I have a 1980 Plymouth Gran Fury that i am trying to get to get fixed up to pass inspection and drive it. I have everything working except the windshield wipers. The connecting caps on the linkage arm that connects the wiper motor to the blade mechanism had become corroded and eventually tore off. I purchased a new arm off of a used auto parts website and went to try to install it yesterday. The connecting caps are supposed to "snap" onto the metal points. The problem i have is that the space is so small and i cant put enough force on the cap for it to snap into place. I can snap the cap that connects to the motor easily but the cap that connects to the blade mechanism is in what i cant get. It is in the top corner of the under-the-hood space. I took the arm out to make sure they could still snap together and it took both of my hands pressing down for them to snap. Any suggestions for working in tight spaces? In order to get to the space you literally have to bend your arm backwards and work with your thumb and finger which isnt enough to snap the arm into place. Does anybody have any suggestions or ever dealed with this before? Please Help. Thanks-Justin

thebriggsdude

have you tried needle nose pliers?

labman

You could try lubing it good, maybe even graphite. You could also try positing it by hand and then prying down on it with something, maybe even recruiting a helper. Likely they added a bunch of parts after installing it at the factory.