Waffle

Okay the car is going back together relatively smoothly until of course i go to put the wiper transmissions back in the car! The drivers side went in just fine... hooked up and good to go, but I cannot get the passenger cables attached. The clutch releases and the cable extends... its just too short ... by at least 1-1/2 to 2 inches. I had the passenger side transmission rebuilt because the clutch was not working and i think they put too short of cables on. I measured both cables on the passenger transmission and they are both 23.5".... according to the article :
http://www.carols62.com/59/wiper_trans.htm the various measurements provided vary but the combined lengths are 48.7" to 49.6" and my two cables combined are only 47".
So am i missing something here or do i just need to return the transmission for another rebuild? (this will make 3 times) The drivers side has not been rebuilt. Thanks for any insight!!

427390HP

It would initially appear that your cable is too short, but before you send it back, double check one more time to be sure you are hooking up the cables properly.

I know when I went to put mine back in, the driver's side went on quick and easy. When I tried to put the passenger side on, I came up about 1" or so short - just about like you described. Since mine were original cables that I took off the car, I knew I had to be doing something wrong. I think I had my 1 and 4 grooves reversed the first time. I had the diagram from the same article with me to be sure I was hooking them up correctly. Remember, you are probably upside down and backwards from the drawing, so it isn't that hard to hook them up wrong. If you somehow reverse the cables, you'll never get them on.


I had to really, really pull hard on the cable to get it to go on, but it finally did. I assume you have someone helping you by pushing down on the shaft to release the tensioner to get full cable length while you are trying to hook it up.

It might be worth one more try. Double check that your driver's side is in the correct grooves and then do the passenger side. Hope this might work for you.

Terry

Frankie the Fink

If your tranny pawls are operating correctly you should only need a helper once...he/she pushes down on the wiper arm nut while you pull the cables to the extended position then the helper lets up on the tranny and that should 'lock' the cable in the extended position. When you are completely DONE routing the cables another push down should ****** the cables back into the (shorter) operating position.

Before you abandon hope try to attach the cables one more time with the diagram in the first pic below. As 427390HP mentioned above it's EXTREMELY easy to get the #1 & #4 cable reversed on the center spool (do NOT ask me how I know). The diagram below is what I used to finally get it right...the other diagram is just too vague IMO and makes for screw ups.

I ended up with the cables routed as per the second picture. Remember the RH side tranny cables CROSS each other; the LH side do not! Refer to the diagram and my second picture for this last attempt and you should be fine IF the cables are the right length.

If you want to cheat some then extend the cables in the LH transmission temporarily, loosen the wiper motor mounting plate to scooch (technical term) the center pulley around some to get the final little bit needed to get the RH transmission cable on and re-tighten the plate afterwards. When finished just 'pop' both trannys to re-tighten the cables.

Before installing the wiper arms on the trannys run the wipers a bit and make sure the cables aren't sawing through any wires (always an exciting event)...

HOWEVER, it is entirely possible that your cable is too short. The rebuilt transmissions I bought at a swap meet were indeed too short as seen in the third pic. I wound up taking my OLD cables and putting them on the NEW transmissions! The clamp in the picture is holding the OLD cable spool against the NEW transmission to compare the cable lengths.

Waffle

Thanks i will give it one more shot... Does anyone sell replacement cables.... I am having a trouble finding them on the usual websites. This may fall under the "if you want it done right...." Rule. Great info!!! Thank you again. Stay tuned ....

Frankie the Fink

You can make them up yourself - prob a lot of trouble.
I'd call Tom Maxwell of Capital Restoration in Maryland. If he doesn't make them he will know who does (if anybody): 301-948-9481

Waffle

Well that was frustrating.... reinstalled the right transmission ... double checked the diagrams (thank you) and pushed in the shaft, pulled the cables.... and they didn't release as they did yesterday but instead pulled thru so that both cables now come out of the same spot... totally jacked! Glad I paid twice to get this transmission rebuilt. excellent. opening a bottle of wine now to go with my whine! lol

Waffle

Now it is nearly 11:30pm and i am still in my work clothes but i have done this thing six ways to sunday and it is clear to me that one cable is 2-1/2" short. So now the question is do i send it back to corvette central for a third try? Regardless, now that my original cable is gone, will they know the right spec? I guess I can just say add 2-1/2" based on my measurements and hope they don't charge me a third time... or punt and try someone else. I suppose I will give them the chance to make it right! Any thoughts appreciated... gotta love these cars!
Kurt

Frankie the Fink

Its easy enough to get the cables back the way they were before you pushed on the shaft - that's not the big issue tho; length is.

