How to extend Lucas (mini) windscreen pipe
James - 23/6/12 at 09:02 PM
Greetings all!
I bought a 2nd hand Lucas mini wiper system some years ago and stashed it away untested.
Connected it up to the Premier Loom last night and it worked perfectly 1st time which was a very pleasant miracle! 
The previous owner has modified it it by cutting down the mechanism between the wipers to fit a standard car.
However! I own a +4" scuttle so I could do with extending the tubes again.
Realise they need replacing rather than extending but no idea where to get the tube from or how to go about it.
Any clues please?
Cheers,
James
owelly - 23/6/12 at 09:25 PM
If you have the end bit of tube, the bit furthest away from the motor, you may be able to use it as an extension as you dont really need it. The
floppy end of the drive rod can be supported with any old tube. Failing that, I may have some spare tubes.
BenB - 23/6/12 at 09:32 PM
Allegedly 8mm microbore copper tube works. I haven't tried this and you'ld need to measure the ID to check. It's not as hard as proper
bundy tube but it's easier to cut / bend / flange and it won't wear out considering how rarely most kits get used.
I didn't bother flanging the ends on mine and it's worked fine so far, just use a drill to countersink (if that's the right word) the
inside of the tube so the flexi bit didn't catch.
David Jenkins - 23/6/12 at 09:42 PM
You could cut the tube in the middle, find a bit of steel tube that's a snug fit on the outside of the tube, and use the outer tube to hold the 2
pieces of the old tube apart. If the outer tube is a snug but easy fit then Loctite would hold it very securely.
Alternatively, I believe that SVC will make tubes up to a specified length (for a price).
Either way, you end up with the correct flares on the ends of the tube so that they fit nicely into the mechanisms.
snapper - 24/6/12 at 12:53 AM
Micro bore 8 or 10mm
I used this flared the ends with a brake pipe flare kit and greased the drive spring with moly grease
Worked a treat
James - 24/6/12 at 01:35 AM
All good suggestions, thankyou! 
Spent the evening stripping the thing down and cleaning it all. Looks pretty good now I've scraped hardened, encrusted oil/muck off it. Damn!
carb cleaner is good for that sort of thing!
I have 275mm between the two arms. How does this compare with yours? I held the motor in place against the screen and it looks too short. I guess I
need another 100mm or so to compensate for my +4" scuttle.
The drive rack extends about 2.5" from the end of the 2nd arm so I guess I've got that to play with. After that I guess I need a new drive
rack?
Thanks!
Cheers,
James
stevegough - 24/6/12 at 07:12 AM
Car builder solutions. Superb service (as a lot of us are already aware).
inner
outer
HTH?
rusty nuts - 24/6/12 at 09:16 AM
For the piece between the wheel boxes it really needs to be flared at each end or it will come out when you least want it to. Check out your local
hydraulic hose specialists, they should be able to make one up while you wait or at least one in Cambridge will as well as brake hoses oil cooler
pipes etc. The one from CBS is fine for between the motor and the first wheel box but still really needs to be flared
bob - 24/6/12 at 09:40 AM
James, i'll have a look in the garage later as i'm pretty sure i have some bits and pieces left from the two wiper mini set ups i
savaged.
Also remember to flip the wheel boxes for right hand sweep.
stevegough - 24/6/12 at 10:07 AM
quote:
Originally posted by James
All good suggestions, thankyou!
Spent the evening stripping the thing down and cleaning it all. Looks pretty good now I've scraped hardened, encrusted oil/muck off it. Damn!
carb cleaner is good for that sort of thing!
I have 275mm between the two arms. How does this compare with yours? I held the motor in place against the screen and it looks too short. I guess I
need another 100mm or so to compensate for my +4" scuttle.
The drive rack extends about 2.5" from the end of the 2nd arm so I guess I've got that to play with. After that I guess I need a new drive
rack?
Thanks!
Cheers,
James
Just measured mine.... 3+1/2 "....but its cold.....NO! sorry - its 275mm between wheelbox centres - same as yours, but my chassis is a narrow one
(42"
.
One big problem I had was the angle the wipers ended up making with the windscreen - it was too sharp and would have stopped them working. I went to
CBS for a car builder solution..., and bought their longer wheelboxes ....
not cheap,but
The resultant angle was still much better, and it works reasonably well.
Description
James - 24/6/12 at 10:24 AM
quote:
Originally posted by stevegough
Car builder solutions. Superb service (as a lot of us are already aware).
inner
outer
HTH?
Ooh. ok. That price for the rack doesn't seem too bad atleast.
When I was still going to the shows CBS always seemed so expensive so I hadn't even thought to check them.
Cheers,
J
James - 24/6/12 at 10:33 AM
quote:
Originally posted by bob
James, i'll have a look in the garage later as i'm pretty sure i have some bits and pieces left from the two wiper mini set ups i
savaged.
Also remember to flip the wheel boxes for right hand sweep.
Thanks mate!
Let me know what you have!
Cheers,
James
