How Pathetically Small and Inadequate.....

[HeavyFuel]

.......the windshield wipers are on these cars.

I guess my car is really a 'driver' now.   Got caught in my first rainstorm.   

Surprisingly.....the car didn't melt.


But anyway, holy crap, the wipers are just a joke.  These cars must have been death traps.....what with rear wheel drive, big motors, marginal visibility, crappy wipers, so-so-headlights, etc.

A good snow storm would pretty much sideline these cars....or maim the occupants.     

[Baldwinvette77]

atleast they work, i've met a few b-body owners with seized wiper spindles 

[HeavyFuel]

Yeah, it was the first time I tried them...so that is a plus, they work.

I knew that the arms would work fine, cause somebody on here posted where you drill a small hole in the housing of the arms where they pivot.  You can then spray cleaner and lube into the pivot area.  I did that to mine....so they were golden.  The motor, well that has it's original guts.


They won't get used much.

[crj1968]

Most cars in the 60's were death traps. All motor and no brakes.

Every time I drive an old car I have a bad habit of driving with one foot over the brake. 

[Ghoste]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today. 

[JB400]

The joy of driving a "real" automobile.

[don duick]

apply rainex on your front window the water turns into beads and rolls off.

[six-tee-nine]

Well look at it this way,

Imagine you bought yourself a brand new 1969 Charger in.....1969 to replace your (whatever) that was 15 years old at that point so that old car would be built in 1954

I'd guess lost of people would have said "jesus that new car really is a big step forward, and those power brakes are just awesome......"

todays cars had 40 time years to become what they are today

[metallicareload99]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today. 

These cars do all the basics well enough, that if there is a problem, it means that something needs to be replaced or fixed.

[TPR]

I'm glad we're talking about wipers here, for a second I thought this topic was going to steer us in a completely different direction.
For the record, my wife thinks my wipers are more than adequate.  
TPR

[NHCharger]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today. 

  Yup, totally agree. todays cars are designed for people that can't concentrate, can't park, can't back up, don't know how to pump the brakes when it's raining, etc....

[Daytona R/T SE]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today.  

I was trying to figure out how to best phrase this point and you nailed my thoughts exactly.

[RallyeMike]

Back in the day we were thrilled that the manual only had to be clutched once, the wipers had more than one speed, and there were seat belts (even though most people did not wear). They were certainly not as safe as today's cars, but people developed the skills to drive them, and they got the job done.

[fizz]

Well, I bought a 70 rt in high school. It had front disc brakes and limited slip. Lived in North Dakota. My dad worked at a plant 20 miles away in open country. Pretty much only farmers had 4wd. When it was really crappy out he took my charger. Studded snow tires and 2 rear wheels driving went thru snow good. As far as wipers and brakes, never noticed, 55mph speed limit meant we pretty much never went over 70. I think people drove more carefully and consideratly then.

[ACUDANUT]

apply rainex on your front window the water turns into beads and rolls off.

Yea, get with the program. This stuff works !!

[tan top]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today.  

I was trying to figure out how to best phrase this point and you nailed my thoughts exactly.

 ,

also deviating off topic a bit modern   cars  , especially front wheel drive !! can make drivers look  good , to a point !!  
that have little or no car control skill & how a car  behaves at speed , & road conditions weather etc  , especially if  modern cars is all they have grown up with driving )

put them in a 40 year old rear wheel drive car with or with out any power , doubt they would make it 10 miles in the rain ( may be dry too ) with out wrecking    

[Dino]

Although they are not as good as a modern car, my wipers work fine and I never found myself in trouble and I've driven through some serious storms.  Rain-X and new blades should improve it.

[Cooter]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today.  

Well said. P***y things like back up cams, nav systems, auto braking systems, etc. Have watered down the manly driving experience, yet some still want to see the rear end go sideways???

[Lord Warlock]

Can't say the wipers were that bad back when i drove the car, seemed to do the job, and I was glad i had the 3 speed wipers.  Its too bad that they don't have interchangeable ends for wiper blade replacement like they do now, changing wiper blades is so much simpler today.  I have no clue if they'll even work now, after the repaint, getting the wipers back on was a chore, had to use a rubber hammer to tap them back on.  

