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 Post subject: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 5, 2009, 8:22 pm 
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I've poked around looking for details on Seven wiper installations, and found very little. Could some of you who have installed a traditional (or non-traditional) wipers post photos and commentary on your installations?

One of the stumbling blocks I hit is the fact that the scuttle is almost perpendicular to the glass. Seems this puts the wiper shaft at a very small angle to the scuttle, which makes everything more challenging for packaging and support.

Am I thinking about this too much? (I'm good at that)

-dave "the wipers on the bus go splish and splash" hempy

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 5, 2009, 9:20 pm 
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Good timing for your request Dave. I was going to make exactly the same request. I know what you mean about the angle. I saw that when I held the swival for the arm in place. At first glance it looks like there would be an interaction between the base and the scuttle if the arm mount is at the right angle.

So those of you with working wiper systems, please show Dave and me how you did it.

Ron

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 5, 2009, 9:46 pm 
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Joined: July 29, 2006, 9:10 pm
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Location: Oregon, usually
Mine clip to the top of the windshield frame; clip on when you need it, stash it when you don't. Pity some bat rastard took my photos. Here's one (off this very site) from last winter:

PS--it's better for rain than snow, the wiper driver is from Speedway, it's a 90 degree sweep, I made a cigarette lighter adapter from a Radio Shack part, and if your state requires two wipers, well, I guess get another one.


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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 6, 2009, 2:57 am 
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I used the Corolla GT-S wiper motor. Its arm was cut and welded to the arm for the wiper assembly out of a rwd Mazda GLC (they had to go to fit the 2.8L V6 we put in). The wiper assembly was narrowed, the pivots were used, and the REAR wiper arm (from two rwd GLC's) were used, along with the shortest wiper blades I could find.

Image

Image

Image

The pivots are not bad for angle, but really not steep enough. I have since purchased all the bitties off an MG Midget for Locost #2. They also wipe the wrong direction, I should have reversed the wiper arm lever thingies so they would have moved the right way.

The delicate issue and challenge you will have, is having the wipers sweep enough, without bashing into the windshield frame (top OR bottom) and/or scuttle. I destroyed many a wiper arm before I got it tweaked just enough.

G

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 6, 2009, 9:01 am 
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If you run two separate systems such as 2 motor driven single units, they will crash into each other.

You just need one motor driven arm with a link to a unpowered arm in the middle; either underneath like stock or on top like a mgtd.

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 7, 2009, 1:01 am 
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Location: North Van., BC
Jack, gotta say that's a very pragmatic way to do it :) Actually since I once bought a similar unit for my boat windshield I actually considered using a marine unit to do the same thing.

Thanks for the photos Greg. One of the shots cleared up something that was a question mark for me and also I think for Dave. I was holding the shaft that the wiper arm attaches to at a much different angle and it's base wanted to hit the scuttle. Yours seems to be at a much steeper angle than I thought would work. Anyway if it worked for you then it'll make it a little bit easier to fit them in. Good to see copious use of the Chapman principle "add lightness".

Ron

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 7, 2009, 2:01 am 
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sevenesqueron wrote:
Good to see copious use of the Chapman principle "add lightness".


Yeah, and it took freaking forever to drill all those holes. My next one likely won't have any of the bracketry, and just gamble that it will stay in place attached to the aluminum. If it works for Caterham.....

My 7 came in at 1275lbs wet. My dream is to lose 200lbs on the next one.

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 7, 2009, 5:30 pm 
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Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada
What about the wiper system from a 4G Toyota Camry wagon? Fairly rare, but they had dual rear wipers on a nearly vertical back window. The blades were pretty short too - could be the ticket!... if you can find them...

Image

Sorry for the huge image size...

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Last edited by nether10 on November 7, 2009, 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 7, 2009, 5:40 pm 
Your best bet is to go (I know, shudder!)... British. Find the associated parts from, say, a Spitfire, MGB, Spridget, Mini, etc. Then, just use good quality wiring to hook it up, to avoid the "Prince of Darkness" specter. :shock:

Okay, this is a little hard to explain, but I'll give it a try....the British wiper system consists of a 2-speed-with-park motor, with a cable box attached, which drives an inner cable in & out. The outer cable is simply steel brake line, which you can shape to whatever you want, and can be as long or as short as you want. To drive each wiper, there is a "wheelbox" bolted inside the scuttle. As the inner cable goes by, through the wheelbox, it drives a gear inside the wheelbox, turning the wiper arm shaft. Then the cable carries on (all in a straight line through the wheelbox) to the next wheelbox. BTW, if you wanted 3, 4 or more wiper arms, you can just keep adding on until you run out of inner cable to feed into wheelboxes.

