The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Need some help with my '54 heater

This is the first of what will probably be a lot of requests for your help as I try to get my 1954 Fresh Air heater working.

QUESTION: How do I remove the fan motor?

Deve Krehbiel's Antique Chevy Trucks site says "There is a slotted set screw on the side of the shaft" that holds the squirrel cage to the motor shaft of a 1950 recirculating heater. With the squirrel cage removed, the motor can be removed from the housing.

I don't see a set screw on my squirrel cage.

I would like to use Deve's idea to install a new 12v motor in my same housing. Have any of you done something similar?

Background on my heater ...

The Harrison Fresh Air heater and core on my '54 3100 look great. But the motor needs help. The motor is hard to spin by hand. And the wires are frayed and bare where they enter the motor housing.

The truck was converted to 12v by a previous owner. The heater motor is probably still 6v. May be fried. It has not been hooked up since I have owned the truck.

I will install a rebuilt Ranco valve and control arm, plus a cable for the fresh air door. I may try to make a fake fan switch just for looks that may pass for the real thing, and hide an after market switch. (Don't see a big chance of finding a real switch.)

I appreciate any advice and suggestions that you can give me.

- Lonnie

Some of the squirrel cages have a slotted screw holding the cage to the motor.Some have a push on clip on the tip of the motor shaft that hold the cage in place.If you don't see any signs of either one,the clip probably fell off or was removed by the previous owner.Put a little heat on the tip of the shaft"propane torch" and see if the cage will slide off.

Yes,when you get the blower cage off,there are two nuts holding the motor onto the sheet metal.

12 volt motors are easily installed.you will have to drill two new mounting holes.

That is a very nice air flow heater unit to start with.


Tim

I just looked at two heaters, a 54 and a slightly earlier one I believe. The 54 has a round "spring steel" clip on the end of the shaft and no set screw. It uses a "d" shapedmotor shaft and the clip just keeps it from sliding off. The heater that I believe to be earlier had a screw that was accessible through the vanes of the squirrel cage. Both heaters are Harrison. The 54 has the side trap door that the earlier one does not.The heater cores are very similar but not matching. The earlier one has a thicker core and 4 screws holding it top and bottom and deeper tanks. The 54 with the door only has 3. I think that they would both mount in the same opening as the brackets bend opposite directions to make the mounting points the same. My 54 core is bad so I think I am going to take both to the radiator shop to see if they can't make the 4 bolt core with the 3 bolt tanks. I hope this info helps you out with your project.

I got the squirrel cage off. Now for the 12v motor. It pains me to destroy the old 6v guts inside the motor housing. So, I want to make sure everything will fit before I proceed. Has anyone on this board done a similar replacement?

The shaft of my 6v motor is 5/16" dia with a flat spot for the D shaped mount on the squirrel cage. The 12v motor that Deve bought from Chevy's of the 40's has a 1/4" shaft. Need to do some more research.

Otherwise, it looks like it will be a close fit length and diameter. The mounting bolts are 3/16" closer together on the new motor than on the original ... as Tim mentioned.

FYI - the price for the motor at Chevy's of the 40's is $60.75. I believe that I found the same motor at AutoZone for $28.99.

> Greg - The round self-locking retaining ring was missing from my motor shaft. A little PB Blaster freed up the shaft from the squirrel cage.

Thanks,

- Lonnie

I don't understand what mean by gutting the 6 volt motor.All you are doing is removing it.

The 12 volt motors from Classic parts of America have the 5/16" shaft,no adapter collar needed.Part # 68-009 blower motor
If you purchase this motor,orange wire is ground.If hooked up wrong,it will spin the wrong direction.

Just center the new motor and drill two new holes.The new motor will require you to cut a new rubber gasket for heater motor to firewall ring.The new motors are slightly smaller in diameter,easy to do.

You can purchase the push on keeper at your local hardware store.

Good Luck !!

Tim

I read Deve's restoration article also and got the impression that he mounted the new motor inside the old motor case for a more original look. Seems like a lot of work to me and I also wondered about double layered case? I guess technically, you could just use enough of the old motor case to stick through the firewall to appear correct. Just a thought.

Lonnie, your heater looks like a recirculating heater to me but I'm not an expert heater guy.

but what I do know is this, IF your heater MOTOR is like my 52 Fresh Air heater.
I'm 12 volt so I needed a new motor. I bought one at Advance Auto for it but the shaft was 1/4" and came with a little sleeve to make it 5/16" to fit the hole in the squirrel cage.......
SO, I opted to try another one which came with a 5/16" shaft.

You will note Classic Parts, and others, list the motor for a 47-63 and a 64-66. I believe the difference is whether the "60's" models had A/C or not.
I got a new 12 volt motor and it looks EXACTLY like the one pictured in the post above right down to the sticker on it.
I ordered part # 35504 from Advance Auto Parts for $26.99 Take a look. I think its what your looking for.

