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As you know they are vacuum operated. They work somewhat.
They go about 1/2 way up then stop, it you nudge them then they go on over and return. It doesn't take much. Is there an adjustment on the vacuum pump to increase vacuum to them?

Thanks in advance.

No adjustment. They run on manifold vacuum. The vacuum pump section is in series with the manifold port and is just a secondary source for an assist when manifold vacuum is diminished such as when accelerator is wide open or engine is under load. When manifold source is low the pump valving permits the pump to take over and provides just enough to keep the wipers from stalling completely.

I suspect after 75 years the motor has worn parts and the gaskets have dried. Most likely therein lies the problem. There is a procedure to lubricate the motor but if the motor has already worn that has not been entirely successful for most who have tried it.

There are no rebuild parts available. You can have the motor rebuilt at Ficken Wiper Service who bought up and remanufactured some of the parts. Unfortunately he does not sell any rebuild items. If there is no internal damage such as warped castings etc and the motor was common enough with nothing else preventing a rebuild, the motor will be as good as new afterwards.wiperman.com

Howard thanks,I contacted him in the past said he doesn't rebuild these. The lube procedure the only way I see to lube it is to put said lube in the line and use compressed air to force it to the pump them manually operate the wipes for a bit? What type of lube?

Here is the lube procedure. Vacuum pump oil is considered a satisfactory substitute for the Trico oil.

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In high school i drove a '49 Chevy that had vacuum operated wiper problems. Being short of $$$$ I took them apart and found that the seals (I think they were leather) were dirty, crusted and hard. I soaked them in paint thinner overnight and put them together using a non-fiber wheel bearing grease.

They worked better - albeit not great, but better. You might also want to ensure that all of the connections to the motors and any rubber hoses don't leak as starting point.

Good luck

Was looking at Newport Engineerings site.newportwipers.com They have a drop in electric motor retrofit for a 39 but it is 12v. In the accessories section they list a 6 to 12v inverter as being available again but it is for negative ground.

If all else fails and you cannot get the vacuum motor working satisfactorily the electric might be an option. If you went that way it looks like it would require a polarity change on the car unless you can inquire and see if they still have any of the pos ground inverters they carried at one time. There is also a chance the neg ground inverter could be isolated from the frame and then wired to work with reversed polarity. Without having schematics, that is just speculation.

Pacific Northwest Packardspnwpackards.com/styled-2/index.html has a pos or neg ground inverter which will work with motors. It might be adequate but the amp output looks a bit low for a wiper motor -- particularly if under load. If Newport has nothing for a pos ground it might be worth a look.

There are also some 6 to 12v converters on ebay. A couple of them have a decent output and look promising but would need some clarification on specs. The issue is the inverter has to be rated for use with motors. A motor pulls surge current and has a kickback emf output. Without added protection circuitry in the inverter, the motors can destroy a regular non protected unit.

America's better cars like Packard, Lincoln & Cadillac used vacuum wipers because they performed well. No reason really to consider a changeover to electric; what you need for good wiper function is a wiper motor in good condition (for example, rebuilt by Ficken), an engine in good enough condition and tune to provide decent manifold vacuum (18 inches or more), and a functioning booster section on your double action fuel pump.

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I agree but I believe it is a motor Ficken said they don't or can't rebuild. I don't know what other years or motors might fit but the question is if Ficken has no parts to rebuild the original could others in that era be rebuilt either. Hence the electric suggestion if a dependable or working motor can't be found.

If you are mechanically inclined, remove it and work on it. On my '39, I disassembled the vacuum motor and cleaned it with Marvel Mystery oil, then used the same to lube it along with some white Lubriplate. There was a reed valve on top that I flipped over, it acts as the on / off switch I believe. I connected it to my A/C vacuum pump and let it run a couple of minutes and added a little more lube in it. Now my wipers work great. But you should put a vacuum guage on the port at the fuel pump and get a reading and then at the hose attachment on the wiper motor, it is easy to have a problem in between those two points.

The lubricant I've used for vacuum wiper motors is commercial vacuum motor oil. Lots of brands out there, I use Mobil.