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.

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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.