Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

I notice that the 56 Continental Mk II had vacuum wipers. Variable speed ,variable arc, parking out of the wipe zone and quietness are nice features. I am a little baffled by all the discussion. For half the price of an electric conversion you send your 60 year old motor to Mr. Ficken and it comes back working perfectly. You rebuild the fuel pump, which needed doing anyway, add another $4 for some rubber tubing and you are done. Ok, if you are running a V8 with no vacuum pump you would need to use a Thunderbird fuel pump for the vacuum boost. I find that with not too much expense or trouble they work just fine on my cars.

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No argument. I had my vacuum rebuilt and then went back and forth on reverting to the original. It would have needed the TBird pump but keeping the option to go back original was one of the reasons I wanted to keep the cable switch intact. Decided to play with the Newport because I already had the electric -- plus it was a smaller version motor. It was mostly a challenge to see if I could do the switch module so the cable and coordinator could be used.

I need to say that the vacuum wipers work OK on the Clipper and I don't intend to change them out any time in the near future. I have figured out how to vary the speed by turning the control knob. I just think they are a bit strange and take some getting used to. Especially considering that my Cadillac CTS has rain-activated wipers that eliminate the need to even fool with the intermitten control. Too bad they didn't have that in '55!

bobp,

thanks,

the crank on mine was to short, so I had to mill a spacer, to match Packard to chevy,

will take pictures,

I did not know about the fuel pump till this site, about a year ago,

that is a way to go,, send my vacuum in ,,and get a fuel pump...

and have a 250 dollar chevy for spare....and that was in the 80s..

Ross,

Are you saying that a Thunderbird fuel pump will fit on a V8 Packard? Which years?

I agree with Ross, the factory vacuum wipers on my 56 Carib perform wonderfully, absolutely outstanding performance. They do slow down for a few seconds when you really get into the throttle, but almost imperceptibly so.

Owen_Dyneto Quote:

To each his own. BUT the last thing one needs is a wiper MOTOR failure in the middle of a thunderstorm. Vacuum wipers probably work for most Packard owners now since one would really hesitate to take a Packard out in a rainstorm as a matter of course. In So. NV, we get freak, unexpected T-storms on occasion any time of year.

I'll take my electric wipers in lieu of vacuum, thank you very much.

Besides, if vacuum wiper motors were so great, why does every car extant today have electrics? That's kind of like arguing for the merits of mechanical brakes.

Craig

If your vacuum motor is working properly the wipers will work great in heavy rainfalls. Change all the vacuum hoses and send the motor out to Ficken and you will be happy with the results.

Let's face it ... we are the kind of guys who enjoy driving rolling anachronisms. After all, how many cars today still have carburators as standand equipment? Even seat belts aren't standard on these cars. You have to accept the fact that Packards are not modern cars and employ technologies that have long since been abandoned by modern manufacturers. I guess the key here is to make what you have on your car work as well as it can -- which was more than sufficient in the 1950s -- and take pleasure in the fact that more the half of the people who see your car won't have a clue as to what it is! The alternative is to turn it into one of those high-end rods; you know, a Packard body basically riding on a Lincoln frame powered by a GM 455 cid V-8. Whether the wipers are vacuum or electric is simply a matter of choice. Craig (which is my name too) is right about driving around in a 60-year-old car in a raging thunderstorm -- most of us would likely run for cover under an overpass!

If one takes a vacuum reservoir cans out of a junkyard car with retractable headlights (like the old lincolns), it will give a reliable vacuum supply. Many other cars have small reservoirs for operating H/AC controls which MAY be sufficient. They can be mounted in hidden areas (for the purist). The closer to the wiper, the better (like under the dash). Also use new hoses, as large as possible.