MG Car Repair: mga windshield wiper motor adjustment, windshield wiper motor, wheel boxes

Question
QUESTION: I have a 1960 mga
I have taken the windshield motor and cables out,cleaned and painted them and put them back in. I did not take the motor apart but did disassemble the cable, gear and stop adjuster cup (knob). I am able to adjust where the wiper stops fine but i only have about half of the range of motion.The wiper only moves back and forth about 12". Have i assembled something wrong. I do not remember if it was ok before i tore it apart.  thanks






ANSWER: Hi Gary,
You can not change the range of motion on a Lucas wiper system unless you change the large gear in the wiper motor or change the wheel boxes. The range of motion is fixed in the design. You can change where on the windshield the wiper arm starts OR stops just by where you place the wiper arm on the wheel box spline.
Howard

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So is it common in 1960 mga's that the windshield wiper only covers 12" of travel at the end of the wiper? This barely gives enough clean windshield to see thru.  thanks  again.

Answer
Gary, You need to read what I said, You can't change the travel of any Lucas wiper motor except by changing the large gear in the wiper motor of change the wheel boxes. I have never measured the tip travel of a 60 MGA but I do know the insides of the motors and wheel boxes. Someone may have put the wrong wheel boxes or motor or both in your car if the travel is too short. The usual method to determine if the system is for that car is look at the bottom of the blade and note where it starts and stops to see if it could travel any further. Also, look at the top of the windshield where the blade swipes across, does it come close to the top of the windshield or not. If not, maybe you just have the wrong wiper blades on the car.
Howard