[MrE]

Not wanting to re-invent the wheel, has anyone on this forum converted their air wipers to electric?

My goal is to install a smart steering wheel like modern cars. Move control for the wipers/washers, cruise, headlights, radio, etc. to the steering wheel and off the dash.

I found a website, http://www.busrvparts.com/Bus-Elect_Wipers.htm, that lets me know that it can be done for a price. They don't have one specifically for a classic Newell, but there is definitely one that can be modified.

[Floridian]

If you do find a way to install the "smart" wheel on the GM steering column I will be eternally in your debt if you pass on the information. I do have the steering wheel but the "connection" (the one with the splines) don't match. I think that you need to buy the smart wheel with the GM correct spline to begin with.

After a long search for spline adapters I just gave up, it seem. that the spring clocks is only trouble so I was thinking more of using a wirelesss module to send the commands from the steering wheel instead of using the "smart" wheel.

[360]

I didn't have a smart wheel on 458, but do have one on 653 and have to say it would be worth the headache to figure this one out.

[MrE]

@"Floridian",

If your current steering is loose like mine was, this is a great document to guide you through rebuilding your steering column. I was able to refresh mine fairly easily. http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/...ebuild.pdf

When I did the steering column on my 1973, I was replacing a steering column that did not adjust at all, no tilt, no telescoping. I went to an auto salvage yard with a tape measure and an idea. I found a complete column and wheel out of an Acura that was tilt and telescoping and about the same length that I needed. This was prior to 1996 when all cars switched to CANbus. All the wires in the harness were only a large enough gauge to excite a relay, not big enough to supply the amperage needed for the actual function that they were controlling. The wiring is pretty basic, run the wires from the old switches you're replacing to the relays controlled by the steering wheel. That way none of your existing fuses need to be changed. I built a board to hold the relays, that was before the Internet was so robust. Now I think you could probably use the $15 solution to do what you need and then some. https://www.sainsmart.com/products/16-ch...%20Catalog

My '73 had electric wipers when I bought it, not sure if that was factory or a change by a previous owner.

[Richard]

Jon,

Thank you for the article. I have a wee bit of play in the tilt ball, and it is on the winter project list.

[MrE]

With my power train swap, I have to meld old school to CANbus. All communication to the new motor and transmission uses the J1939 CANbus protocol. J1939 is nice in that it is an industry standard for commercial trucks/busses/heavy equipment. Cars are NOT standardized, GM, Mercedes, Ford, Toyota, etc. all use their own codes. That's not to say I can't use a Dodge pickup steering column in my bus, just means that I would have to buy and program a programable CANbus controller to interpret the Dodge signal and translate it to the appropriate J1939 signal. This isn't rocket science, it's what car guys have to do to repower a Ford with a Duramax, but it does add an additional cost and labor.

I will begin my search at a heavy-duty salvage yard, but if I don't find what I want, I'll continue my search at an auto salvage yard.

CANbus is really nice. It only requires 3 wires to communicate with anything on the vehicle, CAN high (+), CAN low (-), and a shield (ground). So a single shielded CANbus wire running from the front of the bus to the back can control any function needed. This is a very simplified version of what the Spyder controls do for newer Newells.

[Floridian]

Thank you for the info and links!

[Floridian]

I was not going to post this but maybe it works as a future documentation post, I don't know.

I even bought 2 different steering columns, one for a Monaco RV and another one for a Toyota Prius. Why would I buy a Toyota Prius steering column, you would think? Well..I have the steering column with hydraulic help, but the Toyota Prius has an electric steering column, and if you don't have the master can bus device it enters into a fail mode safe where it only uses your input on the steering wheel to help you with moving the direction of your wheels (normally that electric help is based off of several devices inputs, like speed, steering wheel angle sensor, engine RPM, etc. etc. etc.) so when none of those other devices are available it just uses the angle sensor on the steering wheel to help you move the steering wheel. Well....I gave TRC steering columns a call, because I wanted to buy an. electronic steering column to replace my GM steering column, this way I will have the motors to move the tilt and telescoping functions on the steering wheel and they started asking questions about how many pounds the steering wheel should handle and a bunch of other technical questions that, of course, I have no idea were needed so at that point I thanked TRC for their support but I was super scary to change something and find out at the worst possible time that this vital component might fail.

Anyway, the only thing I wanted to do was to change the steering wheel of my Newell because, while having a beautiful wood steering wheel, is not something I feel 100% comfortable with and I really wanted to try the smart wheel and the feeling of it felt better to me, more like a car steering wheel, but then again I've seen so many stories about the spring going broken that I just put that project in the back burner as I currently have a perfectly functioning steering column, just wanted to have some extra stuff that is not super vital.

Oh, also with the smart steering wheel I bought the box that comes with it, the ones that decodes the buttons from the wheel, this particular one, uses LIN (I think) and I wasn't able to dedicate a bunch of time to decode the protocol so I just bought the box and you end up with a bunch of relays where you connect your "utilities" (wipers, lights, etc.) to it but also read that those relays go down often as well....

Anyway, just wanted to share what I already did and why I didn't move completely to the swap of the steering wheel swap/upgrade/change yet. I still want to do it but probably will take it to a shop to do it. One shop told me they can solder an adapter on top of the GM steering column so I can keep the steering column and still have the smart wheel on top of it but I will need to wire the spring clock in there, somehow and might not be the best idea in the worlds.

As I said at the beginning this long post is just to kind of document what I did for future me when I come back with all the energy to do the same and don't forget what I already went thru  hope it helps somebody else out there as well.