Andy,
Just thought it interesting, My '64 Herald has the wipers biased
to the R.H. side and they park pointing to the left.Even tho it is a L.H.
drive.I didn't notice it, (havent driven it yet) a friend pointed it out to
me when I showed him the car. He heard on an auto show that the U.S.
Govt.ruled that this arrangment obstructed the drivers vision.
Bob Harris
----- Original Message -----
From: Andrew Mace <amace@unix2.nysed.gov>
To: Scions of the Spitfire <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2000 11:17 AM
Subject: Re: RHD to LHD conversion
>
> On Wed, 22 Mar 2000, Andrew Mace wrote:
>
> > No, wipers park on one side or the other depending on whether it is a
RHD
> > or LHD car. It has to do with how much of the glass in front of the
driver
> > is cleared with a sweep of the wiper.
> >
> > Look at the picture of the LHD US-spec Mk3 at
> > <http://www.vtr.org/Spitfire/index.html>. If you visualize (pun
intended)
> > the path of the wiper blades, you'll see how the one blade would not do
> > as much to clear the glass in front of the passenger side, while the
> > driver's side blade will sweep up to more or less parallel with the
> > left side of the glass. OK, easier visualized than described.... ;-)
>
> Further to that, there seems to have been a change in philosophy
> at or sometime during the run of the Spitfire Mk3 models. Two factors were
> involved: one was (I think) some Federal standards involving how much of
> the glass was cleared by the wipers; and/or the fact that sometime during
> the Mk3 production, the wiper mechanisms were commonised with that of the
> Triumph 1300 sedan. This can be spotted by the greater distance between
> wheel boxes and, therefore, greater distance between wiper arms.
>
> Funny thing is, from what I can tell of the earlier cars, the wiper park
> position was the opposite (RHD car wipers parked to the right, etc.) from
> the later cars (LHD car wipers parked to the right).
>
> Fun and confusing!
>
> --Andy
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> * Andrew Mace e-mail: amace@unix2.nysed.gov *
> * *
> * Mrs Irrelevant: Oh, is it a jet? *
> * Man: Well, no ... It's not so much of a jet, it's more your, er, *
> * Triumph Herald engine with wings. *
> * -- Cut-price Airlines Sketch, Monty Python's Flying Circus (22) *
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
>
>
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