AN ALMOST-OPTIMAL, REAR-WINDOW WIPER & WASHER SYSTEM, FOR THE 1964~67 AND 1968~79 VW KOMBIS

by Nigel A. Skeet

Over the years, I had become fed-up with having to regularly stop on long journeys, to clean the rear window, of my 1973 VW "1600" Type 2 Westfalia Continental campervan, during moderately damp weather, when it became filthy with dirt laden spray. So, in the mid-to-late-1980s, I began to give serious thought, to how a rear-window wiper and washer system, might be fitted.

All of the advertised, accessory rear-window wiper kits, appeared to be unsuitable and the few 1968~79 VW Type 2, DIY, rear-window wiper conversions I had seen, from time-to-time, were both untidy and swept only a small proportion of the window area, an example of which I saw fitted to David Taylor's German registered, 1978 VW 1600 Type 2 campervan (see Daily Drivers, VW Motoring, October 1997, p72).

After looking at the rear wipers on many vans, estate cars (i.e. wagons or station wagons) and hatchbacks, I had almost given up hope, when in 1988/89, I had reason to borrow the company pool car; a Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 Estate, with its cross-over-arm, pantograph (i.e. double-arm & double-linkage) rear wiper. On close inspection, it was apparent that it might be possible to adapt this system, for use on our 1973 VW Type 2; which if successful, would sweep a substantial proportion of the rear window.

At that time, Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 Estates, seldom appeared in my local breakers' yards, so many months went by, before I was finally able to buy a complete, second-hand wiper system. By mid-1990, following three weeks of experimental trials, I completed the prototype design, development and installation; the basic details of which have already been published:

Nigel Skeet, "1968~79 VW Type 2 Rear Window Wiper", Transporter Talk, Issue 25, October 1996, pp23~24. Also later published as VW Type 2 Owners' Club, Technical Information Sheet Topic 15: Rear Wiper Modifications, pp1~3.

Nigel Skeet, "A Clean Sweep", Workshop, VW Motoring, December 1996, pp85~86.

I am pleased to say, that on the whole, the first and only prototype, was a major success, although with 20/20 hindsight (such a wonderful thing!), I confess there are a few things I could have done slightly differently, to have made it just a little better; albeit not a lot. One of the minor differences, involving the secondary wiper arm, I shall implement, when the opportunity presents.

I have also since determined, that the slightly longer, cross-over-arm, pantograph, rear-window wiper system, fitted to its predecessor, the Vauxhall Chevette Estate, would also be suitable for use with a 1964~67 or 1968~79 VW Type 2 rear hatch, but some of the modification and installation procedures would be slightly different. I already know in general terms, what would need to be done and the measurements which would need to be taken, but I have not yet had the opportunity, to fully investigate these, owing to the lack of a spare rear hatch!

Sometime, after my original articles were published in late-1996, I prepared a draft, of an illustrated, modification & installation manual, which describes in considerable detail, the procedure for the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 based system, together with appropriate warnings, various pieces of potentially useful and/or interesting information and the history of why I opted to do things in a certain way, rather than some other. Overall, it amounts to nearly eighteen A4 format pages, not counting the illustrations, but only about seven pages of the text, are actually devoted to how to undertake, the modification and installation of the wiper system, into the rear hatch, involving precise measurements and positioning.

The following extract from the Contents Page, should give you some idea of just how detailed it is!

Introduction to the British & European, General Motors, SWF, Cross-Over, Pantograph Wiper System.
Other Possible General Motors, Donor Vehicles Around the World.
Rear-Window Washer Options.
Window Wiper & Washer Switch Options.
Air-Pressurised Window Washer Reservoir Options.
Required Materials & Wiper System Components.
Wiper System Removal from the Donor Car.
Sequence Summary, of Wiper System Modification & Installation Procedures.
Why Adapt the Wiper Blade Custom Fitting?
Adapting the Wiper Blade Custom Fitting.
Where to Locate Body-Mounted Washer-Jet Housings?
Rear-Hatch Holes for the Window Wiper Spindle & Window Washers.
Wiper-Spindle Housing & Installation Adapter Bracket.
Wiper Motor, Installation Adapter Brackets & Vibration Isolation Bushes.
Why Modify the Secondary Wiper Arm?
Modifying the Secondary Wiper Arm.
Routing Electrical Wiring & Washer Tubing.
Electrical Wiring & Washer Tubing Connections.
Supplementary, Air-Pressurised Washer Reservoir.
Supplementary Reservoir for Electrically Pumped Washers.
Trim-Panel Blister Moulding.
Spare Parts Availability.
Vauxhall Workshop Manuals & Other Technical Information Sources.
Chevette Internet Websites Around the World
Original Technical Article References.
Useful Addresses.
Mercedes Van & Light Commercial Vehicle Breakers & Parts Suppliers.

The rear-window wiper system I developed, has since been adopted, by at least five other British VW Type 2 owners, who contacted me, after reading my technical article, in either Transporter Talk or VW Motoring. Some of these, even commissioned me to obtain the donor vehicle wiper systems, on their behalf. One owner in Chelmsford, Essex, had the rear-window wiper modified & installed, by the workshop (aided by my detailed, illustrated manual!) who were undertaking his VW Type 2 restoration project.

I suspect that several others, will also have devised their own installations, working just from the brief summary and illustrations, provided in the article. A few years after publication, one VW Type 2 Owners' Club member, saw a rear-window wiper on someone's VW Type 2 and enquired to Transporter Talk, whether anyone knew of the appropriate donor car!