Have to say I drove much worse death traps before i got the charger,  the 65 rambler convertible my dad got for $50 bucks, couldn't stop for crap, and had worse single speed wipers, luckily the motor wouldn't push it very fast either so all things were relative.  The 1951 Lincoln and 1951 Mercury my dad had weighed over 5000 lbs, had crappy brakes and manual steering, the one good thing was that if you did hit anything, you'd squash em flat or push em out of the way before any metal bent.  (bumpers were huge).  The 66 mustang convertible i had before the charger was harder to steer, the 4speed shifter would stick in gear occasionally, and had drum brakes, the 69 charger RT was a luxury ride compared to what i had before.  (with power brakes, power steering, front discs, 3spd wipers and a SIX WAY SEAT)

The new cars of today are designed for idiots to drive, to do makeup while driving, to text or talk on the phone while in the car, eat and watch movies in, all things we didn't have to worry about much in the old cars.  Our only concern was where to hold the coke bottle, which was usually between the legs or get a can holder off the window, (we don't need no stinkin cup holders).  I do however like having a new car with all the new conveniences, with tons of comfort as well as plenty of power with a hemi v8 in it.  

[ITSA426]

My first cars had vacuum wipers.  I really thought electric wipers were fantastic.

[tan top]

My first cars had vacuum wipers.  I really thought electric wipers were fantastic.

my dad had a car with vacuum wipers not long after he started to drive   , he  said faster you went !   the wipers would slow down 

[RECHRGD]

I had a '46 Plymouth Deluxe as a driver while waiting for my '68 R/T to be delivered.  Those vacuum wipers were a joke.  The more gas you gave it the slower the wipers went as the vacuum dropped.  Give it full throttle and they would stop completely.  When my new '68 arrived I was in high tech heaven.....

[DAY CLONA]

But anyway, holy crap, the wipers are just a joke.  These cars must have been death traps.....what with rear wheel drive, big motors, marginal visibility, crappy wipers, so-so-headlights, etc.

A good snow storm would pretty much sideline these cars....or maim the occupants.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------








You can't possibly be talking about a 68-70 Dodge Charger?....perhaps it was this you were driving to make the quote you did?    

[Cooter]

These cars have to be driven. They don't allow the driver advantage of multitasking while driving.

[MaximRecoil]

I've never noticed anything unusual about my '69 Charger windshield wipers. The blades have as much coverage as on any other car with the same size windshield. Wiper blades tend to be longer on newer cars, but that's only because their windshields are so sloped. That doesn't necessarily equate to more viewing area though, i.e., you can't see any more out of a relatively small vertical rectangle than you can out of a huge windshield that's highly sloped.

The only problem I have with my windshield wipers is that they chatter on the glass, rather than making smooth passes; there seems to be too much friction between the blades and the glass (they don't do it as much or at all in really heavy rain). New wiper blades didn't help.

[don duick]

I had a '46 Plymouth Deluxe as a driver while waiting for my '68 R/T to be delivered.  Those vacuum wipers were a joke.  The more gas you gave it the slower the wipers went as the vacuum dropped.  Give it full throttle and they would stop completely.  When my new '68 arrived I was in high tech heaven.....

[Charger-Bodie]

Yep. Not a new Volvo . The driver needs to drive.

[Ghoste]

It'd be interesting to compare accident statistics from 1969 to today with the population increase taken into account.

[b5blue]

My CJ 3A WILLYS had the crappy vacuum wiper for drivers side and a hand crank for passengers side! The look on a passengers face in the rain was priceless when they realized that they needed to get busy if they wanted to see anything. 

[davidcam69]

A couple of years ago my grandkids were in my work car (92 Dynasty) and asked what those handles were on the inside of the doors. They had never seen window cranks before.   

[ACUDANUT]

No response from heavy fuel ?

[Steve P.]

It is known as PROGRESS. Very many things have been upgraded over the years. As we find issues, we find what will make them better. As far as the wipers being small or inadequate, I don't think so. Growing up in these cars and living in the snow belt I can tell you for fact that they not only gave you good vision, but moved a ton of snow sometimes to do it. They did not have "WINTER BLADES" back when I was young and yet the wiper motors were strong enough to move the blades and leave some of the rubber stuck to the windshield. Thus the invention of the (ICE SCRAPER).

We also dealt with that pesky key to try to unlock out frozen door locks. Today, we can start the car from the warmth of our homes and have a nice warm car to get in before we know it! Power everything and heated, air conditioned seats that move in every direction and decked out in leather. Not when I was young. Not at least owned by anyone I knew!! Crank windows that also didn't move until the car interior was warm enough to thaw the ice. Vinyl seats that felt like you just dropped your pants and sat down on a large ice cube and sometimes would crap from the cold. 

