1965 Trico Wiper Blades

[Joseph R.]

I am restoring my dad's July 9, 1965 coupe. I know the wiper blades should be Trico 15 inch, I know they should be shiny, I know the 1965 NCRS judging manual says dots running the entire length. But I have heard about 3 ribs instead of dots, etc. What should the wiper blades and inserts look like to pass NCRS judging?

[Donald T.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Joe,

The correct blades for a 65 have patent numbers and dots running down the length of the blade. The ribbed version came out later and was then used as the service replacement. Original 65 blades with the dots are pretty hard to find but they do show up on ebay from time to time. There also no correct reproduction 65 blades. Paragon offers a replacement blade with dots, but they are not correct as they don't have the patents numbers.

Hope that helps.

[Donald T.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Just got my new digital camera working to post a pic. Here is an NOS example of the 63-65 wiper holder and blade. The patent numbers on the blade didn't show up in the pic, but are visible upon close inspection.

[William C.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Be careful, the curve on the holder looks like a Passenger car version, the Corvette holder is flatter. The blades interchange and Chevy service all with one part number (The pass car version). The result will be excess drag if used directly on a Corvette with the pass car holder.

[John D.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Don, Clupper is correct about your wiper blade. He and his friend Howard Baker can spot those things from 100 feet. At our Pittsburgh Chapter show there was a pretty Corvette there with a passenger car blade. They have a nice curve to them. You could say the arc or bend is different. Check out a typical Corvette blade and you will easily see the difference. Howard said hey Bill see the passenger blade on that baby. Funny thing is that they come in the box with the same part number as a Corvette. That's what Howard said anyhow. I believe Bill said the same thing. I see lots of midyears with passenger blades while walking around but keep quiet. Some of the boys are out there selling them as the real deal. I suppose they don't know the difference either?? Still learning the little goodies myself. John

[Donald T.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Oops! Good catch! You are correct. I wasn't paying attention and grabbed the wrong one. That one is a passenger car blade holder. I picked that one up some time ago specifically for the blade. The original 63-65 dotted blades are the really hard thing to find.

Here's another pic and you can see the more subtle arc compared to the one on the bottom.

Thanks!

[Donald T.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Here's a better pic of the 63-65 dotted blade with the patent numbers.

[John D.]

Re: 1965 Trico Wiper Blades

Hi Don, That's a real nice picture of the wiper blades, etc. I am keeping it for my scrap book. Thanks for taking the time to post it. John