fbekholden.com

G'day all

Could somebody please help me with two or three photos of an FB Holden engine bay, showing where (and how) the tube connecting the vacuum pump runs to the firewall? There was no tube on mine when I bought the car, hence my lack of knowledge. Would the distributor have to be removed? I'd appreciate any and all help.
Regards
Apex

You just need the installation instructions.
What the installation instructions won’t tell you is that they suck.

Rainex is your friend.

The tube didn't come with any instructions whatsoever.

Sorry, first thing I do to any of my cars is fit an EK wiper motor and switch, loom etc.

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The pipe bends upwards from the vacuum section of the fuel pump, then backwards to level out just above the screws at the bottom of the sideplate, then alongside the base of the sideplate under the breather pipe and inboard of the distributor, where it turns upwards and runs alongside the rear of the sideplate. The pipe then makes a small bend outwards to give about an inch of clearance at the top of the sideplate. The pipe is secured by two clips on the sideplate, one forward of the distributor and one at the middle rear screw of the sideplate. Ordinary vacuum hose then fits over the pipe (no clamp) and goes to the wiper motor.

For the pipe, raid an FC or FB whose owner has chucked out all the vacuum wiper components in disgust. In saying of vacuum wipers that "what the installation instructions don't tell you is that they suck", gpi was using both the semantic and pragmatic meanings of the verb.

My FX has vacuum wipers, and they work OK. My FC, however, is a different story. Late FBs came with electric wipers, so it's not like you'd be modifying the car or anything . . .

Rob

When I fitted ek wiper motor to my wife's FC, I just bolted the FC actuator arms to the EK crank. Worked pretty good. Thirty years ago, but that is my recollection.

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Thanks for that excellent description, Rob. That's just what I wanted (and needed!). Thanks also Errol62.

The engine in my car was built on the 18th April, 1961, so I did assume that it was one of the first to have been fitted with electric wipers. At present, there is an untidy home-made device in place, leading diagonally from the vacuum pump, towards the top left of the firewall, then takes a bend, and eventually enters the firewall, and attaches to the wiper motor with a clear plastic tube. I've bought a new pipe to replace that one. I am, it would seem, one of the minority who wants to keep the vacuum system, as the car will rarely be out in the rain.

What is meant by "inboard of the distributor"? Does it go under the centre of the distributor?

Inboard of the distributor: between the distributor and the sideplate, above the distributor clamp, but under the fat part of the distributor body.

Rob

Thanks.

Do you wear glasses?