Thread: Vacume Wipers

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I need help please. Anybody know of any threads here talking about 50's GM vacume wipers? 1956 Pontiac Chieftain, to be precise. I am working with a 1956 Pontiac Chieftain that has the vacume wiper setup on it. One nipple has a hose that is connected to the motor via hard line off the block to the hose, to the wiper. One of the nipples on it is without a hose and the wipers won't shut off unless the hoseless nipple is blocked off. Whats going on here? Anyone have some information for me? Any input is a plus for me. Thanks, Bruce

I'll get some pics up as soon as I can. Thanks for your help guys. Could someone paste any threads on this topic if it has been covered already?

Those wiper motors have a sliding valve, which is moved with a cable from the switch.......at least my 55 Chevy did...should be the same

Yes it's a round slide switch that you turn left to the right. It opperates a cable that goes out to the wiper vacuum motor. So, I should see a nipple to hook up a vacuum line from the wiper motor to the switch? Is that what you are saying?

Hey, brucex2, this might not be of any use to you, depends upon how pedantic you are about remaining "true", but we threw the vacuum wipers out of the '47, replaced them with off-the-shelf BMC Morris 1300.
That retained the quarter sweep and the hand-clapping action of the originals and gave us the correct degree of arc. If you want both wipers to work in unison, ie sweeping left/right together, just mount one wiper gearbox upside-down.
Morris (Austin) mini, and I think 1800 can also be utilised.
Hope this is of some help to you.

johnboy

Originally Posted by bruce bruce

Yes it's a round slide switch that you turn left to the right. It opperates a cable that goes out to the wiper vacuum motor. So, I should see a nipple to hook up a vacuum line from the wiper motor to the switch? Is that what you are saying?

No...just one vacuum line going to wiper motor. The switch and cable control the valve on the motor..........no vacuum line to the switch.

JohnBoy Where do I get this morris wiper motor? I want to do what you did! Sounds great. Pep Boys have this item? And why two part numbers? Is one better than the other? Will I need to eliminate the switch currently on the dash with the new motor. I'll put an electric switch there instead right?

With the cable system that the mid 50s Chev/Pontiacs used, you would be better off getting an electric conversion for a 57 Chevy. You can find them on ebay.

Poncho, That sounds great. I'll go look right now. Thanks for your help.

How about the Morris idea? Could I pick that motor up at Pep Boys? Any ideas?

Deleted by johnboy

bruce bruce we're a few thousand (quite a few thousand) miles South of Texas, I don't know where you would find them in your neck of the woods.
Try a Google search for Morris Mini, or B.M.C. (British Motor Corporation), or British Leyland Motor Corporation (B.L.M.C) to find a dealer in your vicinity.
Not only did we use this set-up in the '47, it's exactly the same wiper system that we used in the Cobra, although there, like I say, we turned one gear box upside down so's they swept in unison.
The wiper set-ups we used were standard to the Austin and Morris 1300, 1100, 1000's (the Morris Minor) and Mini cars. Plus, I think, the Austin/Morris 1800 cars.
Also it was cheap. About NZ$150, that's about US$100, and they were easy to install.
Yes, you would have to biff your current switch and use an electrical one.
poncho62 says there are conversion kits available, I didn't know that, so there's another option, that might actually be the better option, depending on price and availability.
After seeing what we had done, a mate did the same to his '57 Chev. And it worked well.
Good luck!

johnboy

Johnboy, Poncho, Thanks. Ok so what year do you ask for when requesting the motor? HMMM......what year?

Heres some

eBay Motors: 1956 56 CHEVY WIPER ELECTRIC MOTOR, RESTORED, CAD PLTD (item 130063295575 end time Jan-03-07 18:53:12 PST)

eBay Motors: 55 CHEVY BELAIR ELECTRIC WIPER MOTOR 1955-1957 RARE!! (item 250066958307 end time Jan-02-07 21:31:54 PST)

eBay Motors: 53 54 55 56 57 CHEVY BELAIR 210 ELECTRIC WIPER MOTOR (item 200047086095 end time Jan-11-07 20:14:03 PST)

Hey, poncho62, you da man! If'n that don't help him out.......
Morris Minor 1000's were manufactured from about 1955 to around 1972, any year wipers would be applicable. It's a very simple and easy to install system.
The Minis, 1100's and 1300's were from the early to mid 60's onwards.
The wiper set-up from any year would be suitable. They're pretty much all the same, some have a differrent degree of arc is all, but you can make allowances for that when you position your wiper arms/blades on the bezels,

johnboy