68 Wiper Actuator Boot

[Dale C.]

The 68 wiper actuator boot was different. It had more folds and had the screw holes to secure it to the ends. Is this it? Does anyone have pictures of the correct 68 set up?

[Jack C.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Dale. I've been searching for years for an original one. Funny, I really didn't know what it really looks like. I checked for screw holes on my car where you would think they would be to secure the bellows but didn't see any.

[Dale C.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Jack
I think that is what we are looking for. I saw it at Carlisle. He wanted big bucks for the total wiper system. My car has that little screw on the firewall but not on the can. Sure hope we get some info on this as I have never seen a correct one yet in years of looking.
Dale

[Jim T.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Wish I had not thrown away my 68's original vacuum canister in in 1973 when the shaft broke. The new replacement, pie pan type is still operational. I will check the boot tonight, don't remember if the new canister came with a boot or I still have the original in use. I have wondered in later years if JB Weld could of fixed the broken shaft in the original.

[Daniel S.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

A couple pics from my '68


IMG-20120501-00314.jpgIMG-20120501-00315.jpg

[Grant W.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Hi Dale and Jack
Here is an original EARLY boot design. Bottom Boot. This is for an "early" car. I think any 68 built in 67 and possible Jan and Feb 68
After Feb 68 the boot became the same as you see on later 68 and 69 Top Boot
Dale I have no idea what kind of a boot is in your picture. Looks like someone put a radiatior portion hose on it. Looks almost the same but no Cigar.
You can see the pic of the lower boot there is only 3 ribs. I think they should have made it 4 ribs so no need for the screw but that was GM design flaw. Sooner or later it ripped and I guess they went with the full ribs as you see on later 68's and the 69 cars
You can see the hole where the screw went into to hold it in place. I have an early cannister and it has the hold and screw still in place. Later 68 there was no hole and it became the same "top boot" for the 69's and replacement boots.

Also can you see the ribs of the EARLY boot which are fatter than the later 68's
Both of these are originals taken from original cars.

Sorry for not posting the info for you earlier Jack, but I have been in a nut shell in trying to restore a 71 454. I just installed the Vacuum hose clips to the valve covers, oh well! when it should be on the intake manifold. I know more about 68 and 69's but this 71 didn't have a lot of original parts other than carb and intake. Everything else was mickey moused.
So I hope this info helps you out.
Grant002.jpg001 (2).jpg

[Dale C.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Grant
Thanks for the info. I guess mine is O.K. with that boot like the one in the top of your picture. Grant, is your 71 a LS6?
Dale

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Wish I had not thrown away my 68's original vacuum canister in in 1973 when the shaft broke. The new replacement, pie pan type is still operational. I will check the boot tonight, don't remember if the new canister came with a boot or I still have the original in use. I have wondered in later years if JB Weld could of fixed the broken shaft in the original.

Jim------


The vacuum actuators were never supplied with a boot or, for that matter, any other related parts. At a minimum, though, you would have had to change the bracket if you used the "dual pie pan" style for replacement.

[Jim T.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Joe the boot that is on the car now may be the one that was on the original vacuum actuator. There are no screw holes in the boot. At this time, I do not remember replacing the boot with a new one. What I remember today from the getting the replacement vacuum actuator in 1973 or it could of been in 1974, I bought it at a Chevrolet dealership in Dallas near Love Field airport and thought that the new mounting bracket came with the the pie pan vacuum actuator. If I find some time I will look at my folder of invoices and see if I still have it. I do remember having to change the mounting bracket to install the newer style vacuum actuator. Perhaps the parts book had information about the pie pan type requiring the different bracket to replace a 68 vacuum actuator and the parts man sold me a bracket and vacuum actuator.

[Joe L.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Joe the boot that is on the car now may be the one that was on the original vacuum actuator. There are no screw holes in the boot. At this time, I do not remember replacing the boot with a new one. What I remember today from the getting the replacement vacuum actuator in 1973 or it could of been in 1974, I bought it at a Chevrolet dealership in Dallas near Love Field airport and thought that the new mounting bracket came with the the pie pan vacuum actuator. If I find some time I will look at my folder of invoices and see if I still have it. I do remember having to change the mounting bracket to install the newer style vacuum actuator. Perhaps the parts book had information about the pie pan type requiring the different bracket to replace a 68 vacuum actuator and the parts man sold me a bracket and vacuum actuator.

Jim------

It must have been 1973 or later that you did the replacement. Prior to that time the original style actuator was still available. In January, 1973 the dual pie-pan style replaced it for SERVICE. The P&A Catalog did specify that a new bracket "may be required" when it was used to replace the original style but there was no "maybe" about it.

The original 1968 boot was 2-11/32" overall length. The later 1968+ boot was 3-1/4" overall length.

[Jack C.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot



Here is an example of mine where I took a newer style boot and made it look as close to what I thought was correct. I do not have the screw hole on the firewall portion for attaching the boot. You got me thinking Grant that I can use the later 68 boot without altering it. My build date is Jan 22, 1968. Thanks Grant for the pix.

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Dale,
The same boot was used on early '69's. My Oct '68 had the screw holes on both ends, bracket and actuator. You can get a current piece and modify it to look like the early like this: get large a wooden dowel the size of the ID of the bellows. Slide the bellows over the dowel and put a standard hose clamp just behind the end bellow. Use a very sharp blade and, using the clamp as guide, gut off this last bellow. Do both sides and then put a small hole in the remaining end flats. I will post a photo of how it will look when done with the screws in place.
Jeff

[Bob D.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

All

I've been keeping a spread sheet concerning the use of the screw on the 1969 original coffee can style wiper actuator. My research shows that GM used the screw on the rear of the wiper actuator from October 1968 through March 1969. My survey includes 45 examples with the screw hole in the rear of the wiper actuator. I have not found any 1968 wiper actuators with the screw hole, but then I haven't seen that many early 1968 actuators. I have also seen that GM started using the double pie plate actuator in October 1969. This was the straight pipe as was used through the 1970 model year.

Bob

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: 68 Wiper Actuator Boot

Here is the photo of my actuator boot. Sorry it is a little out of focus.
Jeff