wiper blade removal

[jrmunn]

This may not be the right category, but I already feel like an idiot for having to ask about this, so I am not worrying about placement. How do I remove the wiper blade from the wiper arm on my 1964 K1500 GMC pickup? I have removed the wiper arm from the truck, but still can't figure out how to get the arm and blade apart. They are both expensive, so I don't want to ruin my originals. It looks like I need something that will slip over the end of the arm, but can't find a tool that will go into the small slot on the blade frame.

I can't even remember the last time I changed the blade, but I think I ended up pulling the rubber part out of another wiper and making it fit into the existing blade frame. This time I want to figure out how it's really supposed to be done.

JRMunn

[FetchMeAPepsi]

It seems like on mine I just flipped the blade upside down and pushed downward on it (along the arm). It just has a little turn at the end of the wiper that holds the arm on. Someone else will pop in if I'm wrong on that.

I'll check this afternoon for you too to make sure. Boy I miss working on Cecilia

[jrmunn]

Fetch,

Thank you for the reply. My GMC's wiper arm will move back and forth about 1/16 inch, but can't turn because it fits through a rectangular slot. It is either different, or more securely held, than the modern wipers that I am used to changing.

JRMunn

[FetchMeAPepsi]

I was wrong, my van is hooks, the truck is a push button!


There's two steps. First, under the wiper arm push down (toward the windshield) on the tab shown here.

Second, wiggle it off the end. It's only held on with a little bump. And that's it!

[jrmunn]

Fetch,

Thank you for the follow-up and picture. As a long-suffering 6066 GMC truck owner, I am guessing that you will enjoy the trials of others when it comes to working on these vehicles. I wish my wiper was put together like yours. I thought this should be easy, but on my 64 truck it isn't. My wiper arm inserts into a thin metal holder that wraps around the arm and has a hole on one side for the "button" on the wiper arm and hooks on the other side to keep it from coming out of the blade frame. After putting on my glasses and using a magnifying glass, I figured out how it works. Just lift the part with the hooks and the arm should come out. But it didn't because the frame around it was too tight. I finally loosened this by bending some small retainers, and was able to work the arm free. So the arm was out, but my troubles weren't over.

The arm slipped right into the NAPA blade frame that is supposed to fit this pickup, and its plastic clip snaps right over the button on the end of the arm. But my wiper arm is not as wide as the slot it goes into, so the blade frame is loose and "sloppy". An ANCO frame has a different connector with the same problem. So I gave up and inserted new "universal" blades into the old frame. I am thinking that this is probably what was supposed to be done in the old days, before manufacturers figured out that they could sell whole frames and buyers were too lazy to insert blades.

Then I go to put the old frame back on the old arm, and the thin metal retainer breaks where it bends around the arm - probably from fatigue after being pulled on, pushed on, and bent back and forth while trying to get the arm out. So I pushed the arm back in with the retainer half that has the button hole, tighten it down with pliers, and hope for the best. Since it wouldn't come out to start with, this should be good enough.

Finally, I do the second wiper, put the arms back on, and turn the switch on to test them. They work, but only at one speed. I think this used to be a two-speed switch, but I also remember putting this switch back together after it fell apart when I bumped it while working on the adjacent choke handle. So now I need to pull the switch to be sure it won't quit on me in a rainstorm. After that, I hope to work on putting relays in for brighter headlights, and a buzzer so I stop running the battery down by leaving the lights on, followed by door and side window moldings and seals. And then continue with the countless other projects it takes to keep this old truck going.

JRMunn

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Originally Posted by jrmunn

Fetch,

Thank you for the follow-up and picture. As a long-suffering 6066 GMC truck owner, I am guessing that you will enjoy the trials of others when it comes to working on these vehicles. I wish my wiper was put together like yours. I thought this should be easy, but on my 64 truck it isn't. My wiper arm inserts into a thin metal holder that wraps around the arm and has a hole on one side for the "button" on the wiper arm and hooks on the other side to keep it from coming out of the blade frame. After putting on my glasses and using a magnifying glass, I figured out how it works. Just lift the part with the hooks and the arm should come out. But it didn't because the frame around it was too tight. I finally loosened this by bending some small retainers, and was able to work the arm free. So the arm was out, but my troubles weren't over.

The arm slipped right into the NAPA blade frame that is supposed to fit this pickup, and its plastic clip snaps right over the button on the end of the arm. But my wiper arm is not as wide as the slot it goes into, so the blade frame is loose and "sloppy". An ANCO frame has a different connector with the same problem. So I gave up and inserted new "universal" blades into the old frame. I am thinking that this is probably what was supposed to be done in the old days, before manufacturers figured out that they could sell whole frames and buyers were too lazy to insert blades.

Then I go to put the old frame back on the old arm, and the thin metal retainer breaks where it bends around the arm - probably from fatigue after being pulled on, pushed on, and bent back and forth while trying to get the arm out. So I pushed the arm back in with the retainer half that has the button hole, tighten it down with pliers, and hope for the best. Since it wouldn't come out to start with, this should be good enough.

Finally, I do the second wiper, put the arms back on, and turn the switch on to test them. They work, but only at one speed. I think this used to be a two-speed switch, but I also remember putting this switch back together after it fell apart when I bumped it while working on the adjacent choke handle. So now I need to pull the switch to be sure it won't quit on me in a rainstorm. After that, I hope to work on putting relays in for brighter headlights, and a buzzer so I stop running the battery down by leaving the lights on, followed by door and side window moldings and seals. And then continue with the countless other projects it takes to keep this old truck going.

JRMunn

Glad you got it figured out. Mine's kinda sloppy too in there too!