If its any consolation I went through the exact same thing...about 4 hours upside down under the dash trying to fit the d@mn trannys in before I thought to check the cable length (and discovered it was wrong). Here is another shot of the difference in cable lengths on my RH tranny. Looks like you have the EXACT same problem. Maybe my 'swap meet' trannys were rebuilt by CC. I'm wondering if maybe they are putting passenger car cables on these pieces or some such nonsense.

I wish my car was still apart so I could get you an exact measurement. I'm not 100% sure the lengths in that 'Carol59' web link are correct.

What you need is a cable stretcher (sorry - thought you could use some levity at this point)!

It might be worth a call to Tom Maxwell as I mentioned before to confirm length (if he can). Then a nasty phone call to Corvette Central. I'm sure CC 'farms out' this rebuild service to a third party and maybe they can put you in touch with that person.

CC is a supporting forum member and post here quite often so you can refer them to this thread if you like. I would NOT pay them a third time.

Paragon offers a tranny rebuild service and I've heard their stuff actually fits and works properly.

Waffle

Thanks for the humor Always need to keep a good attitude... no fun getting upset! Corvette Central has always done great work and stood behind their products... no worries there. I'll give them a call today and I am sure this will get sorted out, besides I have a whole car to put together, plenty to work on while these are corrected
Thanks again for all the help!
Kurt

427390HP

Kurt,

I have a nice pair of unmolested and unrestored original transmissions that I could measure for you. That should give you a much more accurate measurement than just adding a length that may or may not work correctly.

Let me know if you want some measurements - whether it's all 4 cables, just the right transmission cables, just one cable etc.

The only question on a measurement I would have is that, naturally, the cables would be spooled. So do you want a measurement from the edge of the spool in the open (stretched or installing) position or closed (tight or installed) position. I'll try to measure what ever you want.

Terry

Frankie the Fink

I'm sure quite a few of us would love to get those measurements and record them somewhere -- this cable length issue comes up every once in a while and is a source of frustration for some poor owner each time.

427390HP

OK, this is going to be interesting.

I went out and got my extra wiper transmissions. Spent a fair amount of time getting accurate measurements. Even wrote up a little "article" so it was clear what I did and how I did it. Pretty happy at that point.

I though I would compare my measurements to those in the Carols62 article. Holy smokes - some of my measurements aren't even close!

Well, since I went to the time and trouble to do it, I'm going to post my findings here. I really don't know what to say or how to explain the differences. But I gave it my best shot.

Here's my article:

Oh sh$t. I tried to upload my article using TinyPic (which is what I have been doing for all my pictures on this forum). It won't take it so I guess I won't do it. It's a MS Word document and I also saved it as a JPEG and it still wouldn't work, so I give up. Posting attachments on this forum is a royal PIA for non-paying members. I can do it all day long on the Pontiac Forum direct from my files, but not here.

Since I can't attach my article, I'll at least tell you what I came up with. FWIW, Here's my two sets of measurements.

ACTUAL LENGTH OF TRANSMISSION CABLES:

TOTAL LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 24.00” (24”)
TOTAL LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 24.75” (24 3/4”)

TOTAL LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 24.50” (24 1/2”)
TOTAL LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 23.50” (23 1/2”)


EXTENDED LENGTH OF TRANSMISSION CABLES (LENGTH OF CABLE BEYOND HOUSING - SEE ARTICLE ON HOW TO MEASURE):

EXTENDED LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 21.75” (21 3/4”)
EXTENDED LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 21.67” (21 5/8”)

EXTENDED LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 23.25” (23 1/4”)
EXTENDED LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 20.25” (20 1/4”)

Terry

Frankie the Fink

Email me your article at 'fdreano@earthlink.net' and I'll post it.
Glad I'm not alone...my wiper cables didn't match up to the lengths in the Carol59 article either (although I didn't record them which I should have).

Waffle

I will measure mine tonight before I send them back to Corvette Central tomorrow. The measurements I gave above included the portion on the spool (estimated) I will measure from the housing so they relate to your numbers. One of the folks at CC said they have changed vendors since I had my transmission done earlier this year, sounds like they may have had some quality control issues. Just to make sure I am getting it right... when you say upper pulley you mean the one that is closest to the wiper arm?

Waffle

both of my right side cables... upper and lower are 21-3/8" from the housing.

Waffle

I am now curious how these cables were done at the factory... given the variable lengths, it seems like each one was cut to length individually and an end crimped on as they were installed as opposed to all the cables being mass produced to a particular length.

