Just finished replacing my wiper stem seals and gaskets and when I went to put the D/S wiper arm back on the threads stripped out. It's a '63 so it has the stupid screw on wiper arms instead of the traditional clip ons.

And it's the stem/stud that stripped out, not the wiper side.

Any ideas other then replacing the stem?

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No one's dealt with this eh? Just my luck, having an early A is a challenge sometimes.

Well, after thinking about it I've come up with a couple of possibilities, one is putting a piece of solid copper wire along side the stem so the nut will have something to bite onto yet it would be malleable enough to conform to its duty. The other idea is taking the cap nut off the wiper arm thereby giving me access to the end of the stem with the damaged threads and putting a jam nut on it.

Obviously I want to avoid using any kind of welder repair as it would burn the new water seal I just installed.

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You will need to remove the stems and chase the threads.
http://www.hydrameconline.com/thread_repair_tools

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1964 Dart GT

Unfortunately the threads didn't just distort, they pulled off the stud, they are beyond repair without building the stud up first.

In retrospect I should have replaced the stems and wipers with a set from a '65 and done away with the stem/stud combo. I'm thinking that's where I'm going to go now since the car is still apart, upgrade to the better design and it'll open up better wiper blade options at the same time.

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Got the wiper pivots and linkage off the '65 today. Looks like they changed the linkage and motor some as well, but it looks like if I use the pivots and wiper to wiper link from the '65 with the motor to drivers side pivot link from the '63 I should be good to go.

Just ordered another pivot seal kit so now it's a matter of waiting.

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Okay, looks like this upgrade will work without any issues. The new seal kit should be here tomorrow, but I didn't want to waste another one by putting it all together and finding out there would be problems.

So I did a dry run today, Installed everything without the seals. Works great with the part configuration outlined above:

'63 Motor
'63 Motor to d/s pivot link

'65 Pivots
'65 Pivot to pivot link
'65 Wipers

With those parts everything is bolt in with no mods.

Man it's going to be nice not having those stupid bolt down fixed in place non-replaceable 13" wipers anymore.

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I just replaced the driver side wiper arm and blade on my 64 Valiant (bolt on style). Got the parts from O'Riley auto parts (in stock). The arm comes with an adapter that bolts on, and then the arm snaps on, like the new style arms. My pivot was in good condition, but my arm had a broken spring.
Arm is Trico number 51-250, blade is 13-1
Not good for a restoration, but fine for a driver.
It does not look like the original, but fits and works fine.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

Just to clarify when I say non replaceable I mean that the wiper is permanently attached to the wiper arm. (At least on the '63) There is no way to replace the wiper, only the blade. That means you're stuck with the 13" wiper which I hate as it leave so much windshield un-wiped.

The 65 arms allow the use of the basic wiper replacement that can be found in any store. The ones I have now have 15" wipers on it and they fit the windshield much better.

I didn't know the '64's had the bolt downs also. Good to know there's still a replacement available.

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Ahh, sounds like bad-luck and an even worse design.
Don't feel too bad, I know someone who cracked their windsheild on their Audi trying to pull a wiper arm off

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19 Years young with a passion for all things old.

"Four doors for more....screaming passangers..(;"

"There's no replacement for displacement, but my \6 is still cooler than your V8"

Always, when working on wipers, put a large folded up towel along the base of the windshield. I have seen many wiper arms snap back down and crack the windshield.
As to bad design, at the time it was quite good really. It still seems to me that installing a full new wiper is wasteful in many ways. You could save a lot of resources and energy if you could just change the rubber blade out.
If the design was as it was then, that would be a simple matter. With today's design there are so many different combinations it makes this difficult. And how old is that wiper? Has it lasted all these years due to "bad design"? I'd like to see a new blade holder last that long.
Think of the manufacturing, packaging, shipping transport, etc, involved. But the marketing department would not be able to put all that colourful, splashy, "buy me" stuff all over the impossible to open plastic!

And think of how the old blades were marketed. Today you need to take time out of your day and go to a store, find the right one then install it yourself. (Or wait until the supposed free install guy is free to do it for you) If its a rainy day and you have a broken one, you get wet. And have you ever really figured oput which one of those little crappy plastic adapters is the right one?

Back then you go to get gas and the nice young (employed) attendant reaches down between the pumps for a new one and puts it on while the tank fills! And Don Draper never gets his hair wet!

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Mattelderca
78 NYB (gone now), two S series, three old Snow Cruisers and a Doo.

Yeah true! I just ment it seemed bad in the removal/install of the arm.

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19 Years young with a passion for all things old.

"Four doors for more....screaming passangers..(;"

"There's no replacement for displacement, but my \6 is still cooler than your V8"

The original arms/blades on my 64, can have the rubber part replaced. I just bought a (cut to length) rubber insert, and used that on the passenger side.

This is just a guess, on my part, but I think if you would want to use the threaded pivots, and have longer blades, you could use the after market Trico 15-250 arm, and a 15-1 blade to get the 15 inch blade.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225