Adapting Wiper Arms to Hook-Style Wipers
 

This is a how-to for anyone who wants modern, hook-type wiper blades, but does not have access to a junkyard - with modifiable wiper arms - or the capability/desire to do any welding.

Items you'll need:

1. Kit #: 3392390298 by OTUAYAUTO, Left-hand side, on Amazon
2. 14mm Socket or Wrench for removing wiper arm nuts
3. 4 M4 bolts 12mm long and 4 M4 nuts or similar fasteners
4. Tools for attaching the M4 fasteners.
5. A few sizes of drill bits (5/32nds or 4mm being the final hole size for 4mm bolts)
6. Fine point marker or similar marking utensil
7. A basic set of pliers

I imagine the kits that share that part number on Amazon are probably all the same. I picked this one because it had free Prime shipping. As far as the kit itself, it's pretty solid. One of my adaptors had a bit of a bump/burr on the inside corner, once removed it fit great. I upgraded to some M4 stainless bolts and M4 nylon locknuts, still using the black washers from the kit for the locknuts to bear against. You could just as easily use some similarly sized rivets, though, or even weld it to the wiper arm if you wanted to. Keep in mind this modification moves the sweep of the blades about 3/4s of an inch farther towards the top of the windshield. This is good because the factory sweep just barely comes up past where I actually look out of the windshield. The pattern of the sweep is the same. This is also with 17-inch wipers. You may also need to adjust the clock of the wiper arms on their pivots, so they stay on the windshield.

Everything in the kit plus the 4mm Fasteners:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...226f14038c.jpg

This is the stock rivet you will need to drill out. I drilled with a 5/32nds drill bit on the side that's showing in the image below until I could knock it out the rest of the way with a hammer and punch. I did it this way only because I wanted to be able to revert this mod if I ever chose to.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...51a4a3be69.jpg

Once the rivet is out, the factory wiper arm holder should slide off the end of the arm. Line up the adaptor on the end of the arm. Make sure it is flat on the face of the arm and that the holes line up as close to the center of the arm as you can. One end of the adapter is diagonal, make sure this doesn't interfere with the adapter sitting square and flat to the arm.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...8e0202373a.jpg

I used an automatic center punch and marked the centers of the two holes furthest from the pivot because these holes allowed for the M4 fasteners without modification. I then used a couple different sized drill bits up to a 5/32nd inch bit for the final size. I used a slightly larger drill bit to clean up the edges of the holes by hand.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...be6d5d7dc0.jpg

Put everything together and admire your handiwork. I recommend a bit of grease on the pivot splines to make removing these a little easier down the road, should you need to. Reinstall them on the car and enjoy your play-free windshield wipers. I bent in the small tab on the adapter in tight to the wiper arm. This is probably unnecessary with one fastener over stock already, but I consider it a bit of extra insurance.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...a3b1edbbdf.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...b15c9375a0.jpg

Very nice write up! Definitely a great mod.

Maybe stupid question, but why do this? We can still get wipers that fit the post style.

I agree. I went through this last year, buying similar kit/parts but I couldnt bring myself to changing/damaging the oe wipers to make them ugly. Also tried wipers from other cars like Miata and Saturn sl2 but the fit was bad and put the blades in my line of sight.
I do appreciate the secure fit of modern wipers, but unless you live in a rain forrest the stock setup works fine and almost all new 17-18" wiper blades will fit our pin-mount arms. Heck, when I lived in Western Oregon and the GSL WAS my daily I never had a problem driving fast and seeing the road in heavy rain.

Delete - double post.

The pins wear down over time and I have yet to find a replacement. My wipers work but there is a lot of slop I can't get rid of. Certain wipers, even good brands, just don't snap on to this pin style very well so you have to be careful what you buy. This mod is definitely worth doing if it makes maintaining good windshield wipers less of a hassle

True, the factory setup does work well enough. Pin type wiper blades are becoming less and less common in the stores near me. The pins I have now are already rusting pretty good, as well and I didn't want to have to order a new set online every time I needed new ones.