Upgrading 1964 Imperial wiper blades

[64Imperial]

Hey I'm looking into upgrading the wipers on my Imperial. Currently I have the original arms and blades and very few refills. Has anyone had any luck finding an alternative?

They are so bad in the rain and I worry about taking it out on a long trip without upgrading them.

I'm currently thinking about finding an additional pair of arms that fit my car and bolting on J hooks to fit newer style wiper blades. I have the bolt on type and that's been very difficult to find.

Any suggestions? Thank you in advance!

 

[CBODY67]

What you need are wiper blade INSERTS, not new wiper blade assemblies. Yet they need to be of the particular type to fit the blades on the car, which are unique to Chrysler products of that period due to their Aerofoil design to keep the blades on the glass at highway (and higher) speeds, FWIW.

On the other hand, look at www.rockauto.com and see if you might find something there which would attach to your existing wiper arms.

Also ensure that your tires have enough tread depth to safely drive on the highways in wet weather.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[bronze turbine]

If you have the original wiper blades made of stainless steel don't replace them with new blades, try to find the correct inserts. There is NOS out there. In my experience, they even work better than the new replacements. It might take some detective work. I mistakenly got some that were not correct, but was able to make them fit with a Dremel tool.

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Not sure if Imperial uses 16" or 18", but they are both being reproduced now.

17528D - 16

Reproduction of the windshield wiper blade inserts for various models equipped with 16 wiper blades. Each blade insert is manufactured for perfect fit, function and appearance when used with the proper blade assembly.

www.oerparts.com

F309 - Trico-Style Wiper Blade Insert; 18

OER® reproduction of the original Trico-style 43-180 windshield wiper blade refill set for a wide variety of vehicle applications. Each blade insert is manufactured for perfect fit, function and period-correct appearance.

www.oerparts.com

For only $13, I would give the repops a try before spending time trying to modify the wipers. If they don't work well or don't hold up, then I would look into modifications.

Jeff


Jeff

 

[Big_John]

Rain-X is your friend

 

[Corbin]

Second Rain-X or similar. Even with functional wipers. AS long as the arms are functional (intact springs, heads, etc) remove one arm and take it to your local quality parts house (one where the counterman still knows how to use the paper books), and ask for a refill
that fits. If you cannot find the appropriate length, a longer one can be cut down fit. I have done that for the past 20 years with a sweptline truck. All of that being said, I'm fairly certain I was able to obtain the correct refills for my '64 Crown.