I have rain X on the Willys, but it doesn't work too well. Because of the recessed windshield and it's very upright angle. the drops just build up but don't go anywhere. So I have a wiper. Speedway single speed.
Yep, I found the same thing. Rain-X works fantastic on my modern cars, but it does very little on my 47 Chevy or my T-Bucket.
In NY wipers are part of the annual motor vehicle inspection, I put the Newport Engineering setup on my 34 pickup. You can barely see it up under the visor, gets a lot of comments and if I need them they are there.
Sure wish someone would come up with a battery powered wiper! Why not? For short periods I would think they would be sufficient and would save a bunch of wiring.
Those 'squeegee' style blades are terrible IMO. Get the 'sprung' type for curved glass, they work much better...
Good idea to have a wiper for those moist occasions, and makes those longer road trips much more fun if you run into a little rain. Here’s a pic from the passenger side to illustrate Rain-X in action. On the drivers side, my little marine wiper was doing fine.
Hello, Wipers on cars are a necessity. We tried Rain-x on our windshields and it did work. But, there is nothing better than a clean sweep of a wiper through the clotted up drops on the window or those trying to roll off with speed. It is futile to be in rain with no wipers and despite the Rain-x, it is not clear enough for safe driving. Our yellow Rain-x container is still half full and has not moved in the “automotive” drawer of our garage. The combo of Rain-x and good wipers may be the answer, but as one goes in the normal driving speeds, safe for heavy rain, the faster the water gets off of the window, the clearer it is and the feel of safety during those times is satisfying. My wife and I were on highway 70 from Kansas City, Mo. heading West . We had turned around just before St. Louis after sitting in traffic for 2 hours with no way to get off of the highway, legally. Finally, after creeping forward, there was an off ramp packed with people getting off and doing their things. We stopped at a small grocery store for supplies and asked the guy behind the counter what the fastest way to get to Kansas City from our jammed up roadway to St. Louis. He showed us “his” way to get to a backwoods two lane roadway that led to Kansas City. We can’t remember the name of the road, but my wife was now driving and the scenery flew past like we were on a rocket ship. It was nice and green with plowed fields, strands of trees for wind blocks and plenty of rolled up hay bales on most properties. But, at this speed, we got to Kansas city for a good rest stop for a couple of days. Now, our cross country planned trip to the East coast harbors had some cancellations as now, we were headed back West. Jnaki After our desired rest stop, visitation of the old town and other places, we headed West again on Highway 70. At least, the traffic was moving at normal speeds and the roadways were clear. The weather was fine when we started out and drove about 300 miles, we stopped for gas and a snack. Then as we got back on Highway 70, the Denver direction looked dark. As we continued west, it got darker and now raining. The wipers and standard windshield fluid worked well. So, far, all was good, it was just a rain. But, about 50 miles later, it got darker and now the rain speed and power picked up and we had the high speed wipers going all of the time. The rain was now sideways, the wind picked up and blasted the windshield like we had never seen before. It was so thick that all of the cars slowed down and now we all were cautious as we creeped forward at lower speeds. The rain seemed to be winning the contest of clear window or solid buckets of water being poured over our whole station wagon. Finally, as the passenger cars were going slowly and enduring the never ending rain, two huge semi trucks/trailers came blasting by all of us. The first one was surprising as it was a giant wall blasting by us like we were standing still. Most of us pulled slightly off of the roadway, moving over, but staying on the hard surface. Then moments later, another big truck did the same thing… what the…??? Those idiots kept going and I am sure laughing at all of the cars slowing down and being safe, while they did their thing with high speeds and the rain. Eventually, we found an exit and stayed in an old historic wooden hotel that advertised its history as being around since the 30s. it did not matter, it was a respite from those idiot truckers and the most powerful rainstorm we had ever encountered. YRMV
bought these years ago, (top photo), - tried to fit them recently, - short answer, - they will probably go in the bin unless I make additional parts with a 3D printer to get them to work correctly. Maybe others have had better results. My cars are only required to have one for the driver, so that will probably suffice.
Newport wipers are parked in the “up” position on my 50 Merc .. do I need to flip the tabs on the wiper end so they park “down” ? Hooligan Chuck
I run a Jeep electric motor on my Willys. Just put the wiper arm on if using wiper, otherwise store it under my seat. Without wiper With wiper Wiper switch in overhead panel.
They are required in Kansas. Also tires marked FOR NON HIGHWAY USE ONLY are forbidden in Kansas, as well. Regardless of tread depth and design. Sad. For the most part, Kansas is pretty chill with hot rods. -rick
Do you have info on where to get that? I wonder if that would fit under the cowl of my 1960 Falcon. I've got 2 empty holes and no dash board in the way. I do have a parts car but would rather do something simple and clean like that just to satisfy Johnny Law... -rick
this is the motor on my 1939 Ford. crappy but does the job. unlike several posters I have driven the 39 everyday for 17 years thru 4 states, often pulling a trailer with an antique car on it.. Lots of rain
Did I ever tell you the story of driving my Willys in Fresno CA on a rainy day with farm implement tires (look like racing slicks. Sort of) and softly applying my brakes? Marked "Not for Highway Use" of course. Great way of seeing what is behind you!!!!
The wipers in the cars I own and have owned always have working wipers. To me they are a must as far as safety goes. You will need them to get your car inspected on long Island New York. Some of the older cars might pass without them if they weren't required when the car was manufactured, but I'm not sure.
I know this is an old thread but had to respond. Not all Washington State is wet. I live in Eastern Wa. Its dessert. We get less then 1/2 an inch a year. Probably dryer then Utah.
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