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| This article demonstrates a really cool way to hide wires in the open. I used this technique to hide the wires going to an electric windshield wiper on my 1932 roadster. |
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This article demonstrates a really cool way to hide wires in the open. I used this technique to hide the wires going to an electric windshield wiper on my 1932 roadster.
One of the requirements to pass the NSRA safety inspection is that you must have an electric windshield wiper. Mounting the wiper motor isn’t a big problem but what do you do with those ugly wires? Taping them to the windshield frame is just plain ugly, and nobody wants to drill a bunch of holes in a chrome frame for mounting clips.
My answer was to run them thru a piece of polished stainless steel tubing that I bent to match the shape of the windshield frame. By bringing the wires out of the body thru a hole near the windshield frame and inserting the tubing into this hole, the tubing is held secure in the body. The other end of the tubing should end as close as possible to the wiper motor so when the wires are connected to the tubing, it is held securely in place. Then there is no need for fasteners or tape and the whole thing blends with the windshield frame. It looks like it belongs there and the best thing is that it is cheap and easy to do.
1. These are all the components required to do this job, a piece of appropriate size break line and stainless tubing, wires and ring terminals, a plastic bushing, and a wiper motor and blade.
2. First determine where you want the wires to exit the body and drill a hole for the press fit plastic insert.
3. Install the insert and make sure it fits securely.
4. Next I sanded the piece of stainless steel with various grits of sandpaper and emery cloth working from course to fine until I had a smooth satin finish. Then I polished it with my buffer. If you don’t have a buffer you put a small buffing wheel in a drill press or put one in an electric drill and chuck it up in a vice on a work bunch. It will work. That’s how I did it until I got my buffer, it just takes a little longer.
5. This shows the difference between the raw stainless tubing at the bottom and the polished pieces on top.
6. As you can see, after you cut the tubing there is a sharp burr left on the inside of the tubing. It is very important that this burr be removed because it will cut thru the insulation on the wires and cause a direct short.
7. I used a countersink in my drill press to remove this burr. I have also done this with the tang of a file. Just insert it in the tubing and turn it, it works.
8. Here you can see the smooth clean surface left by the countersink.
9. Next I used the break line to make a mock-up of the finished tubing shape. By making a mock-up any mistakes can be corrected easily.
10. Once you are satisfied with the fit of the mock-up place it back in the bending tool and mark all of your bends with a marker.
11. Now line up one end of the stainless tubing with the end of the mock-up and transfer the first bend mark to the stainless. Then make your first bend in the stainless tubing and check it for fit next to the mock-up. It should be identical. Now repeat this process until you have completed all the bends. A little trick here is to install the wires prior to making the bends. It’s not too bad if you only have one or two bends to contend with but if you have to push them through a lot of bends it can be a nightmare.
12. Here you can see the mock-up on the inside of the finished stainless piece.
13. Now that the wires are installed in the tube and it is bent to the correct shape, install one end into the plastic insert in the body and line up the other end with the wiper motor.
14. Next connect the wires to the motor. Here you can see why it was important to remove the sharp burr from the inside of the tubing. You need to make the gap between the tubing and motor as small as possible to maintain a clean appearance. With this tight of a bend in the wires the burr would cut right through the insulation. With the end of the tubing being this close to the wiper motor there is no slack to allow the tubing to bounce around so you don’t need any fasteners to hold it in place.
15. I used a connector on the opposite end of the wires to connect to the main wire harness.
16. Here is the finished installation. You can see how clean it is and it just seams to blend in with the lines of the windshield frame.
If you have an open car and want to pass the NSRA safety inspection this idea will work great and it won’t break the bank. You can even use the mock-up and paint it to match the color of the car. This technique can be used to hide wires just about anywhere such as along an intake manifold or valve covers.
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