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Need '62 washer bellows

1K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  sj17 
#1 ·
Hi, all;
I need a windshield washer bellows for my 62 impala. I have searched everywhere and can not find one either alone or in a kit. I find them for 63s, but not 62s. Are they the same bellows or close enough that it will work? Or do any of you have one for sale or know where I can buy one?
Thanks.
 
#2 ·
You will have to scour the parts book for an interchange as GM dropped AC-Delco as a wholly owned subsidiary of GM in 1962. The new spun off AC-Delco stopped making their own parts such as spark plugs; and bought, rather than made their two different wiper motors from outside vendors. They retained the round motor but sourced a newer cheaper square sheet metal body wiper motor which is when the parts interchange stopped. You might find an older model GM car that shared the water pump diaphragm.

1962 ended GM making every part used in a car by themselves and started buying from vendors. Got rid of the manufacture of GM Diesel-Electric locomotives, GM busses, and heavy trucks along with earth moving equipment (EUCLID Construction Equipment and HD off road trucks).

It is why I laugh at people that claim an AC plug is better than an Autolite sparkplug (who manufactured about 70% of them), or NGK who had another 20%of AC's plug sales. The only GM made parts on a car today are the sheet metal body and the motor. They buy everything else.

Big Dave
 
#4 ·
You will have to look in the Chevy Parts catalog:

https://www.detroitironis.com/1929-1972-chevrolet-auto-truck-parts-manuals-cd.htmlcatalog

This catalog can be used to find a part number (which is pretty much useless since they are all obsolete), but can confirm or identify a part (almost all parts were stamped with a part number for inventory control, but some where boxed or paged which disappeared on the assembly line, or they had an adhesive tag that fell off years ago. Catalog had exploded views of some group items which helps to identify not only a part in box but where it goes in the car.

With the catalog (a pdf document) you can search for a part number to see where else it appeared (model and year). This will give you a clue as to whether the part is still being made and sold as a reproduction part (like on a light truck, or a Corvette that isn't listed in an Impala web site).

Big Dave
 
#6 ·
I blame Frederic Donner who became CEO (1958-'67) after Harlow Curtice retired.

Donner was a lot like Trump. He demanded total loyalty, or he showed you the door. This resulted in a culture of yes men, and the fact that Donner was a bean counter and not an engineer led to GM's down fall (an opinion shared by John DeLorean who was actually an executive at GM and saw it all).

Donner was correct in that buying parts is cheaper when applied to the bottom line than making parts, but you not only loose control of quality you loose capacity to make things. This was the start of the decline of GM and all of America's heavy manufacturing.

Bean counters should never be let out of the accounting department, and should only have an advisory capacity, not management. They are just a bunch of historians who can document the decline of your company.

Big Dave
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the history, Dave. This stuff is always interesting and I completely agree with what your saying.

Success! After much cleaning and a magnifier I found a part number on the underside and inside the pump case. I put it online and it comes up as a 63 to 68 Corvette pump. Go figure. Found some pictures and they match so I was able to order the parts I need. Nothing's ever easy.
 
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