[1967-SS396]

I have dealer installed Custom Air Conditioning in my 66. It was installed when the car was purchased new from Russell Chevrolet in Little Rock AR. The car underwent a total off the frame restoration from 2006 until April 2008 when it was completed. I purchased the car in 2016 from the person who had the restoration done. I have spoken with this person on occasion even after purchasing the car. The car is well documented.

My issue. The air conditioning was restored and the under dash unit looks like new and performs very well. However, the blower fan has begun to squeal. Keep in mind, the blower motor is not located inside the under dash unit. It is located in a housing that joins into the cars factory duct work behind the glove box. Obviously the bearings in the blower motor are beginning to show their age. Verified by the previous owner, the blower motor was not restored as it performed as it should at the time of the restoration and reinstalled.

I have tried to find a suitable replacement blower motor, but I have had no such luck in doing so. This motor is much shorter than the blower motors you find in Chevelles with Heat only or in factory AC/Heat cars. The shortness of the motor allows it to fit inside the blower motor housing and clear the backside of the firewall and the backside of the dash. The overall length from the front of the fan to the rear of the motor is 5-1/2" plus another 1/4" that consists of the tip of the motor shaft. The overall length of the motor with the fan installed on the motor is 5-3/4".

The motor is stamped Rochester NY USA - Delco APPL (Application?) - 13.5 Volts - 5044576 - I assume this is a part number. I was wondering if anyone has found a suitable replacement motor for this application. If so, please let me know.

I know the motor can be rebuilt, but I am reluctant to send this one off for a rebuild without a spare. If someone has a motor from a 66 or 67 Chevelle that came with the dealer installed custom air conditioning and wouldn't mind parting with it, would you please let me know. I would feel better sending one off to be rebuilt if I had a backup motor.

Included are some pictures of the motor, the motor with mounting flange, housing and fan installed, the blower motor mounted to the housing with the mounting bracket for mounting it to the underside of the dash.

 

[oldcutlass]

Instead of replacing the motor have you tried to lubricate it?

 

[SFD]

I would give these guys a call. I dealt with older guys that know their stuff and cross references. Have all the motor information ready and the rotation direction. My experience was good.

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[1967-SS396]

Instead of replacing the motor have you tried to lubricate it?

Thanks for your reply. With it being rarer than hens teeth, I'm not inclined to disassemble the motor. Don't think
I haven't already thought about it though.

 

[cherokeepeople]

i would try to drill a small hole in the little tip that sticks out on the end of the motor and try a little 3 in 1 oil in the hole.then put a dab of silicon on it to seal the hole shut.

 

[Humberd]

Do you have a local rebuilder in your area ?
It probably needs a new shaft bushing.

 

[Aml383]

I have dealer installed Custom Air Conditioning in my 66. It was installed when the car was purchased new from Russell Chevrolet in Little Rock AR. The car underwent a total off the frame restoration from 2006 until April 2008 when it was completed. I purchased the car in 2016 from the person who had the restoration done. I have spoken with this person on occasion even after purchasing the car. The car is well documented.

My issue. The air conditioning was restored and the under dash unit looks like new and performs very well. However, the blower fan has begun to squeal. Keep in mind, the blower motor is not located inside the under dash unit. It is located in a housing that joins into the cars factory duct work behind the glove box. Obviously the bearings in the blower motor are beginning to show their age. Verified by the previous owner, the blower motor was not restored as it performed as it should at the time of the restoration and reinstalled.

I have tried to find a suitable replacement blower motor, but I have had no such luck in doing so. This motor is much shorter than the blower motors you find in Chevelles with Heat only or in factory AC/Heat cars. The shortness of the motor allows it to fit inside the blower motor housing and clear the backside of the firewall and the backside of the dash. The overall length from the front of the fan to the rear of the motor is 5-1/2" plus another 1/4" that consists of the tip of the motor shaft. The overall length of the motor with the fan installed on the motor is 5-3/4".

The motor is stamped Rochester NY USA - Delco APPL (Application?) - 13.5 Volts - 5044576 - I assume this is a part number. I was wondering if anyone has found a suitable replacement motor for this application. If so, please let me know.

