Brooklinite

Slick work as usual Bruce.

VETFEVER

Master resto-modder (probably not a real word)

7t2vette

I have to say that when the vacuum system is in good working order, it does work quite well. Both my headlights and wiper door worked perfectly because I restored my car, but I never liked the clutter of all the vacuum lines and devices in the engine compartment. I also didn't like all the potential failure points with all those lines and all of the pneumatic-mechanical and pneumatic-electrical devices. When I did the headlight conversion and stripped out all the vacuum stuff associated with them, it looked so much better to me under the hood, and that was my motivation to also convert the wiper door - to get rid of the rest of the vacuum stuff, especially that ugly actuator!! I even removed the firewall hard lines. Now I have to figure out how to remove the vacuum tank without removing the brake booster!!

7t2vette

Thanks! I am very pleased with how this project turned out.

If anyone considering doing this has any questions, I will do my best to help out.

Post pics when you are done, especially if it fits with a big block!

7t2vette

Thanks guys! You both can check this out in person next time I see you.

carretera

My new 69 needs the headlight and wiper doors restored/repaired so I started doing a search and I came upon this Thread, great information will post results when done.
First question I have is this, will all headlight components need to be restored such as the springs, bushings, etc. since the only parts I'll be replacing are the actuators? Thanks

CoolShark

Wow! Impressive work. I'm just too lazy to make these changes while my ol' vacuum doors are working fine. I do hate the rubber hoses running all over the place, though.

7t2vette

If you have any questions while doing this conversion, feel free to ask, and do post your results when done!

As for your question about the headlight light components, your end result will only be as good as the sum of all the parts; in other words, if the rest of the parts are not functioning properly, replacing just the actuator will not fix it. The same goes for the wiper door conversion.

7t2vette

Thanks, I appreciate the compliment!

The entire engine compartment really does look SO much better with all the vacuum system removed!

bellaireroad

pure genius... I always like seeing what you are doing

71 Vert LS1

Thanks for the great write up.

At the beginning of the thread you detail the two types of Miata headlight motors. Is there a specific year to get the right kind?

Thanks again

oldgto

I used mid 90s... 95 I think mine are. I believe any mid to late 90s Miata motors will work.

7t2vette

Thanks!

You should see what I am putting through the testing stage this year!

Unfortunately, I do not know exactly what years use the common ground motors, and what years use the isolated ground motors.

If you plan on controlling the speed of the motor with a PWM controller, you have to use the isolated ground type.

71 Vert LS1

Thanks for the info.

Anyone that has done the swap have run it without the PWM? Any video on the move from open to close?

Regards,

7t2vette

I initially ran it without the PWM, and honestly it is too fast! It really slams the door open and closed. I can take a vid of it at full speed for you sometime in the next day or two.

oldgto

I`m not planning to use a controller. My car is still in progress, but I have the headlight doors temporary- wired just through a toggle switch. They do not seem too fast for me.... but then again, I removed the 2 big springs.... and am considering taking the small ones off as well.

7t2vette

We're talking about the wiper door, not the headlight doors.

FWIW, I am not using a PWM controller on the motors for my headlights.

oldgto

OK... went to the beginning and read through.... (thought I was commenting in Richard`s original post about the headlight doors that`s a bazillion pages long by now )
NICE JOB! Yes, I`d think the Miata motor would be too fast for the wiper door! And again, mine is very slow with the seat motor. I made a little doghouse for it out of sheet metal. I`ll have to get some pictures this weekend.
I`ve followed many of the mods you`ve done on your car, and am quite impressed with your talent!

Garys 68

Higher force linear actuators run slow. The one I used on my electric conversion just runs slow enough so it cant close before the wipers park.

7t2vette

This is the second time you have posted this information in this thread - see post #15.

So, also for the second time, I will explain why the operation speed of the wiper door is irrelevant with my design.

With my design, operating the door at a slower speed to avoid the door closing on the wipers before they park isn't necessary because of the electrical interlock in the circuit. The electrical interlock will not allow the wiper door to move until the wipers are parked - just like the factory vacuum interlock did. This is a built-in safety feature that I would rather have than not have.

The only reason I used a PWM controller was because with the motor operating at full speed, I did not like how hard it slammed the door open and closed. I wanted it to mimic the speed of the factory vacuum system. Some people may not care about this, so for them, a PWM controller would not be necessary.

Hopefully, this clears up any confusion about the reason why I slowed the wiper door down.