Re: [Amc-list] Electric Windshield Wiper Motor for Americans

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxx>]

Joe, you have to take 80% of what you read about "Americans" on the web and disregard it -- it doesn't apply to your car. 58-63 Americans are 90% the same as 50-55 Nash Ramblers. The 61-63 is the same as a 58-60 except for the outer skin, dash, and firewall. You could take the skin off a 63 and put it on a 58-60 (or a 50-55 Nash Rambler) with little difficulty, just drill a few bolt holes and realign a few spot welds. Look close at a 54-55 NR or 58-60 four door and your parts car. If you concentrate on the side glass you'll realize it's identical! The side glass frames (the door frames and glass frames) are the same, but the new "squared" roof panel on the 61-63 makes it look totally different. It's the best "facelift" ever done on a chassis -- it still retains 75% of the older car yet looks 90% different!

You're almost stuck with vacuum wipers. The early American wipers go back and forth opposite each other (both go out away from each other, then in toward each other), not both back and forth together. That makes things difficult! If you used a motor such as in the Escort one wiper would be "up" in the park position while the other was down along the base of the windshield. You could do it and have the passenger wiper "up" when parked...

There is a junkyard solution though! I did it a long time ago the hard way -- I made an old mid 50s Chrysler wiper motor fit. The "easy" way is to locate an MGB or Jaguar in a salvage yard, or even a Metropolitan or other British car. They use a cable drive system. You will need the motor (usually on the kick panel), cable, and pivots. The pivots clamp to the cable and can be reversed. If the cable drives the pivot from below, take the pivot off the cable and flip it to reverse the direction.  You'll have to see one to know what I mean. That type is also provided as a kit for hot rods. Summit sells the Autoloc version: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=HFM%2DWIPER&N=700+400996+4294801243+115&autoview=sku
Specialty Power Windows (SPW) also has a similar item:
http://www.specialtypowerwindows.com/powerwiperkits.htm
Scroll down and they have a cheaper two speed kit, but only $35 less. I like the SPW kit best. 

Your other choice would be to take something like a Jeep motor designed to drive a single wiper blade (think WWII Jeep) and mount the vac motor arm on it. The only thing is I'm not sure one of those motors would last long driving two blades instead of one -- may not have enough power, may just wear the gear box out quick.

I noticed on your blog that you have a lower trunnion problem. You've ordered new ones, which is great, but won't solve the problem. The hole in the lower arm is worn, that's why the big acorn nut came off. It doesn't look like the hole is worn bad, just enough the nut won't stay in. The solution is simple! Just tack weld the nut to the arm. Just one or two big spots is all you need. The nut has no stress on it, it just needs to be kept from turning. You could probably get by with just peening the edge with a punch, but I'd just put a weld tack near the outside so it can be struck off with a chisel if needed. I've repaired several this way -- replacement arms are hard to find! Just keep the trunnion greased and you should never have another problem. It's literally a big acorn nut and the trunnion rides on the threads, so no grease and it won't last long. I always assemble them with anti-seize compound then grease them afterwards with lithium grease. Anything available now is 
 better than what they had in the 60s and 70s. Lack of grease caused the problem with the upper trunnions too. Tom has a good write-up on fixing them at http://www.wps.com/AMC/1963-Rambler-American/Suspension/. You can file flats in the threaded rod or factory replacement bolt. Instead of flatting the sides or reducing the diameter of the rod, I ran a 9/16" drill bit through the threaded hole in the trunnion body of a couple I've repaired in the past. In other words, instead of reducing the rod I enlarged the hole. The bit takes the peaks off the threads (about half the thread height) and allows more grease to get through. The threads aren't really necessary inside the trunnion body, the nuts on the outside will keep the rod in. You could even have the hole in the trunnion body drilled out and a graphite impregnated bronze bushing ("oillite" bushing) installed with no threads, but that would cost a lot more than Tom's method or mine. 

I used an industrial steel stud (from any industrial fastener supply) instead of hardened all thread (standard hardware store allthread IS NOT hard/strong enough!!). I didn't drill the stud either. A grease zerk was added at the same location Tom used (Tom and I discussed this before he modified anything!). Either way works. You can file flats in the rod if you have a good file and some patience, or use an angle grinder. If you use a grinder be careful not to go to deep. You may need a small file to dress up the threads when done too. 

The trunnions are much maligned and cursed at, but only because people don't understand them! Ball joints are too common, anything different is viewed as bad. Except for loosing one of the bottom caps like you did (I've done it before too!), the things will last way longer than a ball joint -- AS LONG AS IT'S GREASED!!!

------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:19:04 -0800 (PST)
From: Joe Smith <know_ware@xxxxxxxxx>

According to AMCRC Tech notes, the Ford Escort's electric windshield wiper motors are a relatively easy replacement for the American's vacuum motor, with a slight bending of the arms.  Does anyone here have experience with that?

My 63 American is on the way to becoming a daily driver, and I am not too much of a purist.

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)


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