Technical WINDSHIELD WIPERS - VACUUM OR ELECTRIC?

I have owned cars with with both vacuum & electric wipers and had mixed results with each,I have also substituted Rain-X for poor preforming wipers.

What type of wipers are you using and if it's a after market unit does it do a good job? HRP

 

American-Bosch, 12V electric.
Vacuum sucks, Danny...

I almost took the unit out of an '86 BMW 325...(for my '55 F100) Superior unit, has a switch that is easily changeable to a knob in-or-below dash; motor and transmission mounted on a stiff stamped plate with stalks that reach through the original F100 stamped holes in cowling.
But.......(and it's a BIG but) It wouldn't be HAMBABLE! Sheesh...Coulda had intermittent...

 

Yeah Mike, they also blow when they don't work! HRP

 

Danny
A little related.
Bought my 57 BelAir in high school 1970 IIRC (I know, you've heard it all before).
Again, by my memory, I was doing something near the firewall and somehow the metal cable for the vacuum wipers came into contact with the firewall mounted resistor lug.
You know what a fuse looks like when you light it right, well, you get the picture.
If you guys know how much it rains in Oregon you will understand my next move.
So I put a wrecking yard electric motor in it and that's my story, life was good.

 

Ran the vacuum in the 50 Chevy for years, luckly we live in So Cal and we don't know what those four letter words are, rain and snow.... but after Chick came back from World of Speed and hit snow in the White Horse pass, it was time for a change. New Port Engineering makes a great swap kit, unbolt and bolt in, with some swearing as you are upside down, it is a wonderful product.
I put an MG cable system in the 40 pickup and it is great.
So yes, unless you are doing a 100 points resto, leave the vacuum for the dirt on the floor.

 

Changed the vacuum wiper device on my '57 Pontiac to an NOS electric that I picked up at a swap meet for $35! The wire had come off the motor and the fellow had no idea how to repair it. Neither did I, but for $35 and NOS I was willing to learn how. NOTE, it was a real pain in the *#$! It works great 2 speeds and doesn't slow down going up a hill!
KK

 

never tried it myself, but i've heard of good results using one of those vacuum tanks like you need with a big cam. my dad used to be a "magician." he'd have the wipers going on the '50 merc and make a gesture with his hand (while stepping on the gas pedal) and the wipers would stop!

 

I have the stock vacuum motor in my 36 Chevy pickup, as long as youre cruising long it works OK but you gotta learn to get out of the throttle in heavy rain to get the shield clean. It's enjoyably quirky !! My 36 Ford sedan has a Mighty Wiper ( dont even know if they still make those) , it wipes better than the vacuum . The only issue I've had with it is at speeds over 65 or so the wiper arm wants to twist all the way around and sit on top of the roof. SO...RainEx is my best friend if it starts raining. Mitch.

 

Given a choice I would take electric but if I had a car with vacuum wipers and the vacuum system worked ok I would put on a vacuum tank and vacuum pump before I went to the trouble of changing it over.

 

swapped to a newport engineering unit for my '55 Olds. as its a daily. Best thing I ever did, was pretty much a bolt in except for one screw that I had to make a stud for that hole instead - I was never getting that screw in there. but works as you expect it should as opposed to most bought things that require lost of messing with to get to work

MIGHTY WIPER- for 32 5 Window's - Has anyone used these? I keep looking at them and want one, but want to know what people think of them. I saw that Newport were working on a 5W one but its not listed on their site.

 

Swapped out the vacuum for a Newport Eng.on the 41. Easy and it works excellent. Snowman

 

I clean & repair whatever came in the car until it works well, or at least as well as it did when new. Growing up in snow country you learn to drive with your right foot as a speed control. The canister reserve is a help, and defroster/heater has to keep the windshield warmed or nothing is going to wipe it.

 

My 29 Roadster has the hand operated wiper!
Pretty wild in a downpour......!

 

The Newport in my truck runs all day. Two speed, interval, washer button, self parking. Mighty wipers are a step up from the vac jobs, but not a big step. They run fine, but I don't like how they are mounted by just the shaft and a collar. That needs some extra work / bracing, IMHO. Gary

 

I remember my old '54 Fords vacuum wiper would slow down as I increased speed and if I floored it they would stop in their tracks. HRP

 

Got a Newport electric in my 37. Works well, no complaints. Dad had vacuum wipers in his 53, never did work all that well, and tended to leak vacuum, so had to be kept clamped off when not in use.


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My 57 Fuely had vacuum wipers with an auxillary factory electric vacuum pump that kicked on when the vacuum dropped-it worked very well. On my 40's I use Newport and they work great.

 

The last set I purchased was for my 53 Chev from a company called Raingear. They're located in Washington. Work great. Price was reasonable too.

 

I recently bought a swap-meet vacuum wiper motor to see if I could get it to run on positive air pressure. I haven't had the chance to do much more than strip it down and clean everything. That did allow me to get a handle on how the air circuitry works.

As it has only one vent to atmosphere it should be quite possible to connect ±10PSI there and vent through the vacuum attachment. Variable speed should likewise be doable (airbrush in-line regulator?) but intermittent action is still eluding me.

Another option for electric is a Lucas wiper motor. Dead simple, easily rebuildable, and despite the provenance the one in my Morris Minor has been zero trouble. It works with a push-pull cable, which may offer packaging advantages. And being a traditional-era piece, it looks like a traditional-era piece.

 

In Seattle with a '54 Belair as a daily-- you could imagine. Vacuum wiper at a crawl or even stopped going up and wiping like hell while going down the next hill. Radio worked similarly.


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Newport...

 

I could have had my Trico vacuum unit rebuilt, but it was 1/2 way there to a Newport, brand new, no pots to wash. It works very well and it should for $224.

 

Safety first, ask the purists if they are accessing the internet on an ENIAC.

 

Newport Engineering, it's a bolt in. Only way to go.

 

Newport.!



Just my 3.5 cents

Live Learn and Die a Fool

 

The '57 had vacuum wipers on it when purchased back in the mid-70's. While searching for some spare parts in the wrecking yard, Dad spied an electric motor and we took it off the car. When we asked "how much?" the response was $10. Now $10 went a lot further back then than now and it was a fair price, but looking back, I should have bought everyone I could have found.

 

One of the few votes for vacuum if you got 'em. I've picked up the O.E. pieces for the factory electric wipers on my sixty..., but after adding a Crane Cams big vacuum tank most of the problems went away with them. Plus in light mist with the vacuum slightly turned on they work like a modern intermittent system.
-Dave

 

I still have the vacuum wiper on my 41' Ford picup....works great, as long as I don't have to go 'up' a hill in a downpour! I've been known to hang my head out the window like my dog, to see the road in front of me....I probably should consider an upgrade!!!

 

I have had both myself and mixed results as well. Next car is going to be electric using an aftermarket unit because I have it (Newport I think). I can't give you results yet.

never used rain-ex, some of the guys were using it when I was in the rain forest and liked it real well. The missus and I did have a merc once that had cable wipers and the motor was non existent. It was a matter of nearly tearing everything off the car to put a motor in it but the cables stuck up through the defroster vents and whomever wasn't driving had to pull the cables. now that was the best damned wipers I ever had.

 

Vacuum powered wiper motors have never been that efficient. Obviously electric wipers is the way to go. Over the years I've also had several cars with no wipers and used Rain X. I've often wondered if you have no wipers and have an accident in the rain can you be subject to a citation? Insurance coverage?

Gary