first-stingray

I order one of those wiper compartment covers from a vendor, it arrived today. Anyone install one of these? I thought screws or something would come with it, but nothing.

My car is at the painters so I haven't had a chance to see if it just inserts somehow. Any help is appreciated.

12stepvette

Might have to trim alittle around wiper arms or edges to make fit...Mine is held on with 2 screws, each at outer foward corners.

vettfixr

Here's how I installed mine. Set the compartment cover over the windshield wiper trough with the wipers going through the holes. Run the wipers to see if they hit anything. You may have to do some slight sanding around the wiper holes to get clearance. You may also have to put a slight bow in the wiper arms to clear the cover. Go easy on this because if you bow the arm too much you may hit the underside of the rear of the hood. Once everything is to your satisfaction drill 5 holes through the cover and the edge of the trough. You can use sheet metal screws to attach the cover but I found that after you remove it once or twice the screws don't hold very well because they enlarge the holes in the fiberglass. I went to a hardware store and got Rivnuts. They look and install like a rivet but have threads inside so you can use machine screws. To install these drill the holes through the cover and trough in the correct side for the rivnut. Then lift the cover and install the rivnuts into the leading edge of the fiberglass trough according to the instructions that come with the rivnuts. Then put the cover back down and install the machine screws. You will now have threaded holes that look like small wellnuts but are all metal. If you are leaving the cover black then paint the top of the screws black to match. If you are painting the cover to match your car color then paint the screws that color. When you're done it will look like factory and will be easy to remove and reinstall. Try to use pan head sheetmetal screws so they don't stick up too much because the hood seal will sit over them. One problem I had with my painted cover is that it scratched easily where the wipers slid over the cover to park. I fixed this by getting some 3M clear plastic vinyl tape at the local auto store and putting it over the trailing edge of the cover where the wipers pass over. It works the same as the protectors used under convertible tops so the paint doesn't get scratched. I've had mine on now for over a year and it's worked pretty well although I don't drive in the rain on purpose. Good luck and if you need anymore tips shoot me an e-mail.

first-stingray

vettfixr,

Great idea with the rivnuts. Although I hate the thought of drilling into that lip at least it's something that is going to hold.

While we're on the subject...any idea on correcting wiper clash? They meet sometimes and I sure don't want the wipers skipping up and scratching the end of my hood. (I didn't care too much with the old paint).

TIA
:cheers:

vettfixr

I think the AIM has instructions for adjusting the blades. It's all done by moving the adjustments on the linkage in the wiper trough.

72GACRZR

One possiblity is to use shorter blades. I forget which book I read it in though.
:seeya

GATOR454

I saw one on a 73 at a show and shine last month that did not have any mounting screws. The owner was not around and I did not want to mess with his car to find out how it was attached. I assumed it was attached with velcro.

RedShark76

Two sided tape. The black industrial type. It does'nt take much to hold it in place. But you do have to put new tape on when you have to remove it for cleaning and maitainence.

KenSny

I used 4 plastic push pins into the cowl lip. Just pull the pin up when you want to remove the cover. I also modified the area where the wiper stop is located by cutting a slot for it in the cover. I had to trim the ends a little because the cover was a tad too long. It would "bow" in the middle. Guess all cars are NOT built the same.

AlwaysWave

I have on my 72 with the L88 long hood. It lays in place and is not fastened down. Only fit problem was at the front edge, I had to notch it a bit to fit into the trough area properly.

deli-man

Deli-man here,
Was your cover too short for a good fit .

vettebuyer6369

You are answering a post from 17 years ago.