Electric or vacuum wiper?

[circeonya@hotmail.com]

My new to me RN has an inoperative vacuum wiper but it does have a manual handle. I decided to see if I could repair it but alas half the guts is missing so I am looking for another. From past experience even with six cylinder cars in the Sixties vacuum wipers work well when going downhill but that is about it. Even if I could obtain one I think an electric motor would be a big blob in the line of sight in the RN. Short term anyway Rainex is my friend.

[DerekS]

Vacuum for me too. A quick blip gives you a couple of wipes on demand when needed. I once had a 70's 2cv where the wipers were driven by the speedo cable (the only instrument). The faster you went the faster the wipers went. Brilliant!

[David Stepney]

My car came fitted with a 6v Bosch wiper motor, which works enthusiastically.

[stuartu]

Perhaps you could have both? I had a conversation with a gentleman at Charlie's track day at Curborough a few years ago whose Chummy had a vacuum wiper with vacuum provided by a miniature electric vacuum pump. He demonstrated the result - very lively.
I recall him telling me that it was a pump used in dentistry and curiosity led me to find some on ebay - they were quite inexpensive. I have just tried to repeat the exercise and failed but there are certainly other miniature vacuum pumps on offer at low prices, albeit mostly 12v.

Just an idea.

Regards,

Stuart

[Bob Culver]

Depends largely on the shape and depth of dent in forehead preferred in a crash.
On the vacuum type a manual lever is essential. Mine has a home made one but the spindle may be ditto.As per Tony above gives you something to pass the time going uphill. Keeps you off the cellphone.
Dave Mann's observation intriguing. Original road tests of the early RN with updraught seemd to extract a performance better than later versions. Hardly to be expected if the venturi is smaller and the vacuum consequently greater.
At about 50 mph the 26VA recovers slightly to about one cycle per 10 secs!
With a Seven an accumulator tank would have to be the size of the car, and exhausted before moving off!.
The artifical vacuum suggests a myriad solutions. perhaps the passenger could be provided with a bike pump, seal reversed.

[Dave Mann]

At 40 mph on a level road in an RN with a 22FZB the vacuum wiper is considerably faster than an electric one, it stops on a hill at full throttle but gives a couple of sweeps on hanging down.

[Dave Wortley]

I like the pleasant tinkling noise of the pull and spin wiper motor retrofitted to my RN. I had enough of the vac wiper on the drive back from Beaulieu in the early 70’s with the damn wiper blade dangling vertically in my view. There’s a limit to my tolerance with originality.

[Hedd_Jones]

Both the saloons here have electric, which work well, but are directly in the way, and need a specific peer past (which I have become accustomed to).

The 'new' chummy has a vacuum wiper, it is plumbed in but doesn't seem to work and doesn't park, one of my daughters hair bands has cured temporarily the blade hanging limply vertically down and swinging about as I corner enthusiastically.

I have just bought a ruck of spares amongst which were 3 if not 4 such vacuum wipers, I had nearly as many before. Is there anyone who can rebuild such things?, I would like to have a working one on the chummy at least.

[Howard Wright]

Hi Hedd

There is a tremendous thread here on the forum by Frank Stoll

It even includes a video of the repairs.

Unfortunately I didn’t have the patience that Frank had so plumbed for electric  .

Cheers

Howard

[Ivor Hawkins]

Hedd, I rebuilt my last vacuum wiper on the Chummy, it’s pretty straightforward and it worked well going downhill, but stopped as soon as soon as I went up hill...I didn’t mind that much but by the end of the AXA rally, where it rained most of the time, the novelty wore off.

As I drive my Sevens all the time, I’ll see how I get on with the pull and spin, meanwhile I’ll Get a vacuum wiper and rebuild it , but leave the wiring in place when I change over!

Thanks for all your helpful replies chaps.