Cable driven wipers

[COFFEY76]

Hi,

is it possible to speed up my cable wipers?

Im getting my 69 109" registered and require the motor to be engineered (therefore the whole car) and i have to have 2 speed wipers with a maximum speed of at least 45 cycles per minute.

ive tested it without the motor running and not a constant stream of water and got pretty close with 37 odd cycles. and ive sorted out a resistor to slow it down and create another speed....

I dont want to have to pull out the wipers and replace them with another cable or even electric cos ive heard electric wipers require the firewall to be cut Therefore more engineering inspections and costs.

damn engineers

[p38arover]

Why would original equipment need to be engineered? Does he know what he's talking about?

The easiest option might be to replace the motor with a 2-speed motor from another car.

[COFFEY76]

i agree with what ur saying but yeah unfortunately its stated clearly in the regulations in vic roads that needs to be 2 speed 45 cycles per minute.

im not against changing the wiper over but what other motor would be compatable?

[akelly]

Mate that sounds bizzare! If the car had one speed wipers when built and you haven't made any change to the wipers there is no reason why you should have to change them. The engineer should be certifying that the engine mods are safe and meet the appropriate standards, the rest of the car is just a normal "roadworthy" check.

Even in NSW an engineer just checks the modification you have made. It's not like you have built a car from scratch, or a kit - in those cases you do need engineer certifcates for the entire vehicle. I've have engineering done on 2 cars and never had them check anything other than the mod I was getting approval for.

I'd double check that before I went to the trouble of mucking around with the wipers. Unless of course you want to chuck a 2 speed motor in, but thats about $100.

Cheers,

Adam

[BigJon]

It may say it in Vicroads regulations, but if the vehicle complies with the buidl date ADRs then it should suffice. Any regulatory changes should not be retrospective.

[COFFEY76]

ok what everyone is saying makes perfect sense to me.

but seeing as of the three engineers within 50km's of where i live referred me to this guy. and there are a list of engineers that vic roads will take notice of im kinda stuck with him.

if anyone could help me get onto a document which outlines what can stay original or not, that would be great.

He said right from the start that he would have to look at the whole car, but as soon as i say anything i get the 'u need to show me in an official document'

needless to say im not happy

[akelly]

What he may be getting at is that you need to show him what the original specs of the car were. When I got my holden conversion engineered in NSW the dude looked up things like the type of brakes fitted originally - this was to confirm that the boosted brakes (mine is a very late IIA) were original equipment and did not need engineering approval. He also did a "brake test" to confirm that the brakes met the specs for that size engine. Definitely didn't check the wipers though!

Your man may not have access to the original specs - if you have a workshop manual for your car (correct year and model) you should be able to use that to show him that single speed wipers are original fitment.

If he is suggesting your landy has to comply with ADR16, which refers to wiper speeds, he is a goose. ADR16 is only applicable to vehicles manufactured after 1/73.

Perhaps it would be worth posting in the "General Chat" section to find someone in Vic that has had the same conversion engineered recently (there's bound to be someone) and they can steer you to someone better?

Good luck!

Adam

[p38arover]

I hope he never has to "engineer" a 1903 vehicle or similar which had no wipers!

Which reminds me of a friend's FIL - he tried to register his 1903 Cadillac and was refused by the NSW RTA because "Cadillac never made cars back then"! GAAAHHH!!

[Mick_Marsh]

Interesting debate.
I am currently investigating a similar problem.
Seat Belts.
My Mercedes was produced when it was not compulsory to wear seat belts or have them fitted. It does, however, have aftermarket seat belts in the front but none in the rear. During the registration process, it got through the roadworthy and Vicroads inspection. I think the reasoning is because it was produced without seat belts, having them in the front is a plus.
Being a motoring enthusiast, I tend to peer into other peoples prides and joys. Whilst on one of my visits to the Chocolate Mill, I peered into someone's 1920's Buick. It had no seat belts at all and was registered (full registration, not classic/historic).
My point is, in my experience, if it came with a single speed wiper motor it should be registered with a single speed wiper motor.
If you wanted to register a HQ Holden, they shouldn't be requesting you to fit air bags to the current manufacturing standards (although, with a HQ, it would be a good idea).

P.S. I am currently investigating if you don't have rear seat belts fitted, can you legally have passengers in the rear seats. My actions will be to fit a set.

[akelly]

Mick, my understanding is (at least for QLD and NSW) that seatbelts are only required if the vehicle was fitted with, or for, seatbelts. So if your merc has mountings for seatbelts in the rear you must fit them - if not, then no need. Of course, thats only really for show cars and museum items - if you have people in the car then it makes good sense to fit belts.

Cheers,

Adam