C1 - Installation of SPW Wiper System

[firstgear]

Yesterday was not a first good day, a lot of things did not want to go together and I left the garage depressed. I figured that leaving was better than getting really frustrated. So today I went at it with never energy and thought about what needed to be done.
Here is the box you get when you order the WWK-5762V-2, 57-62 Corvette Wiper Kit W/2 speed Switch. Cost $350 + $10.25 shipping from zip 31029 to 44857. SPW phone number 478-994-9248

This is what you get in the kit

You need to add these to the kit if you want new ones, otherwise you could get away with your old if you are ok with how they look.

you need to add 2 chrome spacers Corvette America #28936, 2 nuts #32917 (there is a note in the box that says in order to use these new nuts you need to run them over a 5/8-24 tap because the flash chrome gets in the threads and will not go over the threads. SPW offers you to send them to them no charge they will take care of them and send them back) and 2 gaskets #28937. If you add these parts you have everything you need.

Comparison of old and new

In the above photo you will notice that there is a notched side to the transmission end covers. One of these goes up and the other transmission has this go down. that is how they get these to wipe from the middle out. If you get this set up remember they go in a different orientation, not the same.

Here is the passenger side installed.

And finally the out side installed.....

As I go along, I will add more photos to this posting to show all the steps.....enjoy!!!

 

[vettefinderjim]

Looks like a nice new product

This item has been needed for years. NOS assemblies have sold for $250 each in the near past.

I will look forward to your completed instalation and how it all works.

 

[firstgear]

I got the second transmission installed no problem. But I realized after they were in that there is probably a strategic position for both of them that makes it the easiest to install. Remember that they had to be turned opposite of each other in order to get the wipers to open in the middle, sweep to the outside and back to the middle again.

I put the passenger side with the notch down and the driver side with the notch up, I am not sure at this point which one would be easier up and which one should be down. When I am done I will tell you my opinion, just remember that I am doing this without any wires or much of anything else in my way. As I am doing this I keep thinking what a PIA to keep dodging the cluster or the grab handle. Those of you that have done this in fully assembled cars, I take my hat off to you!

The instructions call for the ends of the 3/8" aluminum tubes to be flared. This is done to make sure that the drive mechanism flows smoothly into and out of the tubes as it drives the gear attached to the wiper drive shaft. They do not want a double flare used since this might cause noise as the drive goes in and out and rubs over the double flared end. Fortunately I have a single flare tool.

The short tube is for the side furtherest away from the drive location. In my case I am putting it in the kick pad area on the driver side, so this short 4" tube will go on the outboard side of the passenger transmission.

I also flared a longer tube that will go between the two transmissions. In this case I attached one end after it was flared to the passenger side and then marked, cut and flared the driver side of that tube.

Now comes the really tricky part. To get both tubes in and positioned while you put the cover plate on. Ok, this is where 3 arms and hands would be really nice.

Put the plate back on, keep it tight and attach the two screws making sure that the flared end of the tube stays in the notch. STAYS in the NOTCH!!! Crud, look at the photo below, I thought I had it there and tightened it all up only to see in the photo below that it looks like the flare for the long tube may have moved. I will check it tomorrow, if it moved, I will get the privilege of taking it apart and double checking the flare (and repairing if it got crushed in the assembly). At any rate, here is the assembly from underneath.

The two nuts that hold on the end plate of the transmission are 9mm, so it is best to have that wrench handy to do this part since getting a socket up there is darn impossible!

One more note, I chewed up two of the end nuts trying to get them cleaned up via the 5/8-24 tap. While they went on the tap ok, the transmissions seemed to have their major thread diameter a bit on the high side and the nuts did not want to go on. I ordered up another set and will send them to SPW to fix tap clean them out.

I am also looking for some Stainless Steel 5/8-24 nuts that I can put a wrench on to turn them down tight. The stock nuts with the two notches in them , well are for the birds! Anyone doing this conversion that needs some nuts with a hex on them, PM me and hopefully I will have some extra ones.

 

[vettefinderjim]

8 year old Grandson is helpful

It is days like this that "little fingers" can really come in handy. Back in the day my 8 year old Grandson helped with many tight area of Corvette restoration. Today he is a 23 year old 'know it all', but has a great job in a major service center fixing all kinds of cars.

Do the wipers clean in the same direction as in EUROPEAN CARS, that is left to right like an old VW, or clean opposite like they did with the original cars?

