Windshield Wiper Motor

[73ThingNorCal]

Has anyone used a wiper motor which is not specifically designed for the Thing? I don't want to be stuck without one in the rain again, but I also would hate to throw down $250+ for a rebuilt motor.

Heres a motor I found that looks similar to the Thing's motor.. new for $80..
http://www.wolfsmarine.com/ww/product.asp?dept_id=743&pf_id=W7%2FM32002

Any ideas?
_________________
1973 Volkswagen Thing.
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Rebuilt 1600 dual-port with new AS41 case.

Running project.

[bucko]

Send K-mann a pmail. He was rebuilding some used wiper motors for Things. He may have some for sale by now.

[Thingster]

If you're good at taking stuff apart and being able to just see interchange, get a wiper motor for a 1967 beetle. the motor unit is the same, but you have to graft the thing gear box onto it -which is pretty straight forward but does take analytical ability. YMMV.

Justin
_________________
"I like to take my Thing out and play with it."
1974 Thing (Play Toy)
1957 Sedan(Show Car)
1954 Sedan (On the back burner)

[kubelmann]

Although it is true in 67 and 68 (SOME) parts on the Bug and other wiper motor are the same or at least useable for a Thing wiper motor do over. It takes some work and experiences to make it all work. I recently overhauled a very challenging Thing wiper moter that had been previously cloned with (wrong) 67 bug parts. Thank the VW gods that I had enough extra parts ( after buying two salvage wiper motors) to get my Brother across the ocean his motor back and working. It ain't as simple as you think sometimes.... making right an earlier bastard rebuild can be a severe challenge.... and the journey continues...

[Al Capulco]

If your old one can be rebuilt, I can do it for you. I have done many of them and they can be difficult. I also have new and rebuilt ones.

[ztnoo]

Al Capulco,

It's great to hear you are offering your services for the repair of Thing wiper motors.
I think there is ample opportunity for you repairing and reselling these finicky beasts.
Basso (Things Unlimited) dabbled in this work, but has become far too unreliable to count on for a timely repair.
He's had a wiper motor from one guy in NC on the Topica list for over a year, and that individual still doesn't have the motor back and can't get Basso to communicate with him about it. In this case, the customer has essentially been robbed of his core part.

I've reviewed your WTB ad for wiper motors (http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=241037), but unfortunately you mention nothing about repair costs for an individual's motor, or the outright cost of a motor you have reconditioned.
I would suggest, if you are serious about promoting your repair service, run a Samba ad with a service charge schedule which should include estimated turn around times for prospective customers.
I encourage you to pursue marketing this acquired skill more aggressively.
You might be pleasantly surprised at the response you would receive.

Regards,
ztnoo

[bmwloco]

Evil wiper motor. It's the primary reason I sold my first, pristine, '74 Thing back in 1987.

I was driving to the Hartford, CT to fly to Seattle. It was raining hard, driving through Vermont, and I was putting up with the slow, painfully slow, wiper do it's thing.

Then the motor fell off it's mount and landed in my lap. Great. I big grease stain resulted.

That was it. When I got home, I sold the Thing, with a perfect hard top, a great heater, and zero rust - for $1000.

Talk about hindsight being 20-20... stupid move. You have to understand, though, 1987 was pre-internet. If you owned and drove a Thing, it was like living on an island.

I used the proceeds of the Thing to buy a Subaru Justy 4x4 that I put 280,000 miles on. I sold it to a young woman who drove it to California.

Now I have another Thing, a '73. It looks much like my first Thing, save for no top.

The wiper motor is there, but it's weak, at best. The wiper blades are wrong. I put Rainx on the windshield. It only comes out on pretty days.

[kubelmann]

FYI Al Capulco is a good friend and a very skilled person with the Thing wiper motor. He has helped me greatly in my quest for the knowlede and skills to repair and overhaul the Thing wiper motor. You will never regret dealing with him. He is a great person. Although I also now am able to rebuild and overhaul Thing wiper motors, he has superior skills and knowledge to me in this area. He and I are not in competition or any other silly such thing. We both just like Things and get pleasure from makng stuff work. I am his friend first and a Thing wiper motor repairman second ~~ now and always

[ztnoo]

In case anyone missed this, here's another informative Samba thread offering more wiper motor info.
NEEDED: Wiper Motor
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1339413&highlight=#1339413