EDIT: It fit right in the same place as my old one. The wires were on the "other end of the motor but I "clocked" the motor around until the wires were on the bottom and came right back though the rubber firewall gasket to the inside. Let us know how you make out and if this is good info for you.

It's an air flow"recirculating" Heater. I just don't like the thought of the wire position on that blower motor.The motor from advanced auto turns clock wise,the motor he needs turns counter clock wise.I don't know if you reverse the wires on the advanced auto motor,if it turns counter clockwise.The blower motor from classic,you don't have to look at the wires on the firewall side.

Tim

I installed a new 12v motor inside my old 6v housing for the harrison heater in my 50.

Purchased the 12 motor from Truck Shop in orange ca.(few years ago) It did not have the studs comming out the back of the motor.

It had a 2 wires, black and orange. You can change direction shaft turned depending on what wire you used for hot. Ground the other wire.

My old 6v motor was toast so I had no problem gutting it.

...pic...

If my original 6v was still good I would have just used it with a voltage reducer.
Original 6v delco motor will be superior than any replacemet motor. IMHO

Good Luck

Dads,Have you run your blower for any length of time? with the motor housing doubled does it run hot? I like the idea of having the stock look,just worried about the heat issue. How come no one makes a direct replacement....? Do they come with the firewall gasket or do you have to get gasket material and make a new one so you don't have any gaps ?
Also,a step by step process on how you managed to get the new motor into old body would be great..a pic ot two would help also.
Thanks

Have you run your blower for any length of time?
Ive only had to use the a few times since I just recently started driving the Truck. Did not run it for very long.
Have not noticed if its running hot.

How come no one makes a direct replacement....?
That would be nice. Maybe someone might be able to post an answer to that. Later model trucks are 12v, Maybe a direct 12volt delco is out there.

Do they come with the firewall gasket or do you have to get gasket material and make a new one so you don't have any gaps ?
The motor I purchased from Truck Shop in Orange did not come with any gaskets.
My firewall ring gasket was still in good shape so I reused it.
I did make a gasket for where the motor bolts to the heater housing.
Gasket kits are available from the vendors.

I didn’t take any pics when I reassembled my heater. It’s a Harrison H-02-47

This was a few years ago. I believe I gutted the old toasted 6v motor to just the two pieces (housings)
Drilled for the new motor stud location.
Mounted to heater housing. Used a bushing for shaft diameter.
Cut the old motor studs and epoxied the button heads in place. You can see the back of motor from firewall.
The old housing is simply held together with electrical tape (you can see in the pic)

Good Luck

Here's an update on my heater project.

I now have three blower motors:
my original 6v 1954; a 12v 1960 Impala; and #35504 12v from Advance Auto Parts.

> ADVANCE AUTO PARTS #35504: I'll return it to Advance Auto tomorrow. It motor has two lips on the back side that do not look right to me. It is the one that Achipmunk suggested. Costs is now $32.39. Bowtietim, it looks the same as the photo of # 68-009 on the Classic Parts of Am site. FYI it is a Unimotor #14504.

> 1960 IMPALA BLOWER MOTOR: I hope I can bring this back to life. I pulled the heater out of a '60 Impala front clip at the body shop where I'm having some work done. Don't know how long it's been exposed to Florida weather ... gawd awful rusty. But the motor WORKS. I only touched it to 12v for a second. I'll run it for a while to make sure it doesn't blow up. I'll sandblast and paint it next week.

The '60 motor is about 5/32 smaller in diameter and the mounting bolts are a little closer together then the '54 motor. I can drill my '54 heater case to fit and as bowtietim suggested, I can cut a new smaller gasket for the firewall.

> '54 6v MOTOR: For now I'm not going to try to fit a small motor inside my 6v motor case. Dads50 -Thanks for the photos anyway.

NOTE to Jimmy V ...
If you plan to gut your '54 heater motor, you will need a motor with a 5/16" shaft. Perhaps one like HBM60 from American Classic Truck Parts. (?)

Thanks to all of you for helping me with my heater. Trust me, more questions to come.

- Lonnie

LonnieC

The 12v replacement motor I used was a unimotor. I didnt remember that untill you posted your pics.

I purchased mine through Truckshop in orange a few years ago, it is a unimotor 14522
I see it offered on ebay item number 200422546935
That motor fits inside the old 6v housing
I used some pieces of rubber as spacers
I had to file the new housing a little on the back, you can see that in the pic.

I dont remember the shaft diameter, I could have used a 1/4 to 5/16 shaft bushing, you can get those at the hardware store.

Again this was on a 50 and a Harrison H-02-47 (May not help you guys with a 54)


Good Luck

Lonnie,glad you found the parts you are looking for.
The motors from classic parts of America are not like the advanced auto blower motors.The one from classic does not have the extra lips.They actually are made in China not Canada.Here is a picture of one. Classic parts of america 12 v blower motor

Tim

Hey Tim, what flavor paint did you use on that heater?
DG

Denny,I sent you a pm !

