cruiser
Well-Known Member
Good evening, kiddies! Rumor has it that some of my MoBros and MoSis' are not getting enough rest at night because the craziness in this world is precluding their sound sleep. How sad. I need to do something about that right now, and so I'm presenting Chapter 32 of our Component Resto Series: The Wiper Motor. If you're afflicted with a certain disease like I am, you obsess about all the little details under the hood of your Chrysler product. Nobody knows where this disease comes from, but the only cure is to restore every little thing in your engine compartment until its perfect and you stop thinking about it. When I bought my 1974 Duster in early 2019, it had its factory original three speed windshield wiper motor. This motor worked perfectly, and I ended up replacing all of the nylon bushings in the linkage and rebuilding the wiper posts to renew the system. Still, the worn and grungy look of the motor bugged me, and after I repainted the engine the wiper motor looked even worse sitting next to my shiny new slant six. The time had come to pull and restore it, and my research indicated that Bruce Somer of NS1 Restorations was the guy to do the job. So off came the ugly unit and it was soon at Bruce's shop in Ontario CA. The first two photos are of the motor on the firewall and after removal. At his shop, Bruce disassembled the motor and cleaned everything. All hardware was replated and finished in clear zinc, and the motor barrel was replated in gold zinc. The housing was cleaned and treated with Rust Prevention Magic, and the switch was Parkerized. The internal wiring, wiring harness, bulkhead connector, and rubber/metal mounting bushings were replaced with new parts. Bruce bench tested the unit before returning it to me, and I installed it as soon as it came back. The subsequent photos are of the restored motor prior to and after installation. The photos do not do justice to how nice this thing looks. I've been in the hobby about 40 years now and this is some of the best component resto that I've ever seen. It looks great and works perfectly, and I couldn't be happier. It cost $260.00 plus shipping, money well spent to my way of thinking especially since I could keep the factory original unit with its correct date coding and part number. To me, restoring the original components will always be my first priority and I'm glad that my wiper motor will live a pampered life from now on. And yeah, I know that there are some out there who will question the wisdom of doing this. It's only a slant six Duster after all. But we all have an emotional connection to our Mopar rides, don't we? That's why we do this stuff. In any case, I'm running out of things to fix on Dusty so there will be fewer component resto installments going forward. I hope that they've satisfied the original intent of this series: to help you fall asleep at night. And on that note, its time to grab yourself a stack of Oreos and a nice cold glass of milk. Now get in your jammies and fall asleep thinking about the best times in your life. I'll bet you spent them in your car, didn't you? Be well, God bless, and keep supporting and inspiring one another. Night night!
