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Two-Speed Wiper Installation - Clean SweepProject '49 Gets Two-Speed Wipers From the September, 2010 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliot
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I guess the original vacuum windshield wipers that my '49 Chevy came equipped with from the factory could be termed two-speed-if you count "slow" and "off" as speeds! Anyone who has experienced vacuum wipers knows that they slow down when you need them the most-that is, when the engine is under load, such as accelerating or ascending a grade. While I rarely have the need for wipers living in sunny SoCal, the Chevy hasn't always lived in such a hospitable climate, and many's the time I cursed those vacuum wipers when I drove the car back in rain-swept England. While the thought of installing wipers (or even fitting wiper arms and blades to working systems!) seems an almost alien process if the cars I see at local shows are anything to go by, I intend to cover some serious miles in the Chevy, hopefully this summer, with many of them out of state. So a decent two-speed wiper motor was on my "to-do" list. Things got even better once I'd contacted New Port Engineering. Not only do they offer their Clean Wipe wiper drive that bolts in place of the original, but an optional upgrade to the basic two-speed kit features a delay unit that provides high and low speeds, plus intermittent and delay options. It also operates a windshield washer from the same single switch! Plus, the 3/16-inch-diameter shaft means the original Chevy dash knob can be reused. While there's no need to remove... While there's no need to remove the actuating arms if you're just swapping the vacuum motor for the electric version, I wanted to change the wiper tower gaskets and paint the cowl, so the towers came off. This small Allen bolt holds the wiper drive onto the shaft. Removing it allows the shaft, and hence the arms, to slide out under the dash. As the delay unit is larger than the two-speed, in this instance a shaft extension (also an optional upgrade) is required for the unit to clear the dashboard, though it's not required in some other applications. In fact, the extension may actually cause interference with other components if it's not required, so speak with the folks at New Port Engineering about your specific application. We've all experienced parts that are supposed to fit straight out of the box, but usually require some modification, so it was a very pleasant surprise to find that the New Port Engineering motor quite literally does bolt straight up to the two mounting holes as per the original. Once the rubber grommets in the ends of the actuating arms are replaced with the nylon bushes supplied, and affixed using C-clips, the original arms, spindles and wiper towers can be re-used. But-and there's always a but-I had squeezed a Vintage Air Gen IV A/C evaporator under the Chevy's dash, and though I'd mounted it to clear the actuating arms and the old vacuum motor, it took up part of the space where the new motor was mounted. New Port Engineering states that the motor will clear an A/C unit, but the Vintage Air Gen IV is larger than most units, so I guess I should have seen the clash coming. A little ingenuity saw the motor fitted without modifying the New Port Engineering bracketry, and thus not affecting the warranty, making the installation relatively, if not completely, painless. Guess I won't need the bottle of rain repellent in the trunk any longer ...  Here are the old and the new...  Here are the old and the new for comparison. Though they mount in the same location, and the pivoting arm is in the same location, you can see how much deeper the New Port Engineering bracket is, hence my interface with the A/C unit.  The original sprung clip is...  The original sprung clip is easy to remove...  ...enabling the actuating...  ...enabling the actuating arms to be released from the stock motor.  Again for comparison with...  Again for comparison with the stock arm and rubber grommet on the left and the now painted righthand side arm, nylon bush, washer, and C-clip on the right. The three components for the left arm are shown on the mounting bracket.  Once I'd treated the rust...  Once I'd treated the rust under the dash and brushed on rust-inhibiting paint, the new motor was mounted. Take care to mount it centrally on the original bracket, as the holes are slotted to provide adjustment.  I ran out of time to apply...  I ran out of time to apply the top coat on the cowl (you'll have to wait and see what it'll be!) so that's black basecoat on there for now. Chevs of The 40's supplied a pair of new wiper tower gaskets, and though they'll be coming off again for final paint, the towers were remounted. I'll be on the lookout for towers in better condition in the meantime.  The towers are secured from...  