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Friday, April 27, 2012

Stainless Windshield Wipers

Installed new stainless-steel wipers today, never having particularly liked the black wipers whose arms I had to cut to size myself. The new wipers are a truly great improvement over the previous. They don't just look better, but they appear to work better, as well. The wiper motors had a great deal of difficulty dragging the previous wiper blades across the glass, the motors not being that strong, but tested today, the new blades swept smoothly back and forth. Not tried in heavy rain yet, but much more inclined to try now. : )

Anyway, once installed, went for a drive to test the newly overhauled odometer/speedometer and the related speedo cable, the new wing mirrors and just to see what the Land Rover looked like with the new wipers.

Below: the new wipers.

The arm is stainless, but I think the pivot is chromed brass or something similar. Very nice quality parts. The arm surface even comes wrapped in plastic skin to make sure it's not scratched in transit, which must be removed when installing.

An overall view. The arms are the correct 'spoon' type, and it feels nice to have something 'authentic' there to see through the glass. I think the original 1960 Land Rover had flat simple wiper blades, however, and I may eventually switch these ones out to be even more authentic - but only if they work well.

A view from inside. All parts have a really nice finish. The arm length can be adjusted to the exact length you need by pressing the small tab at left, and then sliding the arm.

A view outdoors. I was a little worried the new wipers might be 'flashy', especially on the old galvanizing, but they look fine. The new Allmakes wing mirrors are excellent: their convex shape is perfect, and visibility is superb - and their shape is historically accurate.

An overall view in the sunshine, with the new wipers and the new wing mirrors. Speedometer and odometer are now working just fine.