Pat Parnell went to buy a classic car for his wife. He ended up buying a company too.

Rain Gear Wiper Systems, the only hidden wiper system company for classic cars in the world.

After 42 years hauling and installing high-end appliances, his body was done with the heavy lifting. Within a few weeks of stumbling onto this business, he cashed in part of his life savings to buy it. Now at 64, he calls running the business relaxing. He’s shipping wiper kits worldwide for 90 different classic cars, and currently building out a machine shop to make everything in-house.

Hidden in Plain Sight

Rain Gear makes hidden wiper kits for classic cars. The systems remove the factory wiper motor from the firewall and tuck it into the vehicle’s airbox or underneath the dash. Cleaner firewall, more room under the dash, and a more reliable system than what came stock on a 1957 Chevy.

That last part matters. Original wiper systems on classic cars were often cable-driven and unreliable. This isn’t just about looks. People actually drive these cars in the rain.

Pat ships kits to customers as far as Australia. Over 90 SKUs covering everything from C1 Corvettes to Tri-Five Chevys, Ford and Chevy trucks, and 1964-1968 Mustangs. Kits run from around $500 to $800 depending on the vehicle.

The Only One in the World

Pat says Rain Gear has no competition. He spent 42 years competing in the appliance installation business. Now he’s in a category of one. When customers need a wiper system for a car Rain Gear doesn’t have a kit for, they provide dimensions and Pat works with them to find the closest fit.

Two Weeks

Pat was looking to buy a 1965 Mustang fastback for his wife. The seller mentioned he’d only purchased the car to design a wiper system for it, and that he was also selling the company. Within two weeks Pat bought Rain Gear Wiper Systems in November 2024. His philosophy on purchasing: do the research upfront, know what you want, and when the right thing appears, don’t hesitate. “It’s always the first one. It’s not the second one, not the third one. It’s always the first one you should buy.” His wife puts it differently: “You’re bending over picking up pennies while the dollars are flying over your head.”

The Founder is Still at It

The original engineer, Tom Jensen, a Vietnam veteran, designed the systems and sold the company to Pat. He didn’t walk away. Jensen emailed Pat recently saying he was heading to the junkyard to buy parts to design a new kit for a 1973-1987 Chevy square body truck. Pat already has customers waiting for it. The pipeline is open.

Building a Shop

When Pat bought Rain Gear all parts were outsourced. He’s bringing production in-house. He’s already purchased a fiber laser, is looking for a 32mm CNC Swiss machine, and is adding a CNC brake and a high-end compressor, around five to six machines total. His brother-in-law, who installs industrial robotics professionally, is helping with setup, and a programmer he knows will handle the CAD files and machine programming remotely. Pat’s reasoning: spending $200,000 on equipment that generates revenue long-term beats spending the same on parts sitting on a shelf.

One Business Fading, One Growing

Pat still has two employees running the appliance installation business. The plan isn’t a hard cutoff. Rain Gear has to outgrow it first, and then he’ll let the appliance side fade naturally. He’s managed over 20 employees, multiple trucks, and two warehouses before. The organizational side doesn’t intimidate him. He’s done it.