The shafts that stick out through the scuttle (to attach the wiper arms onto) can be set to any angle you want; there is a spacer between the wiper arm & the scuttle, angle cut on one end. You make your own (I'm using thick-walled black plastic tubing) with whatever angle suits your build.

The only real issue with this system is that there are bronze bushings in the wheelboxes that you need to grease every couple of years. If you can find a Spitfire, MG, etc., take a look under the hood, and you'll see how simple and ingenious a system it is...and tailor-make for Locosts.

Here's a system on Ebay... http://cgi.ebay.ca/MGB-windshield-wiper ... %26ps%3D63

It's a little grubby, but you can see the motor, cable, wheelboxes, etc. Bear in mind that the wheelboxes can be placed anywhere along the cable, as close (or as far apart) as you want, oriented in any way you like, the cable can go around corners easily, etc.

I bought a whole system (used, but virtually new) locally at a British car specialty place for around $40CDN. For the wiper arms & blades, I bought new, stainless steel Austin Mini parts. Spridget would also work. I looked at other systems, but nothing else was remotely as easy to work with...


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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 8, 2009, 4:41 am 
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Joined: June 23, 2009, 3:15 pm
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Here's everything you want to know about a Lucas windshield wiper setup .. and pics of the shelf I made for my Lucas motor on my Rotus Seven.

BTW: If you want wipers that oppose eachother .. you can invert one of the gear wheel boxes! :D

http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=69 ... ucas+wiper

Rob


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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 8, 2009, 3:11 pm 
Now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Makes a nice, clean, simple system that works! Nice job, solder_guy!


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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 9, 2009, 12:16 am 
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Location: North Van., BC
Wow, it looks like Dave's request for wiper info has paid off big time. Thanks guys. I now know that if using the misc. pieces of Toyota stuff that I have doesn't work out there are lots of options.

emgr3 posted this link on my build log, http://www.itsasnapwireandcable.com/wiperkits.htm

It looks like a US made version of the old Lucas system. I don't know why everyone calls the Lucas system "Prince of Darkness". When my Lucas electrical system in one of my TR's caught fire it was anything but dark :D The Lucas company obviously needed a better PR company, seems like not too many people had anything good to say about them.

Ron

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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 9, 2009, 1:00 pm 
Your link is dead - there's a slight typo. Here's the working one - http://www.itsasnapwireandcable.com/wiper_kits.htm

That system is quite similar to the Lucas one, alright.

There are lots of things about Lucas stuff that I like, and their wiper system is one of them. Unfortunately, some of their practices were prone to catastrophic failure. For example, a friend of mine has a beautiful, ground-up-restored Spitfire. The entire car operates (as per brand-new condition) on a grand total of...3 fuses. BIG ones, like 35-45 amp ones. Unfortunately, the wires (and particularly, the many, many bullet connectors) are not capable of carrying this much current, so a short anywhere will burn up the wires first, and THEN the fuse goes. He had a minor short, probably caused by a weak bullet-connection, and ended up burning out half the wiring in the car. Then, the fuse blew. Sigh...lots of re-wiring later, he's got it working, and he's installing a larger fuse panel to break up the circuits a little more.


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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 9, 2009, 5:53 pm 
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Joined: August 19, 2006, 5:48 pm
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Location: S. Florida
I used a 1961 Jaguar Mark IV motor mated to a MG cable/sheath, gear boxes and the chrome fittings. Here's how I wired my Lucas Jaguar wiper motor,

http://dmr-architect.com/~locouki/wiper.html

There's some pictures of how I mounted the motor and gear boxs at,

http://dmr-architect.com/~locouki/build-pictures.html

I also had to "slightly" modify the wiper arms to fit. I remove the wiper arms and store them in my lock box since I don't expect to drive in the rain.


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 Post subject: Re: Wipers - How to?
PostPosted: November 9, 2009, 5:57 pm 
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sevenesqueron wrote:
It looks like a US made version of the old Lucas system. I don't know why everyone calls the Lucas system "Prince of Darkness". When my Lucas electrical system in one of my TR's caught fire it was anything but dark :D The Lucas company obviously needed a better PR company, seems like not too many people had anything good to say about them.

Ron
"A gentleman does not motor about after dark" Joseph Lucas 1923
The Lucas motto: "Get home before dark."
Lucas denies having invented darkness. But they do still have a claim to "sudden, unexpected darkness."
Lucas -- inventor of the first intermittent wiper.
Lucas -- inventor of the self-dimming headlamp.
The three-position Lucas switch -- DIM, FLICKER and OFF.
The other three switch settings -- SMOKE, SMOLDER and IGNITE.
and many more...............

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