427390HP

Kurt,

Following is my article. I just copied and pasted the text and pictures separately instead of a document that can be viewed and saved. Regardless, it gives you all of the information on how I measured the cables.

Keep in mind when I measured each cable, it was pulled outward, so once I measured the upper pulley cable, I then pulled the lower pulley cable out. That will automatically shorten the upper pulley cable length. Depending on how you measured them, your aggregate measurement on the two right side cables is 42 3/4" and my aggregate measurement on the two right side cables is 43 1/2". That's a 3/4" difference , which can be enough to make you not reach.

But just read how I measured them and then measure yours they same way. That should tell you if yours are actually shorter or not.

BTW, this is trying to help you, not confuse you!

Terry

**************************************** ************

1958-62 CORVETTE WIPER TRANSMISSION CABLE LENGTHS


There have been numerous questions as to the exact cable lengths on 1958-62 Corvette wiper transmissions. In response to a member’s question on the Corvette Forum, I took a pair of wiper transmissions and measured the lengths of each cable.

Before I get to the measurements, I want to clarify a few things.

1) I used a pair of original wiper transmissions to make these measurements. To the best of my knowledge, these transmissions are unrestored and unmolested, so the cables should be the original factory cables. I got these transmissions after I had repaired my transmissions and put them back on my car, so these transmissions have not been “tested” by me by actually installing in a car.

2) These measurements are not intended to dispute any other previous measurements that have been previously documented. They are only intended to provide another source of information to assist someone in getting their wiper transmission cable lengths correct so the transmissions can be installed correctly in their car.

Definitions of reference points and terms I use in this article:

1. Left transmission = driver’s side.
2. Right transmission = passenger side.
3. Top or upper pulley = pulley towards top of transmission as it is installed in the car.
4. Bottom or lower pulley = pulley towards bottom of transmission as it is installed in the car.
5. Cable end = the outermost edge of the cable stop. There may be approximately 1/32” to 1/16” of actual cable beyond this point. The cable stops were used for measurements.
6. Extended length = length of cable beyond housing

OK, let’s get to the measurements.

MEASUREMENT OF ACTUAL CABLE LENGTHS

I used a string and worked it around each pulley so it matched the cable end in the pulley. I carefully paralleled the string to the cable and marked the end of the string. I then taped the string to the table and measured with a metal yardstick. I believe my measurements using the string should be within 1/16” due only to the possibility of slight string stretch.

TOTAL LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 24.00” (24”)
TOTAL LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 24.75” (24 3/4”)

TOTAL LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 24.50” (24 1/2”)
TOTAL LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 23.50” (23 1/2”)



MEASUREMENT OF CABLES INSTALLED ON TRANSMISSION

Sometimes it is necessary or helpful to know the length of the cables once they are actually on the transmission. Or, as in the case that prompted this article, to see if incorrect cable lengths were put on during a restoration of the transmissions. These measurements are simply a quicker and easier way of checking your cable lengths without having to try and figure out how to measure the part of the cable that is wrapped on the spool.

I used my metal yardstick instead of a tape measure because the yardstick was more rigid and made it easier. If you do not have a metal or wood yardstick, you can certainly use a tape measure. Just try to have the tape measure taught to get the most accurate measurement.

Place the end of the yardstick against the housing and parallel to the direction of the cable. Pull the cable tight enough to take any slack out. Look at the end of the cable and note the measurement.

IMPORTANT: When you go to make the measurement, be SURE the cable is pulled out to its
maximum normal travel. The cable pulleys rotate back and forth approximately 2/3 of one revolution. Just pull the cable you are measuring so the pulley is against the opposite tab stop on the outer pulley housing. Also, do not depress the shaft to release the tensioners as if you were installing them on the car. You want to just measure the normal length of the cable that extends beyond the housing.


EXTENDED LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 21.75” (21 3/4”)
EXTENDED LENGTH LEFT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 21.67” (21 5/8”)

EXTENDED LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION LOWER PULLEY 23.25” (23 1/4”)
EXTENDED LENGTH RIGHT TRANSMISSION UPPER PULLEY 20.25” (20 1/4”)

Hopefully this information will help in determining if you have the correct cable lengths on your wiper transmission or if you have incorrect lengths on your transmissions. I have made every attempt to make this information as accurate as possible and as understandable as possible

Plasticman

Well done!

Thanks,
Plasticman

Frankie the Fink

If we can convince Dave Zuberer to capture the above in a PDF it can go into everybody's technical library

INMYBLOOD

Nice work