59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

[Jill J.]

Does anyone know the length of the wire cables for the wiper transmission on a 59? One of cables has broken and I plan to make another one for replacement.

Thanks.

Jill, 59140

[Frank D.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Does anyone know the length of the wire cables for the wiper transmission on a 59? One of cables has broken and I plan to make another one for replacement.

Thanks.

Jill, 59140

This should cover what you need - the measurements are about 1/2 way down the article...

[Jill J.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Thanks Frank! This will be a great help.

Jill, 59140

[Frank D.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Thanks Frank! This will be a great help.

Jill, 59140

A picture I put together for my 61 I used to help me out at one point with the cable routing - a '59 should be the same..
Kinda captures the whole thing in on photo..

[Dan B.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Jill, as luck would have it, I literally just completed restoration today of a set of 59 original wiper transmissions and used the link Frank gave you (Carol's car) as a reference. First, about the cable lengths listed, use HIS measurements as a guide , they are nearly exact to what I measure on my original cables. Some minor variation, but not significant. Keep in mind a NEW cable will likely stretch a bit. Mine were all OK, so while I did not have to replace the cables, the adjusters were frozen solid and either way you have to completely disassemble them to make any repairs. My preference on reassembly, press the spools on one at a time, much less chance to bend or break something that way. I was able to peen back over the lower end to retain as original, but to be on the safe side, I also cross drilled and used a roll pin for extra strength.

An interesting aside about these transmissions, I have an NOS GM set from the 70's that I was looking at and I was surprised to see they don't have any retaining flare under the lower spool and apparently are just a press on fit. Maybe some others might be able to elaborate on that change in the manufacture. All in all it was a rewarding and worthwhile job, and I give credit to the author of that article for documenting his process. Up to that point, I had not found any good info for the actual rebuilding. Good luck, on your repair. Dan

[Frank D.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Jill, as luck would have it, I literally just completed restoration today of a set of 59 original wiper transmissions and used the link Frank gave you (Carol's car) as a reference. First, about the cable lengths listed, use HIS measurements as a guide , they are nearly exact to what I measure on my original cables. Some minor variation, but not significant. Keep in mind a NEW cable will likely stretch a bit. Mine were all OK, so while I did not have to replace the cables, the adjusters were frozen solid and either way you have to completely disassemble them to make any repairs. My preference on reassembly, press the spools on one at a time, much less chance to bend or break something that way. I was able to peen back over the lower end to retain as original, but to be on the safe side, I also cross drilled and used a roll pin for extra strength.

An interesting aside about these transmissions, I have an NOS GM set from the 70's that I was looking at and I was surprised to see they don't have any retaining flare under the lower spool and apparently are just a press on fit. Maybe some others might be able to elaborate on that change in the manufacture. All in all it was a rewarding and worthwhile job, and I give credit to the author of that article for documenting his process. Up to that point, I had not found any good info for the actual rebuilding. Good luck, on your repair. Dan

I also drilled the center shaft for a rol pin when I rebuilt my '61 transmissions.... When installing the cables on the rebuilt units its important that you only press down on the shaft enough to disengage the locking pawl wheels, mashing down on that shaft with excessive force can create a whole new set of problems. Needless to say take intense precautions the moving cables can't "saw through" any electrical bundles when moving.

If the OP runs into issues I have a second article by Joe Calcagno on the topic which is also excellent....but my version is a copy of multiple copies so the illustrations are bad - someone here might have a better version.

[Dan B.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

I'd be interested to know a CURRENT source for these replacement cables. If you can identify the exact type of wire, or something very similar it should be pretty easy to make up a set. The key would be the cable length, knowing the measurements from the old one, and trying to determine if the replacement would stretch some especially if you are just going to replace only one.

I also came accross Rich Mozetta's thread (here) on his amazing save of those 60 transmissions he did (great job Rich). Looking at those photos, it gives hope to anyones project. I noticed the 55-56 Chevy wiper transmissions look similar and appear to operate on the same cable tensioing principal as the Corvette ones. I wonder if they could be used for some of the internal parts as donor's. I believe the cable lengths are also longer, so possibly one could be re purposed to fix yours Jill if you cut to desired length and swedged one end. Just a thought.

[Richard M.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Dan, Thanks. Here's the link to that thread. Post 5 has the photos and post 6 has good parts info from Tom Hoyer too. I've only done a few of these but never had to replace a cable though.

Rich

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?109345-Wiper-transmission-on-a-60&highlight=wiper+transmission

[Frank D.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

At one time IIRC Vette Gal (Mary Jo) would sell just the cables....the problem is attacheing the cable "keepers" onto the cable I would think...

The cables looks just like the steel "wire rope" that my boat lift uses only smaller diameter - I replaced all of THOSE cables with wire rope right off the rack at Harbor Freight... On one set of transmission I did for a pal I cannabalized acceptable cables from another set of unsalvageable transmissions...

[Dan B.]

Re: 59 Wiper Transmission Cable Length??

Upon further investigation, the cable is pretty standard stuff and readily available, and I see various stop sleeves and tools for attaching as well.To me, very doable at home or if you cut the cable to desired length and took it to a boating place and asked them to crimp a round stop on each end it would probably be cheaper than investing in the tool unless you are planning to do more. It's been a good learning excercise.