Seeking recommendations - New heater blower motor

1967 Dodge Dart 270 w/o A/C - in the process of restoring the heater box with a kit from DMT and an aluminum core (the old core barfed many years before I got the car, as was evidenced by the rust through the spot where the floor meets the firewall on the passenger side).

The blower motor works ... but it has exterior rust and looks like garbage. I'd like to get a new one since I can't have the case for the motor powder-coated (I assume the heat would kill whatever is inside, as well as the wire insulation on the outside).

Any recommendations for a new blower motor before I pull the trigger and buy what I see on Rock Auto?

I dissassembled mine, sandblasted the outside casings , cleaned out the sand real good, and repainted them. This allows you to clean up the armature, and regrease the bearings.

moparmat2000 said:

I dissassembled mine, sandblasted the outside casings , cleaned out the sand real good, and repainted them. This allows you to clean up the armature, and regrease the bearings.

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This is very much what I would prefer to do, but how did you open it and remove the cover?

If its a 67 non a/c, its probably a Leece Neville blower motor. As such, take blower fan off. Allen key set screw holds it on. I used a bit of penetrating oil and worked the fan loose to get it off. Theres 2 small nuts that hold an end plate on they attach to 2 long screws that go through the assembly holding both halves of the motor together.

I put a small centerpunch mark lining up on both halves before dissassembly to aid in lining things up on reassembly. Orient these marks facing on the side of the motor that points down so that they arent seen when the motor gets reinstalled in the car when done. Work the 2 halves apart. Sometimes they get stuck. Everything fits tightly together, there may be some rust. When reassembling the motor, i use thin copper wire on the brushes wire braids to hold the brushes back in the brush block when sliding the motor halves together. The wire i pull back and hold to the outside of the motor can half. You can tape the wire in place against the motor can to hold it upon reassembly.

When the halves are far enough together that the brushes are lined up with the armature, remove the wire and let the brushes contact the armature. This is a good time to scotchbrite the motor shaft on both ends, as well as use fine sandpaper on the armature to make it smooth again. I put mine in a drill and with it rotating i used fine sandpaper on the armature contacts to remove the grooving. The bearings are oillite bronse, and only require a few drops of oil. I used 30W motor oil on mine, but light machine oil works as well. When dissassembling note the location of thrust washers on either end of the motor and put them back exactly on the same side of the motor they came off of.

If you have a place to lay everything out thats not going to get messed with, i suggest laying everything out on a clean paper towel in the order of dissassembly, so you can reassemble everything in reverse order. Above all, Take your time reassembling, pay close attention to detail. I will post some pix in a bit detailing what i mean on the wires and brushes. I have redone a couple of these, and currently have one apart, that i need to put back together for my 67 as well.

Hope this helps
Matt

moparmat2000 said:

If its a 67 non a/c...

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Matt, you're awesome! My only real problem is removing the nuts that hold the case together. Are they 5/16"? Because my 5/16 wrench won't fit, but 3/8 is way too big. Maybe I just need to try a ratchet with a thinner wall.

Definitely, my preference is to keep what is already there. First, because it doesn't contain any "chinesium" and second, because the only real problem with it is cosmetic.

between 5/16 and 3/8 is 11/32. We do run into the less common sizes in some applications, especially electrical. Don't why that is.

RedFish said:

between 5/16 and 3/8 is 11/32. We do run into the less common sizes in some applications, especially electrical. Don't why that is.

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I just tried a 5/16" socket with a thin wall and it worked like a charm. My sockets are for impact drills, but I just raided someone else's tools (with permission) and found what I needed. The casing half which has wires running out of it came off easy-peasy. The other half is wanting to put up a fight. Trying to figure out a way to force it off without ... well, forcing it.

If that the fan end you may need to polish the shaft a bit so it goes through the bearing easier. Good luck with it.

RedFish said:

If that the fan end you may need to polish the shaft a bit so it goes through the bearing easier. Good luck with it.

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Nope, the fan end came off fine. It's the other end that's giving me fits. I think there's some rust underneath the seal. Perhaps the judicious use of a pick will loosen it up.

Try a little penetrating oil and let it sit for a bit. Tapping the outside can with a plastic mallet after penetrating oil helps too.

moparmat2000 said:

Try a little penetrating oil and let it sit for a bit. Tapping the outside can with a plastic mallet after penetrating oil helps too.

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Got it all out! Question - are there any plastic pieces contained within the two halves that form the motor casing? Or are they safe to powder-coat?

I wouldent powdercoat. Theres bronse bushings pressed in, along with a felt pad on the one end that holds oil for lubrication. Masknoff inside where bearings are, sandblast, prime and paint. If looking for a semigloss that goes on nice, try krylon satin black paint n primer. Nice paint, dries fairly quick. takes a lot to cover well though. Id recommend letting it sit for a few days to dry before reassembly.

moparmat2000 said:

I wouldent powdercoat. Theres bronse bushings pressed in, along with a felt pad on the one end that holds oil for lubrication. Masknoff inside where bearings are, sandblast,

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Well, durnit. I don't have access to sandblasting. I took some 00-grade steel wool to the exterior, and that helped a little. I went up to 0-grade, which helped more ... but that rust is on there.

Sand it with sandpaper.

moparmat2000 said:

Sand it with sandpaper.

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Thanks. I attacked the outside with oven cleaner and a handheld wire brush. I just put the first coat of primer on the larger (motor) half. Now, on to the other half!

I have found that if you put on multiple coats of primer you can fill any small pits and after letting it thoroughly dry, you can sand it smooth with 320 grit sandpaper. For deep pits after cleaning it out, you can fill those with a little JB weld using a razor blade as a squeegie.

I should have mentioned this before but just forgot. What works well in this instance to clean the rust off the steel motor cases is a plastic bucket and some straight vinegar. Clean off any grease or oil from the motor halves, then drop the motor halves in the vinegar fully submerged. Periodically check on them. The acid in the vinegar will dissolve the rust.

Rinse the parts thoroughly in a bucket of water that has some tridodium phosphate TSP mixed in it. You can buy a box of TSP at lowes or home depot in the paint section for about $5. Doing this with the water and TSP mixture will allow the parts to dry without flash rusting.

I would recommend after repainting to coat the insides of the motor cans with a light coating of machine oil wiped on with a paper towel to prevent rust in the future.

Glad to help.