68 Caddy Wipers

A simple question. I purchased wiper blades for my 68 Cadillac commercial chassis based on the book at auto parts and something is wrong as they tangle up in the middle. What is the correct size? Are the left and right different? Thanks in advance for the advice.
 
I always stick with the OEM blades. If I have a car that has had the blades replaced with modern blades, those go directly into the trash. I then find original blades in a salvage yard and get NOS refills to slide into those blades. If you watch eBay, flea markets, etc., you can always come up with NOS refills. All '68 Cadillacs used an 18" blade.

Anco's blade number (in my April '77 catalog) was #828. Their refill number was #618 for Anco and #6018 for Trico.
 
Last edited:
Trico sell a replacement silver metal arm blade with the rubber in a almost exact replica in looks and function.

They are the classic series. Amazing and not to much money. Perfect easy solution.

Darren
 
Yes. The classic series replacement is dead-on in appearance, other than it's finish. I believe the current classic series is a silver painted blade where the originals were just stainless steel. Otherwise looks to be identical. A couple of years ago, I dug through the classic series blades at NAPA and found some to be stainless and others painted silver. The stainless were probably old stock and doubtful if you could find any of the stainless finish there any more today.
 
had a pair of SS in my hand last week while looking for 13 inch for the 58. they don't offer then in a 13 inch though.

as for the 68 it sounds like a over lap problem. assuming you replaced the blades with the same size replacement blade. the passengers side should be the lowest one of the set. if you have removed the arms just repossession the right wiper arm a notch or two lower on the shaft.

if you did not then swap the blades end for end. the replacement blades and there adapters will at time position the blade a little two forward.

but I regress. 68 should be hideaway wipes and they should work parallel with each other. 67 would be the wax on, wax off grasshopper style.

so if you can show a pictures of the tangle and we can see. if the car is a 68 then there has to be a arm underneath that is loose. for them to come into contact with each other
 
1968 is the stainless steel blade, with the dull finish, since starting with 1967, the government was mandating that finishes through the windshield that could cause glare, be removed.
If the wiper arms are side specific on many of the cars, however, without checking the parts manuals, I can't say what they are on the 1968 Cadillac. There are also very specific instructions on how to mount the wiper arms on the wiper transmission shafts, so they don't "tangle". If those instructions aren't followed exactly, the wiper arms might travel too far to the outside, or might not park properly. Another issue might be that the bronze bushing on the transmission shafts might be either loose or worn, causing problems. Lastly, the wiper motor assembly might have loose or worn parts internally, that can cause similar problems. Everything in the wiper system must work in harmony, if they are to work the way that they did when the car was new. It will be up to you to determine exactly where the problem exists, and this will be a relatively easy task, if you have an original 1968 Cadillac service manual.
Without the manual, you can check for looseness by shutting off the ignition when the wipers arms are at the 12 o'clock position, and lifting the wiper off the windshield and trying to move it to the right and left, and observe the opposite wiper to see if it moves also. If it doesn't, that would be an indication that further investigation into the linkage will be necessary to determine if there are worn parts. If you are unable to move it at all, that would indicate that everything is tight on that side. Then do the same thing on the other side, and compare the results. If they are the same, there is a good chance that the transmission linkages are not worn.
 
Most of the time you can buy a set of refills and rather than use the the new blade ,just take the rubber out of the the new blade and install it on the old blade. If they are to long just cut the rubber down in length .
 
1968 is the stainless steel blade, with the dull finish, since starting with 1967, the government was mandating that finishes through the windshield that could cause glare, be removed.

If the wiper arms are side specific on many of the cars, however, without checking the parts manuals, I can't say what they are on the 1968 Cadillac. There are also very specific instructions on how to mount the wiper arms on the wiper transmission shafts, so they don't "tangle". If those instructions aren't followed exactly, the wiper arms might travel too far to the outside, or might not park properly. Another issue might be that the bronze bushing on the transmission shafts might be either loose or worn, causing problems. Lastly, the wiper motor assembly might have loose or worn parts internally, that can cause similar problems. Everything in the wiper system must work in harmony, if they are to work the way that they did when the car was new. It will be up to you to determine exactly where the problem exists, and this will be a relatively easy task, if you have an original 1968 Cadillac service manual.

Without the manual, you can check for looseness by shutting off the ignition when the wipers arms are at the 12 o'clock position, and lifting the wiper off the windshield and trying to move it to the right and left, and observe the opposite wiper to see if it moves also. If it doesn't, that would be an indication that further investigation into the linkage will be necessary to determine if there are worn parts. If you are unable to move it at all, that would indicate that everything is tight on that side. Then do the same thing on the other side, and compare the results. If they are the same, there is a good chance that the transmission linkages are not worn.
 
just checked my pictures and the 68 is parallel. the 67 is the last year for the side to side. funny I can still remember the GM advertising showing the car brush snow off the glass as compared to the older ones.

if your flippers are hanging up on the surround trim try the turn them 180 trick.
 
Back
Top