Simply put, we have reinvented most everything that has ever been a PITA to us, but to say that what we had in the 60's was pathetic is just wrong. We did one hell of a lot more maintenance on those cars, but did not have the science then that we have today. In another 40-50 years people will be wondering how we ever dealt with those shitty cars from the early 2000's...

And some of these things like GPS and BACK UP CAMERAS are a damned good idea. I guess if you have never left your own back yard you would probably never need it, but for the 3-5 million Snow Birds and visitors to our area every year GPS is absolutely fantastic and is helping tremendously with traffic and traffic accidents around here in the winter season had dropped dramatically. The B U camera is something I want badly. For those of you who can spin your head around to see backing up you may think it is crazy. For a guy who cannot twist his back because it is basically welded tight, DAMN GOOD IDEA!! Not to mention that if I had one I would not be causing myself more harm with getting out 2,3,4,5 times trying to line up my trailer.

[Wicked72]

id love to get caught in the rain my in charger. cuz that would mean its done and id be driving it! 

[myk]

The wipers are satisfactory.  It's not as if they can be any bigger, or they wouldn't fit the windshield.  If you want a better blade then buy a better one and ditch the "correct" blades; I've got nice Bosch ones on my car and they work very well-forget the factory stuff.  I'll look into the Raix-X stuff as well.  Finally, I see all of this as a moot point; most of us don't drive our cars at all, let alone in the rain...

[HeavyFuel]

No response from heavy fuel ?

Ha...

Yeah, been busy.   Good dialogue from everyone else though.....  

All this talk about a 'mans' driving skills.   I can almost hear the chest thumping.  

Not everyone driving these cars had awesome driving skills.   My daughter sucks at driving.  I'm just thinking about how it would have been with her behind the wheel in a car like this.

[Steve P.]

My mother drove a 62' Dart w/push button automatic and power steering. That was it! She could put it in any parking space and we went on many trips in it.. No issues..

[crj1968]

 Finally, I see all of this as a moot point; most of us don't drive our cars at all, let alone in the rain...

Yeah no kidding.

[Dino]

 Finally, I see all of this as a moot point; most of us don't drive our cars at all, let alone in the rain...

Yeah no kidding.

It's not a moot point for me, I drive it in the rain all the time.

[Baldwinvette77]

I Remember having to stick my Head out the window while driving my olds home from school, the alternator died, so i turned the wipers off during the heaviest rain storm of the year of course, also revved the engine to like 4000rpm at every stop light, got 6 or so jump starts that day, felt awesome 

[ChargerD100]

could be 70 d100 wipers mine are ridiculous they are on a toggle switch that if I want to turn em off I have to flick my switch at the right exact moment for them to stay down other wise they pop back up in my line of sight 

[Ghoste]

Thats a problem with the parking cam in the wiper motor though, you can fix that.

[NHCharger]

Actually wouldn't mind having a back up cam in the Chargers. The mirrors leave a lot of guess work when backing up.

[Lord Warlock]

You can install a back up camera on the license tag, they have cameras that were designed for that location.  (I have one in my 2010 challenger spoiler)

[Aero426]

As mentioned, an application of Rain-X helps a LOT.     You almost don't need the wipers. 

[Highbanked Hauler]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today. 

      I grew up with them also and if they are maintained whats the problem.?  I did about 120 miles in the rain with mine a couple of weeks ago coming home from a mopar meet with the original wiper motor and it worked just fine but I will get a rebuilt for it at some point. With a good set of points  my 318 started at  0 degrees many a time. Peace man..

[HeavyFuel]

It'd be interesting to compare accident statistics from 1969 to today with the population increase taken into account.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year


The muscle car era was tough on folks.



Maybe it was the wipers...   

[Ghoste]

I would expect deaths to be higher with modern mandatory seatbelt use, more stringently enforced DUI laws and airbags.  I'd like to know overall accident statistics.
I don't think its anything to do with manly driving skills since musclecars only made up a very small part of the auto sales picture at that time.  Given the buying demographic of musclecars when new I would put a much greater blame on testosterone and driver inexperience than any misconception of the cars themselves as deathtraps.

[68 RT]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today. 

