Featured Projects WIPE MY ARSE

That thought occurred to me whilst wrestling these arms off. Why not make it easier next time?

So you're saying I shouldn't post my speedo shot? Got it! I'm all about compliance

That's a creative tool. I have only spoke those words once before and they were regarding a friend of mine.

I'm a master at fixing my own mess ups. And I coined a few new words along the way. Win win

 

It's only nicely done because it was "manhanded" off the car by a******. But thank you for the compliments. Please send your stainless to my case worker at the Dammasch State Hospital in Wilsonville. They don't allow me to have anything pointy.

 

I believe the tool you used is for pulling the knurled part that the wiper fits on.

 

I'm becoming concerned about you Bill, some quiet time at Dammasch might help.

 

For those unfamiliar with these wipers, this is the cam wheel I was talking about, taken from the instructions above, thank you @pprather

Every hole in the wheel changes the sweep of the arms from 160 degrees to 90 in 10 degree intervals. I must have it off causing the blades to leave the windscreen. I know I laid this out with tape on the window, used a protractor to measure the angle and set the cam but either I did something wrong or like @Pist-n-Broke said, I damaged the plastic bits at the towers when the arms jambed on my ragtop. If I recall I needed 140 degrees from park (lying horizontal on the window trim.

So, if my wheel looks just like the instructions when I take the cover off, and I have the link arm in the 160 hole I just need to remove the link, turn the cam and insert the link 2 holes up to correct the sweep? I plan on using zip ties on the knurls (like last time) to set this up. The fun part is getting to this box as it mounted high on the firewall, the in the left corner. I'll go dig in once my coffee and Vicodin catch up with my lower back.

 

I hat wiper arm removal, it rarely goes well and if you watch a video they always have them pre-removed and lying there so they just grab them and take them off the car "and now on to step 2"

“I’m not crazy. I’m just a little unwell.” - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

 

just a thought. Get one of those vacuum pumps for power brakes on a car that has a radical cam, but use it to operate the vacuum wipers.

 

@Kim Strobeck is doing just that right now on his 31 coupe to run his wiper.

 

Bill, I’ve got the same setup on the T- I haven’t tested it out yet, but I’m familiar with the install and functionality. If you want a 2nd pair of eyes from a local, let me know!

 

I may take you up on that offer. Here is the issue, or at least one of them. I just went out and tested the wipers with zip ties on the knurls. When you turn the switch (intermittent delay switch) on, the wiper arms drop first and then sweep regularly. Turn off the switch, they complete the sweep and stop but not park. Turn on the switch and they drop to the park position before sweeping. How the hell have I done that? I just tried calling and emailing SPW and I am getting nothing but static.

 

This is the instructions, page 5. My wipers sweep outboard and park at center like the second example down. In the diagram they do not park flat like the example at the top. They seem to park at 10 or 15 degrees. If this is correct, when I turn on the switch, the blades drop to the flat position and then sweep, they never park horizontal?

 

Not your system, but might help to understand how these things work.
https://www.chevelles.com/threads/understanding-non-depressed-park-wiper-systems.711666/

During "parking" operation (shut-down) the motor continues to run until the wipers are in the proper position even with the switch off thanks to the internal park switch that provides a temporary ground to the control connections internally.

It's the first post and you need to click on see more in that post.

 

It sounds to me like there's a little slop in the linkage for it to be doing that.

The park function is a whole nightmare with the switch, so there might be some shenanigans with that, too. What wiper switch are you running? I'm guessing this Cole Hersee unit? This is what comes in the SPP kit. I could bring my switch and we could try it, to rule out the switch acting a fool.

 

I take it you didn't use Rain-X?

 

Yeah, that the switch. I was just talking to @Pist-n-Broke on the phone and the motor on these units cannot run backward, so if it only runs one direction but my arms are trying to start off with a move the wrong way, I must have that link at an angle and not parallel like the diagram?

To make this worse, this is an old build pic from the HAMB showing where that wiper motor is located

 

Yep, my guess is that linkage rod is just a tickle before parallel, so it resets itself to zero if you will, when you turn on the switch.

 

Yep. I moved it to the next hole down which is flat with the connector link, they don't move backward any longer. Now to adjust the sweep. I need to remove that wheel and put it back on where I have the correct sweep. When I****empbled this 10= years ago, maybe the motor wasn't at park?

 

Likely the case.

 

Looking out my living room window....thinking now would be a good time to test them out!

 

I got the degree wheel set to 120 degrees, wipers sweep and park like they should.

I raised the car about half way up in the lift, got between the beams and I could service the wiper motor standing up. Not bad. My fuse panel drops down to make more room

Lubed everything up, put it all back together,

all is good with the world….for now.

 

Bottom line is, the wiper arms stopped moving and the Motor didn't. The wheel slipped on the drive motor splines and got out of time. Park for the motor was no longer park for the blades. Hay, at least nothing is broken. I'm really surprised by SPW's customer service or should I say Total Lack of. I have installed a lot of their products, and they were always a 10 when it came to online help. I guess those days are gone.

 

I hate to trash talk anyone, maybe I caught them at a bad time, short staffed, whatever. They let me down, but the HAMB came through with instructions, tips and****istance. Thanks to all that replied.

 

No kidding there man, it's like Noah's ark out there. I just hope the dove I sent out comes back with some weed. Screw olive branches.

 

I've had that same setup in my48 since they first came out and there was little else in the way of electric wipers for older rigs except cobbling somthing to work. Never did get it all connected to work.

In other news my Chevy truck wiper arms fit the drives for the kit and I have aftermarket arms that were adjustable that I shortened to use with my chopped windshield with MG wiper blades. That was back in the days I could walk in my buddy's parts house and go behind the counter and get into the parts books to figure out what I needed to get things to work.

 

Glad to hear it's sorted. Present Billy thanks past Billy for making that as accessible as it is.

 

Nice setup behind the dash.

My SPW box is flat against the underside of the cowl. That's OK, but it was installed with the access cover on top!

The flared aluminum tube which contains the drive cable is not captured inside the control box. Hence the wipers don't work.

Yes, I use a lot of Rain-X.

 

It worked out, quite well I might add. If I had no lift, it would have been a nightmare that only a contortionist could have pulled off.

@Pist-n-Broke said it would have been a lot handier had I mounted the motor behind the passenger kick panel. True that! The rest of the under dash is pretty straight forward. Blue tooth speaker box disguised as a ford radio box, with courtesy floor lighting on either side because, why wouldn't you?

In a little car like these roadsters the real estate is scarce and valuable like buying a home in Rhode Island. I try my hardest to build cars that are serviceable but sometimes you just run out of room. I was fortunate that this was of those times that it worked in my favor.

My wife asked me why I was spending so much time on a problem that may never exist again. She doesn't get it, she drives new cars that have all the creature comforts at her fingertip. If I build it, I expect it to work and I was not amused when it failed. Some of you will understand, some will not. My cars are actual vehicles. Pretty? Yep. But everything works. That is foremost.

 

Yup, form and function all in one.

 

Always carry a can of RainX. Fix the wipers when I get home