Achilles Heel

How to transform the windscreen wipers of your British classic

The wasy way to keep your Lucas wipers in fine fettle.

Lucas windscreen wiper mechanisms were fitted to the majority of British cars from the Forties to the Eighties. Rover, Standard Triumph, Jaguar, the Rootes Group, BMC and others relied upon the system, so it was fitted from cars that ranged from Land Rovers to Aston Martins.

Though Lucas’s electrical components are often derided, its wiper system was actually pretty good. It proved capable of giving decades of reliable service with nothing more than a few new sets of wiper blades, and Lucas kept it up-to-date over the years with more powerful motors and the addition of two-speed operation. Its design was elegantly simple and could be adapted for different vehicles without major alterations. This means it employs standard parts and it isn’t too difficult to put right when things do eventually go wrong.

Wipers are so easy to take for granted until they stop working, with inconvenient, Mot-failing results. It really doesn’t make sense to wait for trouble before treating your wipers to a bit of garage time. With just a few hours of attention, your classic’s Lucas wipers can be returned to good-asnew condition, ready to give many more years’ faultless service. Our guide shows how to overhaul the two-speed Lucas 14W motor and wiper system fitted to a wide range of Seventies classics. The basic principles are the same for the Dr-series motors of the Fifties through to the 16W motors used until the mid-eighties.