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| | | | Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 | Now that I'm driving my '53 truck occasionally, I need to get some windshield wipers working. My vacuum motor just barely works. Can you folks recommend a good quality basic electric conversion? I'd like to keep it simple, hopefully re use the old linkage, etc. I don't need anything fancy like intermittent wipers or anything like that. Please let me know. THANKS
Mike Burns
1940 Chev 1/2 ton
1953 Chev 1/2 ton
1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
1947 Indian Chief
1943 Indian 741
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2021 Posts: 6,828 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Oct 2021 Posts: 6,828 | RainX works better than wipers. I use it on all vehicles, even those with working wipers.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy)
1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe |1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1969 Pontiac GTO (The Dishpit) I 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 | I have some RainX, and I will give it a try, but I still want to have some functioning wipers. THANKS
Mike Burns
1940 Chev 1/2 ton
1953 Chev 1/2 ton
1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
1947 Indian Chief
1943 Indian 741
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2020 Posts: 1,965 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Dec 2020 Posts: 1,965 | easiest route is to replace or rebuild the existing vacuum motor. mine just slow down slightly at idle.
more of a stutter.
~ BD.
"You won't find me in an old folks home" Pioneer Florida Cracker
1958 Apache Stepside
1958 Apache 1/2 ton Panel
1959 Apache 1/2 ton Panel
| | | | | Joined: May 2015 Posts: 11,074 Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums | | Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums Joined: May 2015 Posts: 11,074 | Fiken Wiper Service can rebuild your vacuum motor to make it like new.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truckFollow this saga in Project JournalPhotos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together. | | | | | Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Aug 2018 Posts: 760 | I think I'll go that way, Ficken that is. He rebuilt the vacuum motor in my 40 truck, my 50 Studebaker, and a 53 Ford. All of them are still working fine. I don't mind vacuum wipers. I grew up with them. Thanks
Mike Burns
1940 Chev 1/2 ton
1953 Chev 1/2 ton
1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe
1947 Indian Chief
1943 Indian 741
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 4,501 Moderator, Electrical Bay | | Moderator, Electrical Bay Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 4,501 | Mike, I bought one of the common electric motors from a seller on eBay years ago and then I wrote a circuit for intermittent wipers (4 speeds plus low, high and off). That circuit is around here somewhere in case you change your mind. I posted it along with all the development as I wrote it. All the original linkage worked fine.
I grew up with vacuum wipers also. Not my fondest memory as I lived in a mountainous area and we all know what mountains do to vacuum. Good luck!
~ Jon
1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
| | | | | Joined: Jan 2022 Posts: 2,466 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Jan 2022 Posts: 2,466 | Here is Jon's thread from 2020 about his intermittent wiper solution.
Last edited by Bill Hanlon; 05/21/2026 3:17 PM.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12
'52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 4,501 Moderator, Electrical Bay | | Moderator, Electrical Bay Joined: Mar 2014 Posts: 4,501 |
~ Jon
1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
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