The Garage

Vacuum Trico wiper Rebuild for a Model A Ford
Bob Love

When I bought my first "Antique Car", a '29 Ford Tudor, I was really gung-ho about doing a lot of the work myself. Heck, I worked on my own cars as a teenager....how hard could it be? Especially on such a simple car that could be repaired with chewing gum and bailing wire (or so I was told). One of the first lessons this car taught me is that, if you are going to take something apart to rebuild it, you better know how it goes back together. A little prior planning, documentation and lots of pictures will make the job a lot easier. When I took on the task of rebuilding the vacuum wiper motor on the Model A, I just jumped right in and took it completely apart, cleaned everything up (its amazing how hard grease gets after many years of non-use) and then attempted to put it all back together with a rebuild kit from one of the popular parts suppliers. They don't come with instructions! After much searching on the internet (another great tool!), I found pictures and diagrams that made the job so much easier.

Here's what I found

Pictures of what it should look like when finished:

and a great diagram showing how the parts go together:

Here's the result: a working installation on my car......

Oh, and by the way, I also got help from a fellow club member who had a lot of experience with these cars. That's one of the best reasons to be a part of a club of like-minded enthusiasts. Everyone has some experience that can help someone else.