Just reading the question about wiper blades replacement on these trucks of ours .......well, sent my head spinning about a 1957 International school bus I drove in high school days, thought it was funny ... We had a student driver program back in the early 1960's, and my '57 IH bus had these vacuum wipers...and when I drove up significant hill in rain, and no wiper motion at all, had to pause just a split second or 2 so wipers would wipe, then gun it to keep the momentum going, and with the IH 6 cyl. engine, you were pretty soon creeping ever slower and slower, and I tried to keep the speed up, but in some instances, you had to pause that moment to get the wipers to fast forward to clean the water better, and so there you were...slower, slower, up a grade...I just thought that was funny to have NO wipers motion, then all at once swish, swish, fast, fast, Oh boy ! Anyone remember similar stuff like that ? Can you imagine, if people had that today, they would panic !! HA HA
I have the similar memories of driving a '41 Chevy sedan to high school. I would have to let up on the gas pedal so the wipers could slap themselves silly. Sometime the little chain drive (that's right chain drive) on the wipers would break or jump off the sprockets. That car also had to be kept in perfect tune because you only had enough battery to turn the motor over 3 times in the morning. Set the choke, jiggle the gas pedal, and cross your fingers. If it didn't catch on the third "Whump"it was time for a push.
Vacuum, what's that! My first car was a 29 ford roadster that my Dad a I drug out of a junk yard. I fixed it up best I knew how and drove it all through high school. The wipers, a blade on the outside of the windshield attached to an arm on the inside that I had to wipe back and forth from the inside. Simple and dependable!! Ahh, the good ol days!!
I remember the vacuum wipers in my Dad's '53 half ton and when I acquired my 52 1 ton, I knew right from the start that the vacuum motors were history.
Oh yeah! I drove this bad boy for 12 miles in a down pour with an 18 wheeler on my butt. Good times! Ken
Vacuum Wipers = EASY PEASY ! Yeah ; ALL the trucks (and most of the cars too) back on the farm had 'em . Keeping the valves adjusted and the ignition timing " Just So " made things much better . They had acessory " Dual Action " fuel pumps that provided an additional vacuum sounce that _increased_ as the RPM's went up (like climbing hills in 2nd gear) but if you hooked up the vacuum pipes the wrong way , it was no help atall.... yes , I did that a few times before I learned . Or , you could add a check valve in the primary vacuum line and a vacuum resivoir can up under the dashboard and never loose wiper action at all . Memories , those soggy memories.....
