DIY Single Wiper Conversion by Jezz Schofield

There are a number of single wiper kits available for the Nova such as those from www.singlewiper.com. Although these are excellent kits in that they are brand new and include all the bits and pieces for perfect results, I decided to try and make one myself. This probably cost no more than £20, and is easy to do.

Removing Original Mechanism and Wipers
  1. First, you need to remove the old wipers and the mechanism that operates them. Remove the plastic covers from the end of each wiper arm, and undo the nut holding them on. You may need to waggle the arm from side to side a bit to loosen it.
  2. With both wipers off, open the bonnet and locate the wiper motor (mounted on the right hand side of the bulkhead). On the other side of the bulkhead, you can see where the linkage and the short rotor arm are fixed to the motor spindle. Undo the nut and keep it safe, along with the washer, as these will be needed later. Remove the rotor arm from the motor spindle. I found that I needed to lever it off with a long screwdriver.
  3. Back on the scuttle panel now, remove the large black plastic nuts that hold the two wiper arm spindles in place. You will probably need a large adjustable spanner for these, unless you have a 32mm socket long enough. Be very careful doing this as it is very easy to slip and scratch the paint! The whole mechanism is now free and should drop down into the space behind the bulkhead.
  4. Remove the mechanism from the engine bay. I found the best way is to take it out from the right hand side (standing in front of the car). This can be tricky, so try turning it or bending it at the pivots, and it should come out. The wiper motor does not need to be removed.

Modifying the Mechanism

  1. The linkage for the drivers’ side wiper can now be removed. Simply pop the joint apart with a flat screwdriver. The gold coloured ‘T’ shaped piece now needs to be shortened by about 10mm by cutting and welding. By shortening this piece, the sweep of the wiper is increased and therefore provides enough coverage to be able to use just one wiper. A local garage or bodyshop should be able to do the cutting and welding for a couple of quid.

Refitting Mechanism, Wiper and Set Up

  1. Now the modified mechanism can be refitted. This is easier than removal, because there is now only half of it left. Poke the wiper arm spindle through the middle hole in the scuttle panel, and secure it with the large black plastic nut. Remember to be careful not to scratch the paint. The rotor arm can now be fitted back on to the motor spindle.
  2. The next step is to fit the wiper arm and blade, but the old ones are no use because they are not straight. I have found the ideal wiper arm is the rear wiper for a Peugeot 306 hatchback. There are two types, the one fitted to the early models is too short, so you need the type fitted to the facelifted models. For some reason this one is longer, and is the same length as a standard Nova front wiper arm (and therefore the right size for the Nova windscreen). Better still, it fits the Nova spindle, is a nice smooth design and costs only £12! The part number is 6429Q5. For the blade, I found that re-using one of the original 16" Nova blades was no good, so I fitted an 18" blade from a Fiat Uno. It should also be possible to fit a 19" blade.
  3. All that remains to be done is to set up the wiper. With the spindle tightened up on the scuttle panel, push the linkage as far to the left as it will go. Tighten the rotor arm on to the motor spindle. Now mount the wiper on the spindle so that it rests about 30 degrees up from the bottom of the windscreen on the passenger side. Test the wiper and see how far over to the drivers’ side it goes. If it doesn’t go far enough, loosen the wiper and set it a little higher on the passenger side. Experiment with this until you are happy with the coverage on each side. I have mine so that it comes down a bit lower on the drivers’ side for better visibility.
  4. I keep my wiper parked at the end of its travel on the passenger side, but here’s how to set it up so that it parks vertically, touring car style. With the wiper tightened securely and the ignition off, having set the side to side coverage as above, remove the rotor arm from the motor spindle. Manually move the wiper to the centre of the screen. Tighten the rotor arm back on to the motor spindle, and test. The wiper should go to the left, over to the right and back to the middle. Job good!
  5. It is possible that with more travel on the mechanism, it may knock the bulkhead or the scuttle panel grilles slightly. If so, use a length of metal bar to tap the bulkhead back, or cut a corner out of the drivers side scuttle panel mesh grille.
©Copyright Jonathan Frascella, 1996-2000 All Rights Reserved