Denny and Tim -
I'm glad you brought up paint color for heaters. I recently saw a great totally unrestored '54 and shot this pic of the heater. Looks to be grey/silver hammertone. I'll paint mine when I finish mounting the '60 12v motor on it. I'll probably use Rustolium hammertone. Any better suggestions? Also, do you have a source for clutch head screws to mount the heater to the kick panel?

Thanks,

- Lonnie

You might try Jim Carter or Classic Parts Of America for the clutch head screws.I might have some used ones,if I do You can have them.

I think you will be fine with the rustoleum paint.

Tim

Were the dash brackets for the heat control and fresh air cable originally painted to match the dash or the heater?

BTW - I found a spot hidden under a gasket on my heater that has the original paint. It is not silver or grey. I ordered some Hammerite Bronze. The sample on the brochure is close to my color.

Tim - Thanks for the offer of clutch head bolts. I'll try to get from a parts house on an order that I'm putting together. If not, I may take you up on your offer.

- Lonnie

Which Air Flow heater decal for my 1954 Harrison HD 04 54?

This decal is at American Classics, Bills Truck Shop, Classic Truck Parts, The Filling Station, and Jim Carter.

This decal is at Chevs of the 40's. Sometimes the link to Chevs doesn't work, so here is the Google link to the Chevs decal.

Both decals claim to be for a 1954 Air Flow heater.

A previous owner stripped and painted my heater and used the Chevs of the 40's decal. I don't know if he chose the decal to match the original or if that's just what he bought.

By the way, I painted my heater case with Hammerite Bronze rattle-can paint. The color is pretty close to the original. However, the hammer texture is very strong. I'm afraid that the Fresh Air decal and the defroster control decal may catch air bubbles in the valleys of the hammertone texture.

Thanks again for your help,

- Lonnie

I have seen this one on a couple of original heaters. decal

I will be watching this thread to see what everyone thinks.I have one out in the garage that has no decal on it.Some of the decals was originally painted on.

Tim

Tim,

I think that your decal is the 1953-1955 Air Flow heater decal. I think the 54-55 recirculating heater decal looks like this (I am not sure about 1953).

However, I like the Chevs of the 40s decal that Lonnie linked-to.

Tim,I'm thinking of the same decal for the air flow,like mentioned above.

I have never seen the chevy of the 40's version of the decal before.It would be ideal to see an actual original like it.

Tim

I painted and installed the Air Flow heater in my '54 3100. Here are the details that I discussed and questioned earlier in this thread:

Clutch Head Bolts: I bought 1/4-20 clutch head bolts from Paragon Corvette. According to the '51 Accessories Installation Manual, a hex head bolt must be used in the center hole near the firewall. Can't reach it with a screwdriver; difficult with a wrench. The '54 manual implies that the bolt is left out. The new heater gasket is not punched for the bolt. I used a hex head in the hole.

Paint: I painted the heater housing with Hammerite Rust Cap Bronze #HAM-41185. It is very close to the original color that I found under the motor gasket. It has a more pronounced texture than the original paint.

Air Flow Decal: I used the decal from Jim Carter. I also bought a decal from Chevs of the 40's. It was not the decal pictured on line or in my earlier posting. It was like the Jim Carter decal, only not as shiney. I sanded the paint under the decal so that the texture of the paint does not affect the decal.

12v Motor: I used a 12v motor from a 1960 Chevy car. Probably got some sand in it when I sand blasted it, but it sounds ok and blows like a hurricane. It is a little smaller in diameter than the original 6v motor and the mounting bolts are about 1/8" closer together. I filed the mounting holes in the heater case to fit the bolts. The opening in the new firewall gasket from Jim Carter is smaller that the original and fits the new 12v motor perfectly. I painted the gray metal gasket ring black. Note - square drive screws into the gasket ring look like clutch head if you don't look too closely.

Ranco Valve: The rebuilt Ranco valve has a maroon knob instead of black. Doesn't bother me. I painted the mounts for the temperature control and the recirculating cable to match the heater instead of the dash. Seems like the white "Pull ..." decal could not be seen on pearl beige.

Heater Hose Clip: I made a clip for the heater hoses using photos that Gus (DADS50) sent to me.

Fan Switch: I bought a broken fan switch for $20 to make the installation look correct and hooked a fabric wire in a dead loop as if it is connected to power. I replaced the broken porcelin on the resistor with plaster and white shellac primer.

"Real" Fan Switch: I mounted a 12v three-speed rotary switch to the kick panel above the dash so that it is hidden. Although it looks close in the photo, the resistor is not near any wire.

The '54 Accessories Installation Manual says to mount the fan switch on the right of the air control cable, same as the '51 manual. My dash is predrilled to mount it on the left of the cable. I have pix of an unrestored '54 that also has the fan switch on the left. Wonder if the mounting was changed in '54 and not documented in the manual?

Thanks to everyone who helped and answered my questions.

- Lonnie