipers on my '48 Ford Coupe and trying to imagine a late model to rob of parts to make it work. The only Armored cars we see around here stop at Wally World and haul off our cash. Not much help there. But, the idea of cutting sheet metal to go along with the motor and bagging the switch is an easy one to understand. I'll keep that in mind.
The old Lucas (Jaguar and other British cars) set-up has a cable drive that used to be a popular swap. Get the whole wiper motor, cable drive assy and the transmissions. You can mount the wiper motor down in the kick panel area or off to the side of the cowl. It is easy to modify the length to fit your car.
I've done a few wiper conversions, some even worked fairly well! The biggest challenges with adapting more modern wipers to old cars & trucks have to do with the amount of sweep the wipers swing in, the length of the wipers and the wiper arms, and getting the wiper pivot at the correct angle to match your windshield. If your really lucky, you still have all the original wiper stuff available for your car, and you just have to adapt a modern wiper motor, and modify your linkage. Sweep: It is nearly impossible to alter the amount of sweep the wiper arm makes. Most old cars only have the ability to use a wiper sweep of 90 degrees. Nearly all rear wipers have 180 degrees of sweep. Most modern cars have the right side sweep of around 140 degrees, a few have a 90 degree sweep on the left wiper blade, but many left side are still more in the 110 degree sweep range. Before you pick a car to hijack the wiper stuff off of, check to see what degree range the sweep is, and be sure you can use it. Usually, the wiper sweep is controlled by the wiper pivot, the good news is you can usually use both of the same side pivots, if one will work. (a Dakota left side pivot is a 90 degree sweep), the bad news that you have to use the wiper arms that match your chosen pivots, and usually you have to use the wiper blades that match the wiper arms. Wiper arms and blades: Modern wiper blades are mostly in the 20" long range (or longer), so the arms that operate those long blades are long as well. Most of our cars need blades in the 10-12" long range. Some newer blades and arms can be cut down enough, some can't. Wiper pivot angles: This one is the tricky one. Most modern cars have both blades going the same direction (they sweep right and left together), one pivots from the left side, and one pivots from near the center of the windshield. Modern wipers nearly all operate on a curved windshield. Wipers on nearly everything before the mid 60s travel in opposite directions ( they sweep towards and away from each other), and nearly anything before the early 50s had a single piece of flat glass, or two pieces of flat glass that were angled. The angle the wiper pivots were placed on, was determined by the type of windshield the wipers operated on, the location of the wiper pivots in regard to the windshield, and the direction and degrees of the wiper sweep. Obviously, the closer to original, location, glass type, and sweep you can match the donor wiper stuff, the better it will work. Beyond that, getting the angle close is a trial and error operation. I suggest you start on the driver side. Chose the location of the chosen pivot carefully and get the sweep, the blade and arm length close, when operated by hand. Make sure the wiper blades don't contact the windshield rubber, and remains in contact (without too much pressure) with the glass through the entire stroke of the sweep. Once that is accomplished, you can modify the wiper linkage between the motor and the pivot for a smooth, non-binding sweep. When you feel confident everything is correct, I would first test it under power, with the wiper arm removed. There has been more then one occasion where my plans and reality didn't match up. Adjustments will probably be required. After you are successful with the driver side, you can move to the passenger side and begin again. The 2nd side is always more complex, but start with choosing the pivot location, the blade and arm length, and get the sweep with the contact and amount of pressure correct. Connecting the passenger side linkage: If you have a wiper system that both wipers travel in the same direction, and the wiper pivots are set up the same way, you only need to be concerned with getting the 2nd linkage connected to the other wiper pivot, or to the motor. However, if you have hijacked the system where both wipers travel the same direction, but your wipers need to travel in the opposite direction, you will need to add some form of an idler to the linkage to reverse the passenger side wiper sweep. It gets a little complex. I've seen systems this has been done with, but i personally have not done it myself, yet. Gene
I; ve posted this before , surplus center in Nebraska has some new motors that have back and forth motion for around 30. 00. I used 2 for my cars so far. Jack
The Jalopy Journal