By a stroke of good fortune, the sweep angle of the Astra Mk. 1 estate wiper linkage & crank, is ideally suited to the 1964~79 VW Type 2 rear window; provided the standard length main wiper arm is retained. When fitted to the 1964~67 or 1968~79 VW Type 2 rear hatch, the secondary wiper arm of the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 Estate (and also of the Vauxhall Chevette Estate, I presume), pantograph rear-window wiper system, must be lengthened, in order that the wiper blade is parallel with the bottom of the window, at both the right-hand and left-hand limits, of the wiper's sweep. If this were not done, then the rubber seal, at the bottom of the window, would be struck at an angle, by the wiper blade, causing damage to both.

Owing to an inherent flaw in the original design of both the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 & Chevette Estate, pantograph rear-window wiper system, it is desirable to make a further modification to the secondary wiper arm. On most, if not all such wiper systems I have examined (both in car breakers' yards and on roadworthy Vauxhall cars), there has been evidence of chafe (i.e. worn and flaking paint), between the primary and secondary wiper arms, owing to their close proximity. Fortunately, this is easily overcome by creating two slight bends in the secondary arm, in opposite directions; resulting in a separating gap, of about 5 mm.

Owing to the Astra & Chevette Estate wiper blade (with special custom fitting for attachment to the wiper arm) being 14 inches (355 mm) long, whilst the VW Type 2 rear window is only 13•1 inches (332 mm) high, it is necessary to remove the special custom fitting from the wiper blade and adapt it, so that either a standard 11 inch (280 mm) or 12 inch (305 mm) wiper blade, with conventional attachment fittings, may be used.

My chosen adaptation involves replacing the "wiper-blade attachment ears" of the special custom fitting, with a "hook-end" from a conventional wiper arm, together with an intermediate ¼ inch (6 mm) spacer. In my opinion, this gives the VW Type 2, cross-over-arm, pantograph rear-window wiper system, both a factory fitted appearance and enables one to substitute with minimal effort (i.e. no more than for the simplest of conventional wiper blade attachments), different sizes and patterns, of universal 11 inch or 12 inch wiper blade, from the various manufacturers.

The Chevette, was General Motors' first World car, being manufactured and/or marketed in various countries, as the Buick Opel (USA), Chevrolet Chevette (Brazil & USA), Daewoo Maepsy (South Korea), Holden Gemini (Australia), Isuzu Bellett Gemini & Gemini (Japan), Isuzu I­Mark (USA), Opel Gemini (Malaysia), Opel Isuzu (USA), Opel Kadett C (Germany), Opel K­180 (Argentina), Pontiac Acadian (Canada), Pontiac T­1000 & 1000 (USA) and Saehan Bird (South Korea), which would have been sold locally and to neighbouring countries in the region.

It is conceivable that similar rebadged versions of the front-wheel drive Astra Mk. 1, might also have been made in these and other overseas territories. Some examples are thought to be: the Chevrolet Gemini (Chile), Chevrolet Spectrum (USA), Geo Spectrum (USA), Holden Gemini Mk. 2 (Australia), Isuzu Gemini Mk. 2 (Japan), Isuzu I­Mark Mk. 2 (USA) and Pontiac Sunburst (Canada). Hence, it is possible that suitable donor estate cars or car-derived vans, equivalent to either the Vauxhall Astra Mk. 1 or Chevette Estates (aka Station Wagon, Caravan, Kombi, etc), might exist in most regions of the World, where VW Type 2s are found.

There seem to be nearly 1½ thousand car clubs in Australia, listed on the following Internet website, of Wheelquip, including several for Bedford, Buick, Chevrolet, Holden, Opel, Pontiac and Vauxhall, plus possibly Isuzu, so there is reasonable scope for finding out about suitable donor vehicles in Australia, of the cross-over-arm, pantograph, rear-window wiper system.

http://www.wheelquip.com.au/car_clubs.php 

Owing to the configuration of the 1964~79 VW Type 2 rear hatch and the effect of air turbulence, I surmised that conventional, hatch mounted, fixed washer jets, might be relatively ineffective. Ideally, I would have preferred to use an 11 or 12 inch SWW wash/wiper blade, with my rear-window wiper system, but unfortunately, the suggested method of routing the flexible hose for a conventional, parallel-arm, pantograph system, is not suitable, owing to the cross­over-arm design feature and the close proximity of the bodywork.

I did propose a modest design modification to the manufacturers, which would have enabled me to use a wash/wiper blade, with my system and also facilitate a neater, more durable installation, for conventional wipers too. However, to the best of my knowledge, SWW have so far chosen not to implement, my proposed, product design modification! Consequently, a VDO/SWF, wiper-arm mounted, accessory, 4­way washer jet fitting, with adjustable ball nozzles, was chosen instead.

The wiper and air-pressurised washers, are operated by a 1968~72 VW Type 2, standard, dashboard mounted, wiper/washer switch (similar switches, with a different pattern of switch knob, were also fitted to some model years of the VW Types 1, 3 & 4). Pressurised water is supplied, from a VW 412 Variant, windscreen washer reservoir, mounted behind the left-hand kick-board, in the cab. The reservoir from behind a VW Beetle spare wheel, would also have been suitable, plus possibly some others. At sometime in the future, I hope to incorporate an intermittent wipe facility, using the Vauxhall timer relay, but that will have to wait, until I have managed to sort out the circuit.

Owners of 1968~72 VW Type 2s, who are fitting a rear-window wiper & washer system, may wish to use their existing dashboard switch for this purpose and upgrade their front windscreen wiper & washer system, by fitting the 1973~74 VW Type 2, steering-column mounted switch (VW part No. 211 955 517A).

See for example the following items, regarding people breaking 1973/74 VW Kombis for spares:

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=47457 

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=47842