I have a 1952 GMC 3/4 ton truck and when I bought it, it came with two different heaters. The one that was installed was actually a Chevy heater that mounted to the firewall and was kind of shaped vaguely like a turbo scroll or a shell. This one had a donut-shaped heater core with the fan motor in the middle and then a 4-bladed fan. Well, when the heater core blew, I took it out and found out it would cost me $375 to have the heater core rebuilt.
Therefore I dug out the original GMC heater, which mounts in the kick panel on the passenger side of the cab. The truck has factory holes for either style heater in it. This one had a more typical rectangular heater core, about the size of a brick. I had that tested and it is a good heater core. But the motor and squirrel cage fan that goes with it were missing.
I found an old GMC 1/2 ton truck with the same exact heater in it, and was able to buy the rusty old heater from the owner for $20 bucks. I pulled it out with some difficulty, brought it home, cleaned it up, and started taking it apart, with even more difficulty. But with penetrating oil and a torch, I got it mostly apart. The squirrel cage fan is in good shape, but getting it out is a bugger. I got the set screw out and lubed it up for a long time. I was able to get the shaft pushed out about an inch or so, but no further! This is a sheetmetal fan, and I simply cannot pull and tug on it without destroying it.
Does anyone have any tips for how to get that fan off the motor shaft? Looks like it's going to require a hydraulic press.