 

[IH2LOSE]

I am keeping an eye on this as its the same sysem I have but I vever installed the connecting tubing/rod

Any time I have to stuff my fat ass in there I always wish I was about 112 lbs lighter

 

[firstgear]

It is days like this that "little fingers" can really come in handy. Back in the day my 8 year old Grandson helped with many tight area of Corvette restoration. Today he is a 23 year old 'know it all', but has a great job in a major service center fixing all kinds of cars.

Do the wipers clean in the same direction as in EUROPEAN CARS, that is left to right like an old VW, or clean opposite like they did with the original cars?

you can set them up to do what configuration you want. It is all determined by how you orientate those notches on the transmission.

Put one up and one down they work middle out like original Corvettes, put them both up or both down and they will work differently .

If I did this right, I have them set to clean from home in the middle, sweeping out to the edges and back.

 

[firstgear]

Any time I have to stuff my fat ass in there I always wish I was about 112 lbs lighter

yup, everytime I have to get myself out from under there, I keep telling myself,
I wish I had this car and did this 15 years ago.....There is just no good way to get in and out.....no matter how I try, once I get settled in under the dash, getting out is a real bi$ch.

 

[firstgear]

Motor mounting

ok, I did some checking on the 5/8-24 jamb nut I bought, turns out it wasn't a box of nuts, it was ONE!!! And I thought Corvette parts were expensive!!! YIKES!!! :ack: Sorry everyone, I won't have extras, in fact if the one works, I have to buy another one. I will post the link of where to get it after I sort out if it works like I want it to or not.


Well, got the other transmission and electric motor mounted tonight. I put the motor by the drivers leg behind the kick pad.

I was able to put some progressively larger washers on the screw that goes through the motor mount case in 3 spots and basically clamped it onto the metal in the area.

The tube between the electric drive and the driver side transmission sweeps very nicely in place as you can see in the photo below.

I didn't have to cut any of the bracings nor encounter any difficulty in getting the tubes in position. The hardest part was dragging my self up and down from under the dash and by the end my elbow was nearly raw!illy:
In the photo below you will see a shot from the side that shows the motor BELOW the height of the side bracing which will be below the side kick panels.

I figure that when I get the nuts on the bolts for the last time I will cut off the protruding portion of the screw threads.
Here I put a 2X4 down the side to give you an idea of how the kick panel will cover without a problem.

The nuts on the transmission cover take a 9mm wrench and the machine screws take a 1/4", go figure!!!

I need to put the drive helix in and cut it to length as well as run the set up to make sure everything runs smoothly. That will be sometime this weekend. Bending the tubes was easily done by hand, you don't need a tube bender, but a tube flaring tool is a must. On Saturday I have a friend coming over to assist with some of the wiring so hopefully we can put a dent in that tomorrow.

Hopefully that helps anyone thinking of putting one of these in. The worse part of the whole thing is where it goes, under the dash and you are on your back most of the time.illy:

 

[vetteman64]

Installation of SPW Wiper System

Just curious what your plan for the kick panel area is? I ask since I have the same wiper setup and also have Auto Custom Sound kick panels with the built in speakers. Nowhere near mocking up/installing the wiper system at this time, your mount choice looks very accessible.
C Ya, Joseph Rock
Frankenstein 59

 

[firstgear]

Just curious what your plan for the kick panel area is? I ask since I have the same wiper setup and also have Auto Custom Sound kick panels with the built in speakers. Nowhere near mocking up/installing the wiper system at this time, your mount choice looks very accessible.
C Ya, Joseph Rock
Frankenstein 59

I am getting kick panels from Al Knoch. My entire interior is by Al.

In the other kick panel area, I am putting the ECM controller for my engine.

 

[IH2LOSE]

Looking great,


I planned for mine to go on the other side as the drivers side was a real busy area with the fuse panel

 

[John Mcgraw]

Looking great,


I planned for mine to go on the other side as the drivers side was a real busy area with the fuse panel

Same for me, it is also real tough for a fat boy like me to get under there once the seats and steering wheel are in place, but the passenger side is fairly easy to access. I had my gauge interface modules, fuse block for the PCM, the cooling fan relay, and the neutral safety relay under the driver's side kick panel already! I mounted mine on the backside of the braces, since I was worried about interference with the kick panels.


Regards, John McGraw