1957 Ford wipers

[quickas01]

Can any one give me advise on the 1957 Ford cable wiper system as to correct set up tension and what lube on the cable or is it run dry. I believe the 58 Ford is mechanical, is this correct.

[Tom S]

I believe the 58 Ford is mechanical, is this correct.

Yes, '58 is 'mechanical', has arms, not a cable.  Motor is inside under the dash.

[gasman826]

As per 'the manual', the tension is self adjusting.  With the pulley cradles removed, lock them back with a pin (much like putting brushes in a Delco alternator).   Install the pulley assemblies, loop the cables around the pulleys and pull the pins.  The springs will self load the cables.  Easy! (if you are a double jointed spider).  I don't remember a lube spec.  It is all exposed to the weather so any lube would be temporary.

[quickas01]

Any body have a complete 58 wiper set up for sale or know where I can locate one.

[gasman826]

I first switched from vacuum to an aftermarket electric.  Then, I wanted to clean up the firewall and went to a complete aftermarket setup with the motor inside the car.  Have not tried the '58 swap so I'm no help there.  Unless you really want to get involved, I would upgrade to the '57 Chevy swap or a quality aftermarket kit.  The better motors have more power for a full cycle.

[RICH MUISE]

ditto on what the gasman said...you'll always have problems getting a replacement '58 wiper motor or getting one you might find rebuilt. Also, it's not a bolt in swap...requires a section of the cowl from an old '58 donor car or a lot of complicated fabricating...and of course cutting and welding under the dash..not for an assembled car. That said, there are guys here who have done it.
The one problem simply going to an aftermarket electric is of course it does nothing to change the old pulley and cable system. On the bright side, if you have a pulley and cable system in good shape, they are pretty dependable and trouble free..we run into most of our problems often because a car has been sitting for a few decades.
I had a much more complicated solution for my wiper setup..using a late model Mustang wiper motor, control modul,column mounted switch...and in doing so, fabricated a complete hard arm system that would allow the roundy-round motor to be used to replace a back and forth motor, and change the sweep direction on the passenger side so it swept inwards (one cw, one ccw). My point is, I didn't look at making a hard arm system to replace the pulley and cable system with the wiper motor in it's original location, but I don't know why it couldn't be done.

[Ford Blue blood]

The cable systems work well.  As Rich said sitting makes them stiff, WD 40 does a great job getting things limbered up.  Then I use a produce from Lowes, lock cylinder lubricant.  It is in a spray can.  Stuff is a little pricey but penetrates all the nooks and cranies and has very good holding power.  The wagon has been done for almost a year and is as loose as can be.  My Ranchero has been treated for three years and is loose but is not operational, I just rotate the assembly from time to time.

[lowrider]

I went with the 57 Chevy route on my wipers. Dont use them very much because I dont drive my car in the rain too much. Only drawback I see (other than finding one at a decent price) is the sweep isnt as wide as with the vacuum wipers. I have a fairly big cam so they didnt work very good to begin with.