Aftermarket windshield wiper system

[abqcruiser]

Maybe I'm the only one who's been struggling with this, but I decided to scrap the whole oem wiper assembly after numerous attempts to fix it. Typical problems included, wiper links falling off the pivot arms under the dash, wipers failing to stop in the park position, stripped wiper arms , and worrisome sight of watching the sheet metal, where the wiper motor bracket mounts, undulate up and down with every revolution of the wiper motor. I figured it was only a matter of time before the metal was going to fatigue and crack.

So this is what I came up with:

Specialty Power Windows WWK-2 Standard Universal Wiper Drive Kit

It's a little pricey, but what isn't when it comes to the well being of these pigs.

I have some install pics to follow, but I'll preface by saying don't do some of the things that I did.

You will have to remove the instrument cluster, switch panel, and glove box to do this install. After that, disassemble the wiper links and remove the pivot assembly, but leave the mounting bracket for that assembly. Here's a pic:

The new wiper assembly comes with a geared pivot arm that is driven by a cable that slides back and forth. I installed the new bracket right over the old one. It bolts from the outside using a spacer and a nut.

Next is cutting and bending the aluminum tubing that creates a chase for the cable to ride through.

 

[abqcruiser]

So this is where I struggled. I was bound and determined to use the old wiper motor bracket for the new motor assembly. I should have just fabbed up a simple L bracket and moved on, but stubborn and stupid prevailed. Anyway, it works but was a huge PITA to get together.

I was able to use the stock wiper switch. I made a simple pig tail that connected the oem wiring harness with the new wiper motor. I did have to sacrifice the old wiper motor and clip off the electrical connector in order to do this though. I thought I had a pic, but I can't seem to find it so hopefully this makes sense. I checked to make sure everything was working correctly before moving on. I did fasten some dust covers out of plastic tubing to protect the greased cable on the open areas on the pivot arms from any future dust accumulation.

 

[abqcruiser]

 

[abqcruiser]

Everything so far worked great. Very smooth operation and fairly quiet. The wiper arms proved to be a challenge though. I had bought some aftermarket wiper arms prior to this swap, but the splined drum was 5/8" and this assembly came with 1/2" splined drums.
This is also where you might want to go a different route than the one I took. As far as I could research other options for wiper arms, all I could come up with was Anco brand wiper arms #41-02 that came with 1/2" drums. My old ones were Anco 41-03's .
Here's a few pics:

Top wiper arm is the 41-03, bottom is 41-02

I ended up combining the two together. These are adjustable arms, so I swapped the longer arm into the wiper assembly with the 1/2" spline. In hind sight I could have just drilled and tapped the 5/8" splined drum with a lock screw and used the old wipers. Another option that will also work, if you have the original stock wiper arms is to drill out the rivet that holds the arms to the assembly and use them for the longer arm swap.

Here's a comparison between the aftermarket wipers I used and the old stock ones.

 

[abqcruiser]

I have a video of the wipers in action. I'll try and upload it in a minute.

 

[abqcruiser]

My son is trying to help me load this, so bear with me if it doesn't work the first time.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Seems to work great, I'm sure just about everyone of us wished for better wipers. Good Job!

 

[abqcruiser]

Thank you. I guess time will tell on its reliability. It doesn't rain or snow a lot here, so it may never truly be tested.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Hey, how are these holding up? and if you don't mind, about how much did they set you back? TIA!

 

[abqcruiser]

Hey, how are these holding up? and if you don't mind, about how much did they set you back? TIA!

I have mixed feelings on this setup. There is a lot of play in the cable, so adjusting the sweep on the drivers side has been a challenge. It will track off the windshield and rub the a-pillar when I run it on high. I also broke the aluminum tubing, that the cable chases through, at one of the bends. This was due to my laziness of not cleaning off snow buildup on the windshield prior to running it though. I blame some of the problems on my install. I wasn't willing to cut into the glove box, which forced me to put a bend in the line and also as a result creating a weak point. If it breaks again, I'll have to sacrifice the glove box in order to get a straighter run.

The assembly plus new wiper arms set me back around $360.00

If someone ever repros the plastic retaining pieces on the oem arm assemblies, I'll probably go back to the old set up. I even thought about how viable it would be to try and retrofit an assembly off a fj60. Have you ever looked at your 62 to see if it might work on the 55?

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

60 series isn't a good option. I hit up @DoubleNickels to do a repro of the pivot housing. I am prolly going to repair mine with some epoxy and a steel sleeve welded to a steel backing plate for the mounting flange...at least, that's the plan. If I can get my hands on a housing I dont need to install right away, I'd take it in for a scan to see what billet aluminum would cost. I just don't know how durable a 3D printed part would be as there is some torque on that part. My linkage bushings aren't really that bad, but if they were, I'd do the rod end mod on the linkage. I think all my play was in the broken pivot housing flange. Thank You for the feedback!

 

[scrapdaddy]

I'm a little lost. Are you talking about this piece. I reinforced them with an alum. plate and JB Weld.

 

[abqcruiser]

Scrapdaddy, how do the arms attach to your pivot housings? Is there a cir clip that holds the arms in place. The later arms, mine was a 77, have a ball joint on the pivot housing. The arms have a plastic piece riveted to the ends and snaps over that ball joint. On mine the plastic had cracked and the arm would constantly fall off. I'm wondering if the earlier arms were better designed. Do you have a photo of one of the ends?

 

[scrapdaddy]

This is all I could find...

And some before shots. I used small screws to replace rivets, when I had everything cad. plated.

 

[abqcruiser]

Definitely a better design. So no plastic pieces to fail? I may have to steal the ones off my dad's 72.

 

[scrapdaddy]

No plastic, but I'm telling your Dad.

Lambcrusher,

Is this the part that's cracked on yours?

I sandwiched it in alum. and filled the edges with JB Weld.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

That is what I'm doing^^^thanks ScrapDaddy!

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

I'm considering cross drilling the spindle bushings and pinning the top notched bushing onto the spindle tip. that should keep the pivot spindles from migrating

 

[abqcruiser]

After some under dash issues on my 55, I'm considering this. So hopefully you can answer a Q or three

Have you tinkered with driverside again? Is the amount of play just the way the system is constructed?

Do you think motor of this system could be replaced with another relatively easy? I'd love to keep my pulse and delay system from Chevy.

Similarly, could gear drive for pivots be retro fitted to 55s?

I have tried to re-position the wiper arm a few times, but there seems to be just too much play. My guess is that it's due to the spacing of the loops on the wire cable with the teeth on the pivot assembly. I was actually leaning towards your suggestion of using an assembly out of an s10. I also had a thought of going with a direct drive system, two individual motors. Here's an example:

/www.tomsbroncoparts.com/product/wiper-conversion-kit-dual-motors-vacuum-or-electric?gclid=CjwKCAjw7MDPBRAFEiwAppdF9FqOg8Ewa0ZSjQOzBy24SM7930vTaT82IfbAtjzUjSm1bvi9gD3ayxoCrdMQAvD_BwE

There's probably not enough room for the example above, but a quick search brings up a lot of different direct drive motors.

To answer your second question, it's possible to use a different motor, but space is limited unless you are willing to give up room in your glove box.

I'm not sure I follow you on your third question, sorry.

For the money I spent for this set up, I wouldn't do it again. If it fails again, I'm going to pursue the direct drive approach.

 

[abqcruiser]

I found another direct drive system that might be promising:

Speedway Deluxe Stainless 12 Volt Electric Windshield Wiper Motor Kit