Wiper cable reassembly advice needed

Posted by Fred Puhn On 2013/6/19 22:40:12

After getting my 1950 23rd Series Deluxe 8 through a long bare metal paint job I am now in the final stages of reassembly. I took both the wipers off to get them replated and the pully/cable assemblies fell into the car behind the dash. It was a very tough 2-man job just to find the dangling mechanisms and push them up through the holes in the cowl so they could be reattached. Naturally holding the wiper cables on the pullys during these contorsions was impossible but I got the wiper pully mechanisms bolted back on. The loose cables cannot simply be slipped back over the pullys as I had hoped.

Now what do I do? Is there a way to slacken the cables and pull them over the pulleys before retightening? Can this cable loosening/tightening be done from the engine compartment? If I have to slide under the dash I do not have access to do anything mechanical.

I hate the thought of pulling the wiring, heater controls and glove compartment to gain access to the cables.