Wiper Motor
The wiper motor, as taken from the car, turned out to be pretty dirty and it did not operate.
Wiper Motor
Rotating Arm & Gear
Time for a clean-up
It appears to be the original motor as the casing has a stamped production date of 12/1958, so just before the car came off the assembly line. We disassembled the motor, gave it a good cleaning, lubricating and painting and after hooking it up to a power source we judged it to be operational and good for continued use in the Bugeye!
Video Episode Forty-one details the motor refurbishment process:
https://vimeo.com/822229818/8c4114ef7f?share=copy
The motor is only one speed – slow. The same wiper motor was used in the Big Healey and we decided to add the same intermittent speed controller that my Dad incorporated in the 3000. It doesn’t make the motor any faster, but it does greatly improve the operation of the wipers in misty conditions.
Intermittent Wiper Control
Ed Esslinger authored an article on a Sunbeam Tiger web site about a kit he put together to provide unlimited variable control of the speed of the Lucas wiper motor. We will probably install the control knob for the variable speed rheostat on the vertical panel that will be created later to fit between the dash and the gearbox tunnel. The controller electronics will be hid behind the panel. The kit can even be wired to accommodate most state laws that now require your lights to be on when the wipers are functioning! The lights come on automatically. This is the instruction sheet: Wiper Control and a wiring diagram:
Wiper Control Diagram
Intermittent Wiper Kit
The following image illustrates the actual wiring in the Bugeye using the Classic Technologies Relay/Fuse Box:
