Technical I love my vacumm wipers..

I was working on my wipers a week or so ago on my 53 Ford. I had a couple folks tell me I should upgrade them to electric. I would if I wanted to, but frankly I like my va***m wipers. They are simple, and easy to work on.. Maybe I'm the weird one.. lol..

 

I dunno, I have them in my '40 and they work well too. Probably not in a hurricane or major NE snow storm but I don't drive the car then.

 

Wait for the first time traveling up hill in a pouring rain between a couple of semis and you may reconsider.

 

Consider abscounding with a vacuum canister from under the hood of a '70s GM car...
Looks like a food can, satin black, with a vacuum hose ******. Pipe that into your vacuum source and prolong the affair with your vacuum wipers.

With a vacuum can, they'll really ****! (er, 'perform'.) Whoops! I meant.....

 

I know va***m wipers have their weaknesses, like metioned above. But I don't drive my 53 in bad weather anyway. Standard rain, I do fine, but huge wind/rain/hail/snow, I don't drive it anyway. I just like em, even though electric would be more efficiant.

 

I USED to love my vacuum wipers----they taught me PATIENCE----they taught me when to be very ALERT WHILE TRYING TO SEE BETWEEN WIPES----they taught me to ANTICIPATE the the s-l-o-w-n-e-s-s of the wipers going up hill. Then one day I DISCOVERED New Port Engineerings Electric conversion kit. No brainer to install, no modifications to make, AND they work like champ!!! I'm still glad I learned those other things, but I love my ELECTRIC wipers more. BILL

 

Some Gm products had a mechanical vac pump married to the fuel pump , maybe you could find a pump like that, not sure if ford offered anything like that or any aftermarket ones of the time period

 

Aren't vacuum wipers more "traditional" than electric...???

R-

 

That might help when the motor needs va***m for itself, but I really don't need it in my car, as said, I don't drive it in bad weather anyway. I like the simplicity. One hose off the manifold (or carb), one mechanical cable operating the lever on the vac motor. Mechanical arms from the motor to the arms. Easy. As far as keeping the va***m motor working well, I always took them apart and put a little lithium greese in the va***m drum and wiper so they stay sealed well and move freely, and I just haven't had the problems of being too bad (of course the up hill thing, but nothing will fix that except upgrade to electrical). Just no need, and I just like the va***m motors..

 

I remember vividly being caught in a torrential rain storm on a 3 lane highway caught between two semi's and one doing his dead level best to run over me,,,I was in my deuce 4 door with skinny bias ply's being blown around and hydroplaning and praying that the vacuum wipers were electric,,I had the gas matted trying to survive.

You couldn't drive a needle up my rear end with a sledgehammer,,I still have nightmares about that incident,,,give me nontraditional wipers and some rain-X. HRP

 

I keep Rain-x in business. I use it all the time along with my va***m wipers. Really does help. I had a similar incident in my 66 IH Scout years ago. It also had va***m wipers, but that was the least of my issue that day. I decided to drive it to work ******* (big heavy steel removeable top, so it was either top, or no top.) Just before I got off work, a HUGE Texas T-storm snuck up on us. It was coming down in buckets, so I had to deal with the va***m wipers in heavy wind, heavy rain on the highway coming home, BUT even electrical wouldn't do well for the inside since I had to drive that with no top. Rain was coming from all directions. I had one of those frog *** tight drives home, lol. People were looking and pointing at me all the way home like I was an idiot (warranted though, lol)

 

nothing having to let off the gas when you are trying to p*** someone, just so you can see!

X2 on the rain-X

 

I just pulled one of those off my seized up 216. Cool gizmo!

 

My 61 Falcon had a vacuum line from the fuel pump to the wipers, IIRC.

 

Now that you mention that, that is also how my 66 scout was plumbed (had a va***m pump built on, under the fuel pump). But IH used a lot of Ford parts and Ford designed parts, so it would make sense.

 

Most of the trouble with vacuum wipers is that they are just plain worn out. If the motor is in good shape there is nothing wrong with vacuum wipers. It is easier to add a vacuum pump and reservoir than change to electric wipers. Cadillac and American Motors used vacuum wipers up to 1963.

Having said all that, no doubt electric wipers are better in some ways but nothing wrong with vacuum wipers if they are working correctly.

 

I liked them on my 46 Ford half-ton- and I plumbed a "T" in the line under the dash, with a motorcycle fuel pet**** controlling a silent dog whistle. That way I could signal my Dobermann when I was close to home.
A useful accessory, I found.

 

Nice.. Never heard of anyone doing that. That is cool.

 

I dig vacuum wipers too. It's yet another reminder of the simpler times, which is the exact vibe I look for when driving an old relic. Take the time to smell the roses.

 

HRP, that was a bad situation you were in I am sure! But at the same time, reading your account, I haven't laughed that hard in quite a while. Thanks for the humor!

 

I love the sound of vacuum wipers while going down the road. Reminds me of when I was a kid.

 

Drove for years in my 36 with just rain-x, vacuum wipers in the 55 will be an upgrade.

 

I miss mom's arm as a seatbelt. I miss going to the car during a storm in the 50s and 60s(Don't touch anything metal) Everything was metal, but the seat! I miss a car seat being used to keep the baby away from the driver.etc

 

You forgot flying down the highway bouncing around in the bed of a pick up..
And dad flying down the highway at the same time turning around in his seat to knock the schit out of you for picking on your little sister.. lol

 

Many talk about how electric wipers are superior to vacuum wipers in blizzards, heavy rains, etc...........etc..........but how many actually drive their cl***ic cars in such weather conditions? They keep their cl***ics ****on up in the garage.
I had thought about a electric wiper conversion for my truck but then I got to thinking "Will I drive my truck in bad weather? Nope!" So I am keeping the VacWipes.

 

Tudorp, I stood on the running board or stood up in the back of a truck. Dad just had to say STOP.

 

If we were in the bed of the truck acting like idiots, my Dad wouldn't "say" stop, he would just do it (jab the breaks) bust your face on the back window shut us up every time.. lol..

 

Ford Bronco's had vacuum wipers through '68, so there were vacuum/fuel pumps for the 289/302. Replacements are near impossible to find, so you'd need an original, and find a way to rebuild it.

Some late model diesels have vacuum pumps as well.

 

I imagine the one I had on my scout was a Ford unit like they used in the Broncos. They wern't difficult to rebuild at all. Both the fuel pump and the va***m pump on them were bolted together and you were able to take them apart unlike later units that were crimped together and sealed. I rebuilt mine because I couldn't find a rebuild kit for it by just taking it apart, and replacing the diafram with a rubber mud flap. Just cut out new diaframs from it, and used those. Drove it like that for over a decade.

 

The Y-block dual-diaphragm fuel pumps will fit and work on SBF motors (slightly different arm shape is all), those are a bit easier to find. But living in 'everwet' Washington state cured me of vacuum wipers years ago. HRPs description is something I experienced multiple times as Washington isn't as flat as it is elsewhere. Going west-to-east or vice versa can mean climbing miles-long grades...