  Yup, totally agree. todays cars are designed for people that can't concentrate, can't park, can't back up, don't know how to pump the brakes when it's raining, etc....

[ACUDANUT]

I don't know about that statement. My F-350 is a bitch to park, and it does not drive itself.  I wish it did, I could sleep, eat, drink or watch a movie. 

[HeavyFuel]

I love my car as much as anyone.....just poking a little fun at one of it's characteristics.  

Sure driving a vehicle is easier today, but we all want it that way.   Many are defending the way our classics do that and that, but nobody in their right mind would choose the poor safety, maintenance headaches and lack of convenience of 60's cars over what is available today.

The upgrade threads on this site are endless.  If our cars were so awesome 'out of the box',  more people would do stock engine rebuilds, no electrical upgrades, no brake and handling upgrades, use 14" rims and bias tires.....and cover it all with single stage lacquer.        

My first car was a '67 Fury III wagon in the four seasons of North Dakota, so I know all about learning to drive the 'right' way.

Maybe pathetic and deathtrap were poor choice of words.  I friggin' adore my Charger, but I would rather be in ANY of my other 5 vehicles if faced with a challenging driving situation or accident.   Just a better chance of a safe outcome.

[ACUDANUT]

Shoot, My first car was a 72 Charger with one leg.  I had to have a couple buddy's sit on the trunk lid to give me some traction in the snow, just to get moving.  I always carried a shovel. Damn, I hate non posi cars.

[Ghoste]

but nobody in their right mind would choose the poor safety, maintenance headaches and lack of convenience of 60's cars over what is available today.

Then I'm not in my right mind because I sure as hell would.  I have a late model Nitro that I just spent 500 bucks to get a computer module replaced and threee days later the symptoms have returned.  I'm a hostage to the dealer.  I CANNOT fix it myself.  There is absolutely nothing on my Charger that I can't repair myself.  As for poor safety, again, I guess thats a matter of perception because I at no time ever feel unsafe in it.  And convenience, yes I admit it sucks to have to roll up my windows with a crank or lean over to push a lock button on the opposite door and ohmigod I have to turn my head to see whats behind me, but I can live with all of those inconveniences.
Sorry man, but I just do not agree with you on this one.

[b5blue]

Right with ya Ghoste.  My stock type rebuilt 440, stock six pack run fine and the car drives/rides real nice with stock rebuilt suspension. Just had the 727 rebuilt to stock specs, 145K T.C. and a stock valve body replacing the race stuff. Okay I did upgrade some with the Firecore RTR dizzy, the valve body got a standard kit (Not race.) that improves longevity by circulating fluid in park and preventing bleed down when shut down but my 70 has paid for itself many times over what is spent. Yea I'm going to add a disk swap, A/C and redo the carpet and seats but then I'm done. I spent more storing the car while I raised my 3 kids then on repairs but that's part of the quote, I'm repairing not "restoring" really. The car looks fair after my 1/2 assed body paint repairs and will get a redo in a few years if my patches hold up but it's a daily driver so more dents and dings are coming anyway hell my buddy's mechanic jabbed it in the butt with a golf cart. They were all worried sick....meh...battle damage I told them. (By the way, my 2 speed wipers work fine.  ) 
I just don't like any new cars and don't think any will last very long compared to these proven old B Bodys.   

[MaximRecoil]

I just don't like any new cars and don't think any will last very long compared to these proven old B Bodys.   

B-bodies don't last very long; their trunk floors and rear quarter panels were made of a special type of steel which would start to vanish before your very eyes, as soon as the car was paid off.

On the other hand, rusted out trunk floors on modern cars are rare as hen's teeth. I've hung out at my mechanic friend's garage a lot since I started working on my Charger in 2011, and he does a ton of rust repair on '90s and early '00s beaters, and I've yet to see a rusted out trunk floor on any of them. Most of the time it is rocker panels on cars (sometimes the wheel well area of the rear quarter panels too, but not often), and rocker panels, cab corners, and wheel wells on pickup trucks.

Ironically, the B-body rocker panels seem to hold up better than the rocker panels on modern cars and trucks.

The difference is: B-bodies are awesome, so people tend to save and fix them, then only drive them in the summer. Modern cars are mostly boring and ugly, and few people will likely ever care when they become crusher bait.

