Chapter 87 Week Fifty-Seven January 14, 2008

The windscreen was a very tight fit! I suppose that it should be to minimize leaks, but it took some tugging on a drift through one of the lower mounting holes in the stanchion and a lot of pushing to finally get the uppermost capscrew to thread into place. The RH side didn’t require any shimming, but the LH did. You do want to make sure that there is no undue force on the stanchions or you might end up with a broken glass! I added a little 3M caulk strip under the post pad seals and between the windscreen frame seal and the post pad. I decided to run the seal under the post pad, though consulting with the “experts” resulted in at least three ways to do this job: under the pad, between the pad and the post, and cut off flush with the pad. I am using post mounted driving mirrors from Cape International, so they were mounted at this time and tightened through the posts.

Windscreen and wipers installed

Capesport Mirrors

After finishing the windscreen, I fixed the original “rainbow” wipers with new rubber to the wiper posts and following the addition of some windscreen washer fluid to the parcel tray mounted fluid reservoirtried out the wipers. All worked fine, including the intermittent wiper rheostatand electric washer pump I has installed previously. The kit from Ed Esslinger also turns on the headlamps when the wipers are activated – a requirement in many states now. 

Next was the installation of the bonnet. I first removed the striker pin assembly so that I could have the bonnet lie flat in the surround. Four 1/4” bolts with the heads to the outside are used to fasten the hinges to the bonnet hinge brackets. This process took some adjusting to get things right and at least one assistant is essential! After getting the bonnet lined up I re-secured the striker pin assembly to the bonnet and adjusted it and the bonnet latch support bracket to align all. The anti-rattle spring was then connected to the hood latch remote control rod and the bonnet release mechanism was tried with success.

Bonnet Latch Assembly

Strike Pin Assembly

Bonnet down

Bonnet Up

 

Wiper System Upgrade

Wiper System Upgrade

I am upgrading the wiper system with a kit provided by Classic Motor Cars. http://www.classic-motor-cars.co.uk/servicing_types/mk2-lorem/.

The kit uses a model 29 W Lucas Motor, part# 75967D that I believe was used for XJ series Jags in the eighties and early nineties with a modified original switch to operate the system.

CMC Improved Wiper System Kit Contents

CMC Improved Wiper System Kit Contents

These are the instructions provided for the kit:

CMC Improved Wiper System Instructions

Installation

I had already removed all of the original wiper system from the car. I installed the RH Bonnet Hinge and the Fuel Filter and Fuel Pipe to make sure that the mounting of the wiper motor would not foul or interfere with these components.

1. The first step was to install the new wheel boxes. These are a slightly different shape than the originals but held by new chrome nuts supplied in the kit they went right into place.

New Wiper Wheel Box Installed

New Wiper Wheel Box Installed

New Wiper Wheel Box Installed

New Wiper Wheel Box Installed

New Wiper Wheel Box Installed

New Wiper Wheel Box Installed

2. I attached the wiper motor to the kit-provided mounting bracket using the hoop clamp and the rubber cushion to address vibration. The bolts were also provided with the kit.

3. The original rack tube is used between the two wheel boxes. This is a straight piece that drops in once the covers for the wheel boxes are loosened.

4. A new rack tube end piece (about 3″ long) is provided in the kit and is shown in the last of the previous images. It is open at the end to permit the rack to slide through. The provided rack is longer than it needs to be to allow for flexibility in mounting I assume? The open-ended tube allows one to determine how much of the rack is to be removed.

5. Using the original curved rack tube that extends through the firewall as a guide, the new tube provided in the kit is bent to conform to the same shape.

6. I then tested my bending skills by inserting the tube through the firewall and connecting the one end to the wheel box and the other to the motor while holding the motor on its bracket roughly in place on the RH valance in the engine compartment. Once satisfied with the fit, I marked the location for the two hex head bolts that mount the motor bracket to the valance. I then disconnected the tube at both ends and withdrew the motor and tube from the car.

7. I drilled two 3/8″ holes in the RH engine bay valance to secure the motor bracket.

8. The rack was then fit to the motor. This required taking the cover off the motor and inserting the rack end fitting to the peg on the action lever in the motor. I then buttoned up the cover and slid the curved rack tube over the rack and tightened it to the motor.

9. I then fed the rack through the RH wheel box, the center straight tube, and then the LH wheel box. This required an additional helpful person to hold the wiper motor in the engine bay while I fed the rack through the boxes.

10. I then bolted the motor bracket to the valance using two hex head 5/16″ – 24 x 3/4″ bolts, with flat and shake-proof washers. The kit provided 1/4″ bolts, but I substituted the 5/16.”

11. The rack was approximately 6″ longer than it needed to be, so I trimmed it to proper length with a dremel tool.

12. The kit provides a relay, a modified switch and some wiring. To make sure everything was functional I connected all terminals between the motor, the relay and the switch, secured the ground connections and attached it all to a power input. Everything worked properly.

13. After the car is painted and before final installation, I will grease the rack for smoother operation and add a grommet to the firewall for the rack tube and one for the wiper motor wiring. I plan to use:

Molykote® Bearing Grease Designed for Extreme Low Temperature ApplicationsMIDLAND, Mich. – August 12, 2005 – With a service temperature range of -100° to 400°F (-73° to 204°C), Molykote® 33 Extreme Low Temperature Bearing Grease is effective at lubricating plastic gears, bearings and cams, as well as metal and rubber parts that must remain operable when subjected to low operating temperatures, severe weathering and oxidation.

Molykote 33 Extreme Low Temperature Bearing Grease can be used on freezer cart casters and cold room conveyor equipment; utility disconnect switch contacts; plastic electric clock motors; maximum-demand meters, power-factor meters, watt-hour meters; windshield wiper motor gears; photographic, optical

The three images below show the mounted wiper motor and the rack tube through the firewall.

CMC Upgraded Wiper Motor Kit Installed

CMC Upgraded Wiper Motor Kit Installed

CMC Upgraded Wiper Motor Kit Installed

CMC Upgraded Wiper Motor Kit Installed

Wiper Rack through Firewall

Wiper Rack through Firewall

 

A Little Wiper Work

Planning on attending The British Car Fest in Buckeystown, MD on Sunday the 27th, so we needed to get a few maintenance items taken car of on the Bugeye. We had never reinstalled the wiper motor when we finished restoring the car so that was the first job. We pulled the dash off the car which may not have been required but it did make access much easier. After much trial and error with fitting it was figured out and the motor and wipers were installed and made functional. The sweep doesn’t seem to be sufficiently wide so a little more research is needed to determine how to adjust.

Dash Wiring!

Dash Wiring!

Wiper Box Left

Wiper Box Left

Wiper Box Right

Wiper Box Right

Refurbished Wiper Motor

Refurbished Wiper Motor

The brake lights were not working. I connected the two brake switch terminals with a wire and the rear lights functioned, so I determined that the switch was faulty. I put a little brake fluid in the new switch, quickly removed the old one and reinserted the new one. Voila! Brake lights returned.