When applied to classic trucks, the domino theory simply translates into "one improvement dictates another." If a person drops in a high-performance engine capable of accelerating at twice the rate of the stock engine, it only stands to reason that the brakes and suspension should be upgraded to match. Place our theoretical customized classic truck into the real world, with its ever-changing weather conditions ranging from a light morning mist to an unexpected heavy downpour, and the reality is that one's vision is at the top of the list of priorities. For owners of '60-66 Chevrolet and GMC trucks, the standard electrical one-speed wipers are a vast improvement over the standard vacuum wiper motors on '59-down GM trucks, but they still leave a lot to be desired.
Take, for example, our '66 Chevy shortbed Fleetside shown here. Even equipped with the very best GM had to offer at the time-two-speed wipers with a windshield washer-the system has developed some problems. When the time came for us to decide the best way to address these issues, we opted for New Port Engineering's recently introduced two-speed electric wiper drive for '60-66 Chevrolet and GMC trucks. In addition to ordering ours with an electric windshield washer pump, we had New Port include a delay wiper switch. Not only did this provide us with all the options we desired, but thanks to New Port Engineering pre-wiring the delay switch with a built-in windshield washer switch, all we had to do was connect the red lead to a switched 10-amp fuse and ensure the black ground lead was grounded. It would be hard to hurt our old '66 with its original paint and war-wounded body, but for you guys with really nice trucks, we have included some handy tips that will help you install New Port Engineering's wiper drive without scratching your paint or causing any body damage.
Here's New Port Engineering's electric wiper drive complete with their optional wiper delay switch. Notice the two components are pre-wired and ready to install.
They say it doesn't rain in Southern California. That said, strangely enough, right after we finished installing our new two-speed electric wipers with a windshield washer and intermittent capabilities, it rained just long enough for us to try them out and discover we needed to do a tech feature on sealing up the windshield and door glass on a '60-66 C-10-go figure.
