Snow and Speedster wipers

Has anyone experienced using the wipers on a Speedster in a heavy wet snow? I wonder if they have enought torque to move that stuff. I know the wiper on my old Beetle had trouble after a few winters and sent bonkers, new motor required.

Bruce

Yes, years ago in my '56 Porsche Speedster, and no, the wipers didn't do a good job. Maybe the wipers in the replicas have better motors.

That's why you need an HP motor. More speed to remove the snow as you drive :-)

The wiper motor in mine is from a '76 Beetle and it is slow and weak. A couple of years ago I removed it and checked my wiring and everything looked okay. I thought perhaps the holes in the body were too small and made them slightly larger to avoid any chance of binding. All with no improvement. Next step on my list is to recheck the ground. Current solution is Rain-X the windshield and not us the wipers. Anyone out there have a wiper motor solution that has worked for them?

You bet; you need a T4 wiper motor, it has more torque, dyno tests confirm :>

obviously you're driving too slow.

I think GB will back me up , but you need a type 1 motor, it has more bph at higher rpm to throw wet snow off faster. right GB?

Of course, T4 motor, driving too slow, I had the Rain-X but not the otheres.

One similar experiance I can relate when I had by 66 Beetle. One dark and stormy night driving home from working late and into the teeth of a snow storm, the wipers quit. Should I stop and try to fix them. No, got to get home and get dinner and a tall drink. So I rolled down the drivers side window and with my snow and ice scraper cleared the snow from the window. If I remember right the passenger side wiper was still working, never fails that the one you needs to work doesn't. Anyway I finally made it home, car was full of snow, left arm and hand was frozen. If that one was right out of keystone kops. If a patrol car had seen it I'd have been pulled over, rightly so I guess. Anyway I want to avoid any such capers in the future.

By the way I did read in the paper this morning that they did shut down the pass n I-5 last evening for an hour and a half, mucho wrecks. So I think we made a good decision not to go the Thunder Hills Eddie.Bruce

I recall a "similar" windshield scraping event ....Beelte window down with the left arm scraping away madly as I rounded a curve with a good rooster tail of snow into the air...went up and over a 3' snow bank...we got the distance award as we went three yards ( as in "home yards" on the roof before coming to a stop still spinning slowly on the roof and managed to miss trees bushes etc.......all tangled up in the headliner....crawled out a window , got our bearings ( tossed the beer in anticipation of the "fuzz")aka cops for you young'ins ! Rolled the bug back on the roof , cranked it until the carb bowl filled up, retreived our just stashed grog and off we went ! damaged to the beetle was a broken wing window , driver's side mirror and a slight crinkle in the roof... Those were the days my friend... I thought they would never end _ _ _ _ _

Alan M

Alan,

Must have been VW's revenge for losing the war, crappy wipers!
I didn't turn turtle with mine but I remember the snow coming up my coat sleeve and then melting, oh joy!
I guess it made us better people. LOL Bruce

My Beetle had a sunroof. If the windshield was not clear, you just had to open the roof, sort of crouch up, and stick your head just a little into the open to see where you were going. Not a long term solution, but in a pinch it worked.

Just one more tale from the road. My brother and I were driving my newly purchased 69 IM. Italia rag top to California from Iowa on Dec 19th 1980 I think, in the middle of a blizzard. Had to be back to work in Calif. Any way the heater/ defroster motor was gone from under the dash, so one of us drove, while the other scraped the ice off the INSIDE of the windshield. Took us 49 hours. GUMBALL! Eddie

wow, you guys want everything. As a cold weather upgrade
I bought/drove an mg midget, wipers?, heat?
some guys are just plain spoiled.

Bruce,

I know but as you get older the events we endured as a young one make our car buying decisions more practicle. I endured a 61 bug eyed Sprite
I bought new after leaving the army and later traded that in for a big Healey, 61 also, both with sliding side curtains and marginal heat. They now are conversation items to brag about, IE, I remember
when..... In my case they were true! But fun to remember and when I look at those old black and white photo's, you remember the good times and the bad ones seem to dim with age.

