It has been my intention to keep running my 39 Ford standard coupe on the 6v system but alas one thing leads to another and before long it is just easier to run 12v. Since I have the wind shield out and the hood liner dropped I thought there is no time like the present to change out the wiper motor while I wait for the screen to come back from the chrome plater and glass shop. I have read of some ingenious upgrades in these pages like VW parts and others. Despite the expense I am opting for a simple after market swap out. I see there are those from the regular haunts like Drake and similar at about $275+ but I happened to come across New Port's motor which is a lot cheaper at $220. The New Port one looks like a real good solid unit but comes with a waiver; "*Note: Depending on how the headliner is installed the motor may cause a bulge. We also suggest wrapping armature of motor with insulation to protect headliner." Has anyone here had experience with this product that can offer some first hand experience? With thanks Gavin
You should add your location to your profile, the answer for a person in Seattle might be different than the answer for Los Angeles. In either case if your wiper works I would suggest a resister to drop the voltage to 6 volts and leave it at that. Charlie Stephens
I wish I could be of some help but my experience on 38-39 wipers is limited as my 39 is a convertible and uses cowl mounted wipers. I did install some wiper motors in a friends 38 Ford Deluxe a few years ago. The 12 volt motors worked OK but there was a separate motor and switch for each wiper ( I am pretty sure they were not Newports). The interesting thing is that although they worked fine in the shop and at low speeds, when we tried to use them at anything above 50MPH the wiper arms would rotate up above the windshield and flop around up there totally useless. I suspect if we had used wiper arms with stronger springs that the arms may not have taken flight....... I am curious if anyone else viewing this thread has had a similar experience.
Another system you might consider if you are concerned about the need for insulation and possible headliner clearance issues is this SPW kit. With this system the motor is mounted under the dash or on the cowl with a cable drive system that passes up through the A pillar to drive the wipers. I purchased one for my convertible and thought it was a good product with a video for installation instructions. I decided to go with a more conventional system however and sold SPW kit. http://www.yogisinc.com/index.cfm/p...=11194/category_id=282/mode=prod/prd11194.htm
I just installed a Newport in my 57 Chev. Pick Up. I am only commenting on the product not your particular installation. The motor is excellent so far and installed easily enough, except for radio and speaker removal and reinstall. If Newport bothers to suggest some additional steps in using their product then I would follow it to the letter.
Thanks guys, and Charlie, I worked out how to update my profile now Charlie, good advise thank you. I have not pulled the wiper assembly apart yet but I do know that the on/off knob is seized. I'll investigate further on my days off. The 39 guy, the wiper arm note is a concern of mine at face value too as the arms have little of no tension to keep them against the screen...was kind of wondering how they could push any water aside... With thanks Gavin
I use new port wipers, never had a problem with them. The one I am using in my A the wife found on Amazon for 15 bucks. LOL These days you can find anything on Amazon.
Another vote here for the quality of Newport products. Put their kit in my 51 Fleetline and I am very happy with it. Pat
I have Newport in my convertible. It was easy to install and works like a champ. They are super people to work with
I couldn't justify the 500 bucks it costs up here, considering I don't intend to drive in the rain on purpose. For my 46 coupe, I adapted a unit from the hatchback of a new pos in the junkyard. Very small, direct drive, and 25 bucks, even has a washer hose if you needed it.. I would pick one up and see if you can adapt it with a little ingenuity
I used a similar small Hyundai on a friends pommy rod (Vauxhall). Worked a treat with 2 speeds. Just work out lengths of arms off motor & use OEM towers with arms to get the correct sweep
I installed the Newport wiper motor in my '39 coupe. It works fine. I had to grind away some of the header panel to get the motor tucked in. To eliminate the buldge in the headliner, I built up the header panel with some spray foam. I also installed a new headliner that had just enough extra material to go around the buildup.
Thanks guys...I like the junk yard idea PKap but I am seriously time poor with my shift work... Flat 39, how much further did it actually stick out over the stock item? I might have to forget this brand...it seems my coupe is a little unusual in that there is no header panel...just discussing this the other day...I know many were discarded but it just seems mine is a little odd...if it does stick out too far I'll have to look at plans B & C... Gavin
There is zip, zero, zilch after market stuff out there for 38/39 Fords that actually fit within the recess... :-( I though someone would have catered for this...
Thanks Flat 39. Could you show a photo to help with my understanding of how the protrusion appears once trimmed.
I put a Newport set up in my 51 Chevy and am very impressed with it. I'm planning on putting one in my 39 sedan. They work great.
As 39 guy says if you are concerned about headliner clearance go with the cable system and you will have no issues. I could have used a kit system, but chose not to , just too miserable. Down here we have plenty of old pommy cars with cable wipers. Morris, austin , jaguar, triumph and probably more. Some are two speed. I have used cable wipers in a few builds now and hide the motor under the dash with the cable running up the A pillar. The beauty of these is if you have a few old motors you can select the gearing and varying arcs to suit your screen.
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