I know the motor can be rebuilt, but I am reluctant to send this one off for a rebuild without a spare. If someone has a motor from a 66 or 67 Chevelle that came with the dealer installed custom air conditioning and wouldn't mind parting with it, would you please let me know. I would feel better sending one off to be rebuilt if I had a backup motor.

Included are some pictures of the motor, the motor with mounting flange, housing and fan installed, the blower motor mounted to the housing with the mounting bracket for mounting it to the underside of the dash.

View attachment 715863 View attachment 715864 View attachment 715865

Good suggestions above but if you cant find a guy to rebuild then
Call NPD . high quality parts and if they dont Have it theylle point you in the right direction.
7043310900
National parts depot

 

[1967-SS396]

i would try to drill a small hole in the little tip that sticks out on the end of the motor and try a little 3 in 1 oil in the hole.then put a dab of silicon on it to seal the hole shut.

Thanks for your reply. I have thought about doing your exact suggestion. The motor still works although as I mentioned it has a squeal. The squeal is in the low and medium positions. There isn't a squeal on the hi selection. Currently the motor still works. I am reluctant to drill a hole in the tail end to lubricate the shaft / bushing. I'm worried about even getting the tinyest bit of metal flake/shavings introduced into the motor.

Like I said, it is a rare piece and until it stops working I'm reluctant to try this idea. I would really like to find another motor that will fit. This is a difficult thing to do. No auto part store is going to let me measure every blower motor for a GM vehicle they have in stock. Although, I would! I was hoping maybe someone had ran into the situation of needing to replace their motor and found an alternative motor that would work. I can look at pictures on the parts stores websites for alternatives, but there aren't any dimensions given for parts.

One thing that is very noticeable about the the size of the motor is the location where the cooling hose attaches to the motor. There is a quarter of an inch from the edge of this hole to the back edge of the motor before the shape changes to accept the shaft. It is also a quarter of an inch from the edge of the hole to the mounting flange. I have been looking at pictures on the net to see if I can spot a motor like that. It's a pretty recognizable part about the motor and gives a good interpretation of its size. With that being said, It would have to have a fan no deeper than 2-1/2" front to back that rotates clockwise.

Everyone's suggestions have been really great and I have thought about them myself. I talked to two different motor repair shops, but they wouldn't work on a 55 year old DC motor. I know companies are out there who would work on this motor, I just don't know how to find them.

I'm open for more suggestions so everyone keep them coming. It might get to the point where I will need to try several suggestions if I can't find a replacement.
Thanks!

 

[Alwhite00]

You really don’t have anything to loose by drilling a hole to lubricate. It will still need to be rebuilt or replaced anyway. I have done this a few times with good results.

 

[LeoP]

Thanks for your reply. I have thought about doing your exact suggestion. The motor still works although as I mentioned it has a squeal. The squeal is in the low and medium positions. There isn't a squeal on the hi selection. Currently the motor still works. I am reluctant to drill a hole in the tail end to lubricate the shaft / bushing. I'm worried about even getting the tinyest bit of metal flake/shavings introduced into the motor.

Like I said, it is a rare piece and until it stops working I'm reluctant to try this idea. I would really like to find another motor that will fit. This is a difficult thing to do. No auto part store is going to let me measure every blower motor for a GM vehicle they have in stock. Although, I would! I was hoping maybe someone had ran into the situation of needing to replace their motor and found an alternative motor that would work. I can look at pictures on the parts stores websites for alternatives, but there aren't any dimensions given for parts.

One thing that is very noticeable about the the size of the motor is the location where the cooling hose attaches to the motor. There is a quarter of an inch from the edge of this hole to the back edge of the motor before the shape changes to accept the shaft. It is also a quarter of an inch from the edge of the hole to the mounting flange. I have been looking at pictures on the net to see if I can spot a motor like that. It's a pretty recognizable part about the motor and gives a good interpretation of its size. With that being said, It would have to have a fan no deeper than 2-1/2" front to back that rotates clockwise.

Everyone's suggestions have been really great and I have thought about them myself. I talked to two different motor repair shops, but they wouldn't work on a 55 year old DC motor. I know companies are out there who would work on this motor, I just don't know how to find them.

