Charlie, Take off the wiper vacuum unit on the firewall. Open it up and clean and regrease the interior. Check the paddle out for wear. If. it's shot, send it to Rob Ficken . Many times stepdown wipers don't work well on dry windshields. Wet the windshield and see if that helps before dis assembly. Good luck.

You might also check Ebay for a NOS wiper (often they fit other cars besides Hudson. The Trico wiper number will possibly be listed in your Hudson parts manual.) If you can pick one up for less than $100 it's good, because that is what it would cost to have Ficken rebuild it. (He's good....but it's not an inexpensive proposition.) Never hurts to have a spare even if your present wiper can be fixed. Eventually, the casting may warp and then it will be unrepairable.

If you don't have a double acting fuel pump you might look into getting one. The wipers alone, never worked very well, even when new. That's why Hudson and others offered the fuel pump with a separate vacuum pump for the wipers.

While the unit is still on the firewall you might also try using a hair dryer to warm up the wiper unit to get the grease soft again, then give it a try with a wet windshield.

John

FYI - Rob Ficken no longer does Step-down Hudson wiper motors. '47 and earlier he still does, but not '48 and up. He said he doesn't have anymore parts and has discontinued rebuilding them. Make sure the cables are installed correctly. To check this, simply verify the arms are both coming up, or trying to come up when they are turned on. Try sqirting a little atf or oil in the vacuum port,letting it sit for a few days before trying to work them.

[quote="Lance Walker" post=16864]Charlie, Take off the wiper vacuum unit on the firewall. Open it up and clean and regrease the interior. Check the paddle out for wear. If. it's shot, send it to Rob Ficken . Many times stepdown wipers don't work well on dry windshields. Wet the windshield and see if that helps before dis assembly. Good luck.

Hi, Doug:

You've got me wondering: what would be the difference between the earlier and later Hudson wiper motors, that make it not worthwhile to repro the parts? One would think it's just the reverse: there are a gazillion StepDowns out there, not so many pre-war Hudsons. So you'd think he'd discontinue the earlier ones instead!

Not that it makes any difference (and I'm delighted to think that I can get my '37 wiper motor renewed for the foreseeable future), but I guess I'm just the curious type!

John, your thoughts were my exact thoughts too. Wouldn't it be worth making whatever they needed?. We have been successful at taking them apart, but the gaskets always get torn up. We are entertained making the parts and pieces for them and start offering them. We have numerous cores of all types. You know how it goes though , all about time and money.

Doug, reproducing parts is a great idea but here's something that comes to mind: I know that starting in about 1951 the Kaiser wiper motor is about the same as the larger stepdown wiper motor starting in the late 1940's. So what would happen if you ask for a Kaiser wiper motor? The rubber paddle seal is the same . Ditto on the gasket. Why can you just order a Kaiser set? Have those run out too?

Jon

If I remember correctly, Dave Ficken purchased the entire inventory from Trico back in the 1970's. Maybe he just ran out of NOS parts.

If you are not restoring the car to AACA standards, then there's always the electric conversion option.

Ken;

Ca you post some more info on that electric wiper conversion?

Motor Part #, does it work with original cables, etc.

https://www.newportwipers.com/products.php?year=1951-54&make_id=17
Yes it works with the original cables.