Exterior: Hide Rear Wiper (Stealth Wiper Mod)
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Nicknamed the "Stealth Wiper Mod" by the Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO and Dodge Stealth community, this do-it-yourself modification allows you to easily reverse the rear window wiper arm's resting position from vertical to horizontal and thus hiding it behind the spoiler. While this mod can be performed on a either a 3000GT/GTO or a Stealth, it is probably more beneficial to Stealth owners due to the Stealth's spoiler sitting up close to the rear window, making for a convenient hiding spot for the wiper when it's not in use.
This change is great for those that wish to put their wiper out of sight and also makes for a much cleaner appearance. The other benefit of having the wiper arm resting horizontally behind the spoiler is that the wiper will now push light collections of snow up and off the rear window instead of compacting it down beneath the spoiler.
Credit for the first known implementation of this mod goes to Tim (91tt93es) of 3000GT/Stealth International.
Time required: approximately 1 hour
Videos:
Tools Required[edit]
- Phillips screwdriver
- Snap-ring pliers
- Socket wrench
- 8mm socket
- 10mm socket
- Welding kit
Hide the Rear Wiper Arm on a Mitsubishi 3000GT/GTO and Dodge Stealth[edit]
Access the Rear Wiper Motor[edit]
- Remove the interior hatch trim (upper liftgate). There are 2 phillips head screws to remove the hatch tanneau cover clips in the middle of the trim piece. And there are 2 more screws towards the front of the piece in the corners. Once those 4 screws are out you should be able to carefully pry the trim piece off. It's secured by clips along the perimeter of the piece. Just keep moving along, prying the trim off until it's free, and set it aside.
- Remove the rear spoiler (Dodge Stealth only). While I can't confirm this, 3000GT owners may need to remove the rear wing as well. To do this on the Stealth, you must first unplug the third brake light electrical connector located in the center of the hatch on the inside. The Stealth's spoiler has a total of four 10mm bolts to remove. Two of them are directly beneath the center pier of the spoiler, and 1 each on the outer piers. Remove all of the bolts. Now, close the hatch, and carefully lift up the spoiler. There are 2 pegs on the outer piers that fit into holes in the hatch. You may have to wiggle the spoiler a bit to work the pegs loose. Set the spoiler aside, being careful how you handle it and where you set it so as not to scratch it.
- Remove the rear wiper arm. Pop up the cover at the base of the arm, and remove the 10mm nut. Lift the wiper arm straight up and off of the wiper motor post. Set the arm aside.
- Remove the rear wiper motor. Pop the hatch back open and unplug the electrical connector from the motor. Then remove the three 10mm mounting screws. To remove it, pull the motor straight down and out.
Modify of the Rear Wiper Motor[edit]
- Remove the case cover from the wiper motor. You'll notice there are four 8mm bolts. To gain access to the guts of the motor/gearcase, remove these bolts.
- Remove the 2 snap rings and remove the pivot arm. The snap rings are circled in green below. To remove them, use a pair of snap-ring pliers (or in a pinch you can use a couple of screwdrivers). From there, remove the pivot arm. Set these parts aside and be careful not to lose any of these pieces while taking them off as you'll need them to re-assemble. The snap rings like to go flying across the room when you remove them, so a good idea is to place a rag over top of them as you're removing them so that in the event that they do go flying, the rag will catch them.
- Remove the snap ring that holds the main gear in the case. Flip the motor/gearcase over to reveal the next snap ring that needs to be removed. It is circled in green in the photo below:
- Slide the main gear out of the bottom of the case. Tap on the shaft that you just took that snap ring off of to slide the main gear (white nylon) out of the bottom of the case.
- Grind or file off the rivet head on the shaft of the main gear. Be careful not to damage the gear itself. The rivet is circled in blue in the picture below:
- Tap the shaft out of the main gear from the top. Tap on the side with the arm mounting post.
- Reposition the rear wiper motor's start/stop point. Take note the orientation of the two white "nubs" molded into the gear. The nubs need to be 180° from the arm post. Take the steel piece out of the gear that has the arm mounting post on it and rotate it 180° and drop it back into the gear. Make sure that the mounting post is now opposite of the two "nubs". Re-insert the shaft through the bottom of the gear.
- Tack weld the arm piece onto the steel shaft and clean off the gear. Make sure the pin is dead-square pressed against the plate before welding (otherwise the gear will wobble). You can use a couple of tack welds, wire welder or an arc welder. If you don't have a welder or don't have any friends with one, look up a local welding shop and have them do it for you. They'll probably charge you around $5 or so. I would not suggest the use of JB Weld or Epoxy instead of welding as I don't think it would hold up. After you have welded, grind down your spotwelds so that once the arm is placed back on it, there will be no clearance issues. Clean up the gear using mild solvent or soap/water. Get all of those little metal filings out of there or they'll eat up your gearcase.
- Re-assemble the motor/gearcase in reverse order. Smear some of the grease from inside the case onto the gear's operating parts. Orientation of the main gear when you put it back in is not critical. Once you re-install it in the car, turn the motor on and let it cycle once or twice and it will find the correct start/stop points. Do this before putting the wiper arm or spoiler back on.
- Re-install the rear wiper arm. After you've already cycled the motor, place the wiper arm back on in the down (horizontal) position.
