I have finally made it to the place where I can install my wiper motor. I am using the original instead of electric cause I don't expect to have my truck out in the rain much anyway, I have a motor for a 54 I think. I also have one that is a little different that might have come from my 48. Can both or either one be used in the 48? Thanks, Gater
Just in case you get caught in the rain....get an electric. The vac. wipers sucked in the good ol days when they were new, with a little age, they are even worse. You can adapt your orig. knob to the shaft, and only the purists will even notice, and I say if anyone is that close to look and complain, they need a size 12 reebok anal probe. Just my opinion.
No school like the old school Let's see. Old school wipers that suck a** in the rain plus antique truck that took much blood, sweat, swearing and money to put together. What does that equal??? A very slow and careful drive home which is how it should be. A double action fuel pump will solve most of the wiper issues regarding them slowing down upon acceleration. If you really want to make it better, you can install a homemade vacuum tank in the vacuum line and they will work much better. I had one in my first project, a 1940 Olds' coupe with an inline 8 in it. Tank was made out of a two pound coffee can that I painted. It made a world of difference even without the double action fuel pump. I'm with 'Gater. I don't plan on driving my truck in the rain, even though it is going to be a work truck. If I get caught in the rain, then the original setup is going to be fine with me. Andy
Like Andy Said ~ Use the vacuum resivoir can off any old 60's or 70's American car , even brand "F" has the came thing , it looks like a # 8 tin can with a nipple or two soldered into it . be _SURE_ to add an InLine vacuum check valve in the hose coming from the intake manifold if you add a resivoir ! . I use Ficken rebuilt wiper motor on my '49 and yes , I've driven it in heavy rain though not much of that here in Sunny So. Cal. they worked fine except for when acellerating up the freeway On Ramp and so on BTW : Ficken doesn't know everything (although he thinks he does) as I have the replacement vacuum motor Trico made in the 50's to fit both AD & TF trucks..... he said there's no such thing Keeping your valves adjusted makes a BIG differance in how well the vacuum wipers work as does adding a Dual Action fuel pump , Airtex still makes them ...
All good information. Thanks. I still would like to know if there is any difference between 54 and 48? One of these has a longer seesaw arm on it than the other one. Does it matter? I can post some pics if it will hslp to see what I am talking about. Gater
They have different part #'s 47-53 part #3683899 54 part #3703854 These numbers are out of the Chevy master parts catalog.
Thanks Ken. I think I have 2 of each. I just didn't want to send the wrong one to the wiper man and end up with something I had to sell. That would be a real p!$$@r. Thanks again, Gater
Good Catch ! The longer arm would nean the wipers travel in a longer arc and prolly cause the wipers to gouge the paint on the cowl.... I bet '54 & '55.1 are a stand alone part .
Maybe?? I agree witt vwnate as the 54 & 55.1 had the curved glass windshield and would probabally use a wider arc...I think??...
I sent my wiper motor off to Ficken on Tuesday. I should get it back in 2 or 3 weeks. I'll let you know how it goes. I put one in to get everything the way I wanted it then sent another one off to be rebuilt. Maybe by the time it gets back this "crick" will be out of my neck from being under the dash so long. Gater
hi, ive got a 49 chevie truck. i want to change thewiper motor. having trouble getting access to the old motor. is there any easy way of access other than underneath the dash. regards william.
Sorry William That's it ~ underdash acess only - I like to slide the seat all the way back and then I sort of jamb in between the seat risor and have my legs dangle out the door , more or less one gets support on the running board.... You're right about the neck thing , mine is *so* screwed , due to my jerkwad boss who knows nothing giving me make-work and then hassling me about what I was doing between 06:00 ~ 07:00 when I was on duty and he hadn't even bothered to come in yet... Good thing it's friday as I'm off to see my (Andy sourced) Upper Cervical Chiropractor to-day right after I go off duty and he'll make it right again I'm supposed to work hard to make him look good so he can promote and get the hell out of my hair but he makes it hard sometimes.... bosses really are like diapers sometimes .
Electric Wiper replacement experience Hi folks, I recently replaced my second non-working vacuum motor with an electric 6volt motor from Classic Parts on my '49 Pickup. The vacuum motors were supposedly rebuilt, but still didn't work worth a darn. Anyone want them??? The new electric motor works like a dream. Unfortunately the switch doesn't fit well in the original opening and the replacement knob is plastic and not the same as the original. There are two knobs supplied, and I used the alternative black knob. I kept the original knob in place on the dash above the gauges, and mounted the supplied switch on the lower dash lip pointing toward the floor, near the ignition switch. It's out of sight, but easily accessible, and I wired the single motor wire to the heater hot lead. The motor lines up easily with the original motor mounts, and the wiper links are spot on too. If at any time, I want to go back to the vacuum motor, it's easy to do, but don't think it will ever happen. I can answer questions if anyone has any, (I think...) Now I'm off to find a rain shower, just kidding. I strongly suggest this upgrade, although, my truck is almost stock (front roller bearings, signals, and seatbelts only changes from stock). Larry
Dog, You have a great looking truck from what I see in your avatar. Do you have other pics? Can you tell me who rebuilt your vacuum wipers? I installed an electric wiper motor on my Dad's 54 and they worked great. I was able to use the original knob on them but, of course, the 54 knob is different than the 47 - 53 knob. His was a daily driver so I felt it more important to have reliable wipers. Mine won't see rain unless the weather forecast is wrong so I figure the vacuum wipers are fine. Gater
Thanks for the kind words! Hi there, My wiper motors were rebuilt by Classic Parts, but when I got my motors back they still didn't work well. Maybe it's my vacuum system instead of my motor. Who knows? I have other pictures of my truck and if you send me your email I'll forward them on to you. My truck always draws attention, and yours looks great too.
Dogwalker, Do you want to try posting them to the photo gallery here so that we can all see them? It is fairly easy but if you have trouble just let us know and we can walk you through it. Gater