Bruce

Bruce:

I also had a Bug/Frog Eye Sprite back in high school that I drove all winter with plexi side curtains, leaking vinyl top, bald tires and no heat. What a blast I had!

I still look at these cars at car shows and get the urge...

Bob

In the 1950's I drove a RHD hopped-up 1948 MG TC when to high school - no heat or defrost, and windshield wipers that were barely marginal; kept a sponge in the car to defog the inside of the windwhield (when it was in the up position). At least the winters in Dallas were fairly short and mostly not too cold.

Bob and Bruce
I had a bugeye too! Must be some kind of warped thinking from a kid in a leaky british sportscar to an old f*rt in a leaky german sportscar. I bought the bugeye after I totaled my Big healey, $300 was the price and it was about all I had. The clutch was broken and I drove it without one for 8 months in Northern Va. Then I put it on the track for a few years and drove it on the street after I quit racing for 3 more years. I think I shook my brains loose, that would explain a few things.
ed

Hey guys,

Now we know why we were attracted to the Speedster. We longed for those days of yore when we had no glasses, hearing aids, had hair on the top of our dome and were able to make other things work in a heartbeat. So far the Speedster hasn't restored my hair, made my eyes or ears any better, even hasn't helped other assorted parts but I'm having fun with a car again. Guess at my age that is payoff enough.

Bruce

And to think this post started of as "wipers"....................

Great stories & wiping my eyes :)

Looking forward to sharing same at the Speedster gathering in May '04 Carlisle Kit Car / Import Nats...stay tuned for details as they develope.

Alan M

Hey all you West Coasters and middle West and Canadian guys.
John Leader and I echo what Alan is saying about the Speedster Meets in 04. The west coast Meet will be in April of 04 in conjuction with the Knotts Berry Farm show in Buena Park, (LA). We are working up a good program for all. We will grow this show each year and add new things. We are inviting the 550 replicar guys too so that should generate some interesting bench racing. Stay tuned.

Bruce and John

Bruce, I've never raced a bench. How is that done exactly?

Swing axels and a type IV.
ed

Ron,

Usually starts with a liberal application of golden goodness, Molsen to you guys, and a vivid imagination. Stories related don't have to be absolutly true, only interesting. These sessions sometimes go into the wee hours of the morning, ending only when the last of the golden goodness disapears down the commode. Bench's are optional!

Bruce

I drove a Speedster from LA to Salt Lake City several years ago in the dead of winter. It started snowing just above St. George, and by the time I hit Beaver it was coming down in sheets. Presently, I determined it would be prudent to put the top up, and turned on the defrosters "that always come on" but never with actual heat. [I have noticed that these cars have heating systems that work really great in the summer.] I quickly went for the wiper switch, flipped it. Nothing happened.

Fortunately, a sand truck came by in the left lane, and sprayed sand on the road, as well as through the driver side curtain. This sand mixed with the melted snow in my lap giving me a frozen, yet gritty feeling in my unmentionables (crotch), and damaging the paint on the nose of my pretty little car. ($700 bucks front end repaint). (they don't spread sand--it's more like coursely ground pebbles. Thousands of little ping marks.

After pulling over, was able to loosen the wipers from the lumps of wet snow, and get them working. The storm had let up a little, so for the balance of the drive through Provo and on up to South Salt Lake, I was lulled by the sand pinging off the finish of the car, and intermittedly by the back flush of a twelve foot snow plow banging against the side curtain.

Not unlike those few times (ah, more than a few) when I had to follow taillights to maneuver my way back to "she who must be obeyed" I latched onto the taillight of a giant SUV, and followed her on in, to Salt Lake. A lovely experience and I highly recommend it. Don't worry about the wipers, as they are a relatively minor glitch in the trip through hell.

Great story Scott. It reminds us that we should not sweat the little things in life. The journey may be long and filled with difficulties but getting to your destination alive and in good health is what counts.
DS.