Very smug this evening, sorted out some of the electrics in the 90s dashboard. For the first time in 18 months I have a rear wash/wipe, heated screen and a working 12v socket. I must admit after the dramas I had with the electrics during the rebuild I was putting off doing this part of the car....I had enough problems with the original burnt out wiring, shorting lights etc.
Anyway, decided to tackle it this evening. The 12v socket was no drama, just replaced the broken one with a "marine" one from Maplin. The rear wiper was a bigger problem. For a start the wiring had burnt out in the original switch and then melted almost as far as the ignition switch. This wiring was replaced during the rebuild and just left in a big taped up bundle... The second issue was the wiper motor. Again the original was goosed and I had a replacement - but from a Disco ( thanks Duncan). The unit is almost the same but the plastic cover over the spindle that goes through the door is different. The door itself also had no hole for a wiper, although the frame has the cutouts and captive nut to secure the motor....so. Partially dismantle the motor to swap the plastic bits over. OK-ish. The threads on the original plastic spindle cover are not that great. Very tentatively drill a hole in the door and enlarge with a file....lots of checking the fit. Amazingly it seems to have all worked. New connectors on the wiring at the switch end, 10 minutes reading the wiring diagram to work out what goes where...and it all works - Except that the wiper had obviously stopped in the wrong place because the first "sweep" was just wiping mud off the door ! Easy enough to move the arm by 90 degrees.
Next step -an interior light....