[c00nhunterjoe]

I've never noticed anything unusual about my '69 Charger windshield wipers. The blades have as much coverage as on any other car with the same size windshield. Wiper blades tend to be longer on newer cars, but that's only because their windshields are so sloped. That doesn't necessarily equate to more viewing area though, i.e., you can't see any more out of a relatively small vertical rectangle than you can out of a huge windshield that's highly sloped.

The only problem I have with my windshield wipers is that they chatter on the glass, rather than making smooth passes; there seems to be too much friction between the blades and the glass (they don't do it as much or at all in really heavy rain). New wiper blades didn't help.

Mine chatter as well. Linkage is all tight, brand new oem metal frame blades. I just wax the windshield and dont plan on driving in downpojrs. The wipers are functional for emergency rain situations.

[b5blue]

I just don't like any new cars and don't think any will last very long compared to these proven old B Bodys.   

B-bodies don't last very long; their trunk floors and rear quarter panels were made of a special type of steel which would start to vanish before your very eyes, as soon as the car was paid off.

On the other hand, rusted out trunk floors on modern cars are rare as hen's teeth. I've hung out at my mechanic friend's garage a lot since I started working on my Charger in 2011, and he does a ton of rust repair on '90s and early '00s beaters, and I've yet to see a rusted out trunk floor on any of them. Most of the time it is rocker panels on cars (sometimes the wheel well area of the rear quarter panels too, but not often), and rocker panels, cab corners, and wheel wells on pickup trucks.

Ironically, the B-body rocker panels seem to hold up better than the rocker panels on modern cars and trucks.

The difference is: B-bodies are awesome, so people tend to save and fix them, then only drive them in the summer. Modern cars are mostly boring and ugly, and few people will likely ever care when they become crusher bait.

My thinking was more along the lines of all the inter wired components and connections, plastic interiors and general complexity. Metal can be mended and maintained but for long term I can't see the new cars having a prayer in even 20 years of service, it would cost too much. My 89 Cherokee is on the edge of that pre OBD tech era, it can be trouble shot with a volt/ohm meter until you get to it's tiny ROM computer. I'm not a hater of new cars, just crazy enough to like my Charger for a daily driver.

[MaximRecoil]

I've never noticed anything unusual about my '69 Charger windshield wipers. The blades have as much coverage as on any other car with the same size windshield. Wiper blades tend to be longer on newer cars, but that's only because their windshields are so sloped. That doesn't necessarily equate to more viewing area though, i.e., you can't see any more out of a relatively small vertical rectangle than you can out of a huge windshield that's highly sloped.

The only problem I have with my windshield wipers is that they chatter on the glass, rather than making smooth passes; there seems to be too much friction between the blades and the glass (they don't do it as much or at all in really heavy rain). New wiper blades didn't help.

Mine chatter as well. Linkage is all tight, brand new oem metal frame blades. I just wax the windshield and dont plan on driving in downpojrs. The wipers are functional for emergency rain situations.

Today I noticed that my wiper motor wasn't grounded very well. The original thin ground strap that runs from one of the mounting bolts to the wiper motor housing under the ceramic resistor was almost torn in two. I supplemented the ground path with 10 gauge wire, and now my wipers don't chatter anymore. The motor wasn't getting enough juice before to push the blades smoothly across the windshield, because of the bad ground.

[Ghoste]

I'm curious as to what the special type of steel was that was used in B-body trunk floors and 1/4s?

[MaximRecoil]

I'm curious as to what the special type of steel was that was used in B-body trunk floors and 1/4s?

The rapidly disappearing kind, i.e., the kind that rust beetles find especially appetizing.

[fy469rtse]

Rebuilt wiper motor and links , good blades , and Rainex to glass , no complaints here , usually old original poor headlights accompany this complaint,

[odcics2]

Maybe it's just because I grew up with them and learned to drive in them but whenever I hear these "deathtrap" comments I always think that people now have really become spoiled with cars that do everything for them today. 

100% agree, brother!!    Kids these days!   

It was FUN driving them in a foot of snow, too!!   Kinda like dirt tracking... 

[Ghoste]

Yeah, we used to go out in the mall parking lots and practice trying to recover from slips and slides in the snow.

[Daytona R/T SE]

Yeah, we used to go out in the mall parking lots and practice trying to recover from slips and slides in the snow.

I still do that all the time in my trucks.

Drives the Ol' Lady nuts.

Only thing is now...

I have to remember to turn off the damned traction control.