A/C blower motor decision

[Duodec]

The blower motor in my A/C equipped '71 was working when removed years ago.  Sometime since I found a NIB Carter replacement motor cheap so I picked it up; its just the motor not the fan, and looks somewhat different.

Today I tested them both with a desktop DC power supply.  The original one was stiff but I spun it by hand for a bit and it loosened up.  When I run it at 12.5V it draws nearly 10 amps (with the fan installed).  I know the fan will make it consume more power but that sounds excessive.   The NIB Carter motor draws about 2.1 amps at 12.5V.   

The difference seems excessive and I assume the original motor could use a cleanup and relubrication but I haven't found an instructional video as yet.  Anyone aware of a good instruction or example source for this?

I don't really want to pay for a full restore; it doesn't need to be replated, wired replaced, etc.  Just cleaned up and mechanically refreshed, especially if I can do it myself.

Also, any source for the gasket/seal that fits on the motor flange?  This is not the foam gasket that comes in the DMT a/c box rebuild kits.

Thanks

[Duodec]

the motor gasket

[Duodec]

I got the squirrel cage off cleanly and got the motor apart.  It was hard to turn but smooth, and as expected the motor guts were full of congealed dust.  The fan end shaft is still in the upper housing's apparent bushing and I'm reluctant to force it but I am pretty sure I can clean it up, degrease it, and re-oil it.  I'm certain that getting the front and rear bushings cleaned up and relubed with proper oil is all this motor needs and I'd really rather not use an aftermarket if this one will work.  And I'm also hoping to not spend hundreds getting it refurbished and replated; this is not a high end resto.

The rear part I can see a bushing surrounded by what appears to be a felt filled reservoir; this is the same as a _lot_ of electric fan motors.  Normally you can take those motors apart enough to clean the bushing and 'refill' the felt with a quality electric motor oil and get years more use; in this case I don't see getting the bushing out so going to give it a soak in strong degreaser/brake cleaner, dry it out, then re-oil it.

The problem: when the motor shaft was pulled out of the rear housing the spring loaded brushes sprang out and blocked access to the bushing (and to reinstalling the shaft).   There's a small hole in the side of the motor and I assume when it was assembled they had a fixture that could go into that hole and hold the brushes out far enough for the shaft and the commutator to be inserted.

Any good ideas on how to repeat that operation?  One though I had was to drill two small holes in the back of the motor in a position such that I use a couple thin brads or pieces of stiff wire.  Use long pick from the top or side hole to push each brush back, then slide brad/wire in from the back to hold them until the motor shaft is reinserted in place.  Sucks to drill the holes.  Any other ideas?

[7E-Bodies]

I had my blower motor done by Topher McGinnis over on the Facebook side. Excellent work, stellar communication and from what I remember, very reasonable.

[Duodec]

Thanks, I may look him up.  After quite a few days of searching and asking on forums about how to get the rear housing off with no useable responses, and thinking that the four staked areas showing on it went into the laminated stator and so had to be drilled out, I drilled them out.  The housing came right off and it will be easy to get things back together and much easier to clean and relive the rear bushing.

The downside is I found out those stake marks, front and back, are only there to position the laminated stator and should have played no part in holding the rear housing on.  There was some built up grime and rust between the laminated part and the housing such that I could not twist it off, nor tap it off using a long punch through the rear bolt holes.  I would bet that if I sprayed some Kroil or PB between the stator and housing, then the punch or some enthusiastic vise-assisted twisting would have worked.  So now I have four holes in the housing that I have to get filled back in with a little nub on the inside that won't break off if tapped or pressed on by the stator.  I've tried silver solder and brazing but can't get either to stick to the housing, regardless of fluxing.  Epoxy, even JBWeld with steel in it is probably not going to work for the 'holding the stator from sliding back' task.

I think I need a weld, and that isn't readily available.

Aftermarket motors are readily available but they look very different and are totally different construction.  I'm going to see if I can find another OEM one, even a dead one as long as its housing is in decent shape.  Otherwise will have to find someone around here who can do a bit of precision heavy sheet metal small hole filling for me.