I'm open for more suggestions so everyone keep them coming. It might get to the point where I will need to try several suggestions if I can't find a replacement.
Thanks!

use a magnet to draw any possible shavings/drillings after drilling the hole. At this point, give it a try and good luck!!

 

[wayner66]

I suggest determining the actual condition of your motor. Spin the motor with the squirrel cage attached. Does it spin well, say 10 revolutions with a single push? My old blower did so I left it as is. With the cage attached, does it have any end play or wobble? If not you have a good part. Hook up a DC power supply to the motor and test it to simulate the squeal. From what I read here, you just need to lubricate the bushings, just like everyone has said. I can appreciate your apprehension about sending off the motor for a rebuild. I think you have a good part and with a bit of ingenuity, you will be good to go. I think the likelihood of finding a "spare" is low and not worth it. Good luck.

 

[1967-SS396]

I suggest determining the actual condition of your motor. Spin the motor with the squirrel cage attached. Does it spin well, say 10 revolutions with a single push? My old blower did so I left it as is. With the cage attached, does it have any end play or wobble? If not you have a good part. Hook up a DC power supply to the motor and test it to simulate the squeal. From what I read here, you just need to lubricate the bushings, just like everyone has said. I can appreciate your apprehension about sending off the motor for a rebuild. I think you have a good part and with a bit of ingenuity, you will be good to go. I think the likelihood of finding a "spare" is low and not worth it. Good luck.

Thank you for the reply. Yes, I have hooked up the power supply to the fan when I removed it from it's housing. The fan spins fine. Just a rather loud squeal. There isn't any end or side play in the shaft. Everyone's suggestions have been spot on. They are all things that I have been thinking about myself. Just hate to have something happen to the motor. It's hot in Texas

 

[1967-SS396]

use a magnet to draw any possible shavings/drillings after drilling the hole. At this point, give it a try and good luck!!

Thanks for the reply. Yes, the magnet idea had crossed my mind. Seems we all think alike!

 

[wayner66]

You are on the path to a solution. You have already considered your options and have the good fortune of stellar advice from this site. This is how it should work. We are here to both learn and educate. Although you may have thought that your early posts were too long, that is exactly what we need to be helpful. Posts like yours are what I look for to offer advice. BTW, I built my Chevelle in Texas and, yes, it can be hot. Good luck. Wayne

 

[1967-SS396]

I really want to thank everyone for their suggestions. They were all fantastic ideas and things I had been thinking of myself. I
just needed my thoughts on a fix / repair confirmed and you all did. I'm going to drill a fine hole in the end of the motor while using a magnet to catch the metal debris. I will lubricate the back bearing / bushing with a few drops of 3 in 1 oil and seal the hole with some black silicone. I will also apply some oil to the shaft and give it a day to penetrate the bearing / bushing in the front of the motor.

Knowing that there are no replacement motors for this application makes one hesitant to try things that could potentially damage the motor. But as was said, what choice do I have. It gets hot in Texas and AC is a must for nine months out of the year. I will take others suggestions if lubricating the motor doesn't work and try to find someone to rebuild the motor this winter.

For anyone who comes across this thread in the future, I was able to confirm through old Chevrolet parts books that this particular motor, Chevy part number 5044576 was used in all Chevrolet cars from 1964-1966 that had the Dealer "Custom Air Conditioning" as an accessory installed.

If anyone is interested, I'll post up some pictures after the components are reinstalled.

Thanks, again to all of you for your suggestions and participation in this thread!

 

[cherokeepeople]

yeah i would like to see pics of this a/c unit.the only dealer installed option i was aware of was the under dash units.

 

[vortec710]

FWIW..and I date myself..many years ago, the drill the hole and oil the bearing solution occurred in a issue of Popular Sciences’ Model Garage / Gus Wilson proprietor if anyone still remembers the series. Good luck.

 

[AK71SS]

You may have run across this but in case you haven't. Looks like other Chevy owners are looking for the same thing for different vehicles so maybe further networking will have good results. Dealer Installed A/C for 64-66 - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network