Next Up: Wiper Linkage Bushings!

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Mike's Dart

Mike's Dart

Dodging The Negative Darting Toward The Positive
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McDermott, Ohio
Fuel gauge working (Sending Unit Replaced) and now onto the new bushings for the wiper linkage! Any advice? Found the bushings at O'Reilly Auto Parts! 1973 Dart Custom without A/C! Any advice will be appreciated! Thanks!
Mike
 
Channel locks will be your best friend on those.
Some warm them up to put them in the arms, and a pinhole in the bottom of each one for air to escape, and a touch of grease on each pin.
Use the channel locks and a short 5/8 or so socket to push them onto the pins if it helps, and good luck on the top one on the drivers side.
That one can be a little frustrating if you are doing them in the car and taking the cluster out is pretty much a must for the two on that side. :D
 
TrailBeast said:
Channel locks will be your best friend on those.
Some warm them up to put them in the arms, and a pinhole in the bottom of each one for air to escape, and a touch of grease on each pin.
Use the channel locks and a short 5/8 or so socket to push them onto the pins if it helps, and good luck on the top one on the drivers side.
That one can be a little frustrating if you are doing them in the car and taking the cluster out is pretty much a must for the two on that side. :D
Click to expand...
Take the arms out then put the bushings on them and reinstall grease liberally.Never took anything else apart on my gold duster.
 
Just as stated above, but I sometimes use a small C-clamp in tight spaces, versus the vice grips.
 
Just did mine way easier to pull the cluster out, takes 10 minutes but saves hours of frustration.
 
If you have access to a vice, it is extremely easy to install them outside of the car instead and then use the channel locks to reattach the linkage to the motor and the pivots.
 
Sounds like pulling the cluster is the best way to go! I'm also thinking while I'm at it to replace the rubber seals where the wiper spindles go through the cowl?! Where would I find those seals?

Mike
 
I was going to suggest that earlier, but didn't know if you wanted to go that far. Schumacher's has them; the same company that makes conversion engine mounts.
 
I did the ones on my wife's 73 by just crawling under the dash. Drilling a small hole in the cup is the way to go. I couldn't get them on until I did this.
 
The collar you can see from outside isn't really a seal. Its just a filler for the void. This way they didn't have to exactly align the various body parts. Any water that gets past this collar goes into the cowl only. The seal that stops water from coming into the cab is sandwiched underneath, where the pivot mounts. All that will be a lot clearer after you remove the pivot assemblies.
One tip... Mark the bottom of the pivots with a sharpie before you remove them. Install the grease fittings opposite side from the mark, then install them rotated 180 degrees from where they were. This puts a worn spot on the shaft against a unworn part of the bronze bushing inside. Unless the inside is just totally shot ( more common with left side pivots ), this will eliminate more than half the looseness, thus smoother, quieter operation.
You would have to take a pivot assembly apart to see/understand where and how they wear inside, what this tip is all about.
 
RedFish said:
The collar you can see from outside isn't really a seal. Its just a filler for the void. This way they didn't have to exactly align the various body parts. Any water that gets past this collar goes into the cowl only. The seal that stops water from coming into the cab is sandwiched underneath, where the pivot mounts. All that will be a lot clearer after you remove the pivot assemblies.
One tip... Mark the bottom of the pivots with a sharpie before you remove them. Install the grease fittings opposite side from the mark, then install them rotated 180 degrees from where they were. This puts a worn spot on the shaft against a unworn part of the bronze bushing inside. Unless the inside is just totally shot ( more common with left side pivots ), this will eliminate more than half the looseness, thus smoother, quieter operation.
You would have to take a pivot assembly apart to see/understand where and how they wear inside, what this tip is all about.
Click to expand...

Let me pick your brain on this; We've had moderate rain a couple times the past three weeks and no leaks in the front floorboard. Had a really hard rain last week and I found a pretty healthy puddle in the passenger side floorboard. It has rained couple of times since and no leaks. I found it strange the leak occurred only with the heavy down poor? I ask because you really seem to know these old cars! Thanks!

Mike
 
Mike's Dart said:
Let me pick your brain on this; We've had moderate rain a couple times the past three weeks and no leaks in the front floorboard. Had a really hard rain last week and I found a pretty healthy puddle in the passenger side floorboard. It has rained couple of times since and no leaks. I found it strange the leak occurred only with the heavy down poor? I ask because you really seem to know these old cars! Thanks!

Mike
Click to expand...

Under those circumstances I would be VERY suspicious of it being a cowl overflow down into the vent box.
Ever clean the drains out?
They are between the ends of the cowl and the fender, and if those get plugged a hard rain can overflow the inlet for the vent and end up on the passengers floor.
The drains are just a couple of openings where the two pieces of the cowl come together.
If you look close, does it look like the inside of the vent box has had water in it?

This is what one person did to get the collected junk out of each side, but the factory drains are where the arrow is pointing.

Cowl.jpg
 
TrailBeast said:
Under those circumstances I would be VERY suspicious of it being a cowl overflow down into the vent box.
Ever clean the drains out?
They are between the ends of the cowl and the fender, and if those get plugged a hard rain can overflow the inlet for the vent and end up on the passengers floor.
The drains are just a couple of openings where the two pieces of the cowl come together.
If you look close, does it look like the inside of the vent box has had water in it?

This is what one person did to get the collected junk out of each side, but the factory drains are where the arrow is pointing.

View attachment 1715001666
Click to expand...
I bet you are right! I will go out in the morning an check the vent box and have a look at the drains on the cowl/fender! Thanks sooooo much! I am brand new to the old Dart problems! Your expertise is very much appreciated!

Mike
 
Mike's Dart said:
I bet you are right! I will go out in the morning an check the vent box and have a look at the drains on the cowl/fender! Thanks sooooo much! I am brand new to the old Dart problems! Your expertise is very much appreciated!

Mike
Click to expand...

I run water down into the cowl vents in front of the windshield with a hose and clean the drains out with the end of a coathanger. (Be careful at first that you don't overflow it into the car)
Takes time, but it works without having to cut holes
 
Debris that goes through the cowl drain falls down behind the dog leg portion of the fender where there are more small drain openings underneath. I have removed the 2 fender bolts under there and pulled that gap open a little to get a good wash. Lack of rocker moldings can be a good thing.
With rocker moldings, just bolt removal will let the panel alignment spacers/washers come out providing more opening.
 
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