Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

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Jon Bunin
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#31 Post by Jon Bunin »

Edwin Ek wrote:To get the correct blades, is it enough to look for the brand SWF, length of 260 mm, and the correct attachment method? Or are there other characteristics?
Edwin, there are no ID numbers or codes on the metal blades that I'm aware of, so you'll just have to go by the measurement and appearance.
Show us anything you find that's 260 mm and close in appearance.

You just said that you purchased some "NOS correct wiper arms" a few years ago... can you show us what you bought?
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Brad Ripley
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#32 Post by Brad Ripley »

In all the looking around for originals, be aware the SWF arms are a different with than Bosch arms. Obviously, blades have to be the same brand so they hook only properly.

Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#33 Post by Edwin Ek »

20180418_100543.jpg
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Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#34 Post by Edwin Ek »

The black-painted arm and blade came on my car. It only had one unit, installed on the driver's side. But I think it is a passenger's side arm based on the bend of the hook. The black paint obscures the L or R stamp.
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Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#35 Post by Edwin Ek »

20180419_135758.jpg
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Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#36 Post by Edwin Ek »

20180419_135805.jpg
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Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#37 Post by Edwin Ek »

20180419_135840.jpg
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Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#38 Post by Edwin Ek »

Sorry for the plastic bags degrading the images. I can't bring myself yet to open these bags sealed for decades.

I hope they are correct. I bought these when I knew next to nothing about the details. Thanks to this thread, I have learned a lot. It is always dangerous to put your faith in an unknown seller.
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Jon Bunin
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#39 Post by Jon Bunin »

Edwin Ek wrote:I bought these when I knew next to nothing about the details. Thanks to Jon, I have learned a lot.
You're welcome ;-)
The pieces in your photos look like the pieces in my photos.
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Brad Ripley
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#40 Post by Brad Ripley »

Back to my previous post about dimensions of arms/blades currently made ---
We continue to use original Porsche numbers starting with "644" BUT all are re-creations/replacements and not to be taken as original Porsche parts.

Plus, a re-measurement of arm 644-628-301-10 is 267 mm (not 275 mm as I originally posted). Plus, both arms are 6 mm wide (SWF width) and our blades are made to be compatible.

Comment -- this whole wiper/arm discussion is only the latest. It started 'way back in the '60s -- take a look at old Panoramas, or in the first Up-Fixin book for several discussions.

Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#41 Post by Edwin Ek »

Jon Bunin wrote:Edwin, here are examples of original T5 Roadster wipers, which the T6B parts supplement indicates were the same for T6 Roadsters.
The blades are 260 mm long, as it says on the box label. The box is stamped with the Porsche part number.
The SWF arms are marked L and R accordingly, under the shepherd's crook. There were also RHD wiper arms for Roadsters, so four different versions.
I wonder if the plot thickens. I went to my mechanic's shop today to look for blades. He has a collection of a hundred or so from six decades of working on early Porsches. As we were looking very closely at them, he pointed out that the correct blades have a little plastic collar around the short axle that the shepherd arm hooks onto. In other words, in Jon's first pictures, I think if you try to install the pictured blades on the pictured arms, the crook of the shepherd arm will not firmly grasp the axle- there will be slop.

Here are two pictures of my one (correct?) arm showing the (somewhat cracked) collar.

I do see that Jon's beautiful original box is stamped with the correct part number, but maybe the contents got switched or somehow the collars fell off or were removed.
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Last edited by Edwin Ek on Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:53 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Edwin Ek
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#42 Post by Edwin Ek »

20180420_195939.jpg
You can sort of see the crack from this angle.
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Jon Bunin
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#43 Post by Jon Bunin »

Edwin,

Yes, there should be small plastic bushings on the blade pins, but most have now cracked or crumbled with age. Even if you find blades with these still intact, I wouldn't trust them to remain that way if used.
If you plan to use these, you should somehow install new bushings, or develop an alternative way to secure the blades to the arms.
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Jon Bunin
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#44 Post by Jon Bunin »

Jon Bunin wrote:Yes, there should be small plastic bushings on the blade pins, but most have now cracked or crumbled with age.
The bushing material looks similar to that used in some Porsche shift linkage bushings.
I had an unused ring bushing in a box for maybe 20 years, and it had turned somewhat crusty looking. When I attempted to flex it a bit, it crumbled apart in my hands.
The remains of the wiper blade bushing have a similar appearance.
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Steve Kram
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Re: Specs for Roadster Windshield Wipers

#45 Post by Steve Kram »

So is the consensus Brett Johnsons book (pg 57 ), that the T5 Roadsters had the SWF 2400 arms and blades fitted with screws on top, wrong?

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