The towers are secured from underneath, via a bracket and bolt, and the actuating arms and shafts were replaced. During final assembly I'll add silicone grease to the shafts, but this was just a "dry" run.  With the arms connected to...  With the arms connected to the motor, the installation's complete, save for the wiring. According to New Port Engineering's instructions, moving the entire motor assembly left or right on the stock mounting bracket will raise or lower the left and right wipers so you can set them at the same height, then loosening the nut on the motor shaft and pivoting the motor on its bracket (locked in place by a bolt in the slot at the bottom of the bracket-which I've helpfully removed in this shot!) will raise or lower the wipers a like amount. They should be set to park between 1/4 and 1/2 inch above the rubber windshield gasket.  Of course my installation...  Of course my installation wasn't complete, but I calculated that moving the entire assembly across toward the driver side of the car, but ensuring it remained in line with the original Chevy bracket, would provide sufficient clearance for the A/C unit and still retain the factory geometry. I was able to use the lefthand hole in the stock bracket for the righthand mounting bolt on the motor bracket, and would then fabricate another bracket to mount the lefthand side. This meant the motor would move across by precisely the distance between its mounting holes, which measured 5 7/8 inches. Therefore, I had to remove this amount from the driver side actuating arm and lengthen the other by a similar amount. Got that?  I could have welded a bracket...  I could have welded a bracket to the firewall, but decided against it for two reasons. One, the outside of the firewall was already painted; and two, I'm attempting to make as much of this build as possible a bolt-in deal, to show that it's possible to undertake a fairly major project without owning anything more complex than a MIG welder, grinder, and hand tools. So my bolt-in bracket was formed from 1x1x1/16-inch angle steel (actually cut from box section, which has a larger corner radius), cutting sections, and folding the ends over, then welding, grinding, and drilling.  Here's one view of the finished...  Here's one view of the finished bracket, which uses the dash/steering column stabilizing bars to bolt to the firewall. The upper end is slotted to allow for that wiper arm adjustment I spoke of. The New Port bracket is tapped and comes with mounting hardware. You can see how the lower end of the bracket now clears the A/C outlet with about 1/4 inch of clearance (arrow).  Another view of the bracket,...  Another view of the bracket, looking up from the transmission tunnel, clearly shows how it attaches to the firewall. The new mounting method provides as much if not more support than the stock Chevy bracket, with minimal flex in operation. Obviously, I haven't used it extensively, but at this stage I don't think it'll need a gusset to prevent movement.  Luckily both actuating arms...  Luckily both actuating arms include straight sections, so the 5 7/8-inch length I removed from the left side was simply welded into the right side, leaving gaps the same width as the band saw blade I cut them with, to ensure they remained the correct length. I actually opted to TIG-weld the arms, but these could be MIG-welded too.  Here's the shortened left...  Here's the shortened left side arm all hooked up and ready to test after I install the C-clip.  This is the optional delay...  This is the optional delay unit that has to be grounded to the wiper motor assembly (using a wire supplied) in order for the intermittent capability to function.  Releasing this set screw allows...  Releasing this set screw allows the stock Chevy dash knob to be used. In some applications, including mine, an optional shaft extension is required (arrow) in order for the delay unit to clear behind-dash components.  Here's the delay unit/switch...  Here's the delay unit/switch installed, with the original knob. Now all I have to do is complete the simple wiring as per the instructions. Guess I'll need a wiring harness pretty soon then! Temporarily hooked up to a 12-volt battery, through a 6-amp fuse, I was able to set the park positions of the wiper arms and ensure my modifications allowed everything to work as designed.  When I ordered the tower gaskets...  When I ordered the tower gaskets from Chevs of the 40's I noticed they offered short wiper arms for chopped cars, so I ordered a set at the same time. Now, my car is chopped quite heavily, but I raised the top of the windshield aperture into the front of the roof, meaning my windshield isn't drastically short, and these arms and blades, nice as they are, are too short for my application. However, I should have paid more attention to New Port Engineering's products, as they offer polished stainless adjustable arms as well as blades in 6-, 8-, and 10-inch lengths.
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