Electric Wipers

[ews]

Greetings from Germany
It is raining a lot more than in Arizona so I’d like to have electric wipers so I can have intervallls (do you say that? It means that the wiper does not run constantly but from time to time).
Is there somebody who did this conversion? There is an offer for $ 249,-
Lincoln 63 and 68 4door
Regards
Eckhard

[action]

Not sure about 1963.
1968 has hydraulic operated wipers. Powered by the pressure of the power steering pump.

You are looking to modify the system to electric and have intermittent wiper operation as well. After a search, there are kits out there.
https://newportwipers.com/product/1966- ... extensions
Your would have to buy a motor AND a switch AND an extension for the specific function you want.

I have not done that, nor would I want to do that. So I will not speculate on the success of failure of that type of modification.

Action

[ews]

Oh, Arizona. You are more into air condition I think. Thanks that was the conversion I found too.
Maybe somebody will talk about experiences.

[action]

May be.

And most owners in the community won't drive their classic Lincoln in the rain (snow or inclement weather) unless it is unavoidable. And that would be a rare event. There is one exception that I know of and he isn't driving because the engine isn't in the car. So his focus isn't about the windshield wiper system. And pretty sure that car has the stock windshield wipers.

These cars for the most part are not driven because there is a need to get to point B. They are driven because it is fun to drive.
When it is raining of anything else is falling from the sky, the Lincoln is parked.

Heck the guys I know in Arizona do not drive their 50+ year old car when the temperature is over 100f. (38c) And the sun is shining.

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[TonyC]

Electric wipers on a Suicide? How gauche. Sure, it can be done now what with conversion kits and all...but such a conversion is expensive, a lot more involved than just pulling a motor, to say nothing about possible post-conversion problems, and I feel compromising to the car's resale value. And all for what, a minor convenience feature that can be duplicated with the existing system?

Yes, you read that right. As long as the steering system is fluid-tight, you can perform low-speed interval sweeps on the existing hydraulic system. Granted, it's not quite so easy to set as with an electric control, but it can be done, and no need to go through tricky and expensive conversions.

If you want to do that conversion job just-because, it's your call to do so. I just don't believe it to be a necessary conversion, much less an upgrade, as I've learned how to work the control for interval sweeps, plus the fact that the hydraulic system's highest adjustment gives much faster sweeps than the highest setting of any electric setup ever could. Now, if they were vacuum-powered, like they were from 1960-back, then yeah, that conversion would be considered an upgrade.

---Tony

[papawayne]

Tony's right, I can bring my windshield wipers on my 63 right down to barely moving, and sometimes with a bit of an interval, so even here in Maine in what has been a rainy summer all is well. If you do swap things out, please save the parts for the next owner, who may rise up and bless you. Wayne

[kingraph2]

Do a search in the forum. burnski did a write-up on his conversion with pictures and links to what he used. Good luck.

[action]

https://www.thelincolnforum.net/phpbb3/ ... on#p407725

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[stevedrums]

Not sure about 1963.
You are looking to modify the system to electric and have intermittent wiper operation as well. After a search, there are kits out there.
https://newportwipers.com/product/1966- ... extensions
Action

Eliminate the biggest design flaw in these cars with the New Port wiper kit and never fear rain again.

oh i can think of bigger flaws!

[TonyC]

I agree there. There were worse design flaws in these cars during that time, all of which can now be engineered out. The wiper system was not one of those flaws...although the system it was tapped into, was.

---Tony

[rick]

Hi Eckhard,

What part of Germany?

I totally agree with the guys. As Tony mentioned: "You can perform low-speed interval sweeps on the existing hydraulic system."

I really think that the stock Lincoln wiper system is top notch. Plus those chrome wiper arms are pretty darn heavy, so much so that on my '61 they scrape the glass virtually dry with each swipe. I can turn them way down to .......... barely moving.

Does anyone know if the '61 Thunderbird had the same wiper system??

Cheers, Rick

[TonyC]

Actually, yes they did. Because Wixom was built to make T-Birds and Lincolns, at the time the two showcase unibody cars, a few mechanical systems were shared between the two cars, and the hydraulic wipers were one of those systems.

---Tony

[frasern]

The pump, however, was different on the FE engines T Bird used.
The hydraulic wipers were introduced at a time when many cars were still using vacuum wipers. Early electric ones were noisy, and lacked variable control, so Lincoln devised a better system. I kind of like seeing how slow I can get it to work, without stalling.

[TonyC]

That makes two of us, Fraser. And I have compared the highest hydraulic setting to the highest electric settings of numerous makes; the hydraulic sweeps faster, every time.

There's something else: The motors made for T-Birds also have components different from those made for Lincolns, which precludes any interchange hopes between the two makes. I discovered this going through organ donors of both makes, last time I searched for one to replace a leaky motor. The real down side is that there is nobody I know of that can repair a leaky motor, and replacements are tricky to find. But as long as they remain fluid-tight, there really is no need for a conversion.

---Tony

[ews]

Ok, thanks for the answers.
I'll skip this idea. German alwasy love to do a little extra engineering.
I always drive my Continentals in the rain.
Well preserved sills and watched by an endoscope.
Chassis ice blasted and painted white so you see every spot.
Northern Germany, Danish border. DAN-GER- Zone