520 Heater Blower Motor: Where do I get one or can i rebuild?

[vettespeed]

The blower motor in my 1966 520 stopped working and I don't see any auto parts or after market places offering new/rebuilt ones? Anyone know where to get one? It looks to be a very simple little electric motor with three tabs attatched to the side of the can. If they are not available has anyone found a motor you can use by simply attatching the tabs to it. Or can you rebuild them. I did open it up, clean it up and lube it a little and got it spinning again, but very slowly. The brushes are definately in bad shape and even if I put new brushes in it the commutator cantacts are heavily worn. What are my options?

 

 

 

 

 

[wayno]

They made several differant versions over the years, but any 520/21 heater box will fit your 520, I don't know if all the holes were made in the 520 heater boxes to accept the 521 motor, but the 521 boxes had holes for more than one blower motor.

I beleave I have the motor you need the the shed, do you ever get down to the vancouver/portland area?

[dat521gatherer]

I have a spare on of those. I'll try to post a pic tonight.

[dat521gatherer]

 

I also have a whole assembly.

[wayno]

 

I also have a whole assembly.

 

The motor on the left in the photo above makes a weird noise when it starts going bad, the armature is a flat disc, and the brushes lay on it like a record player, but they work great till they go bad, which isn't that often, but I have been threw two in the last 15 years of daily use.

[vettespeed]

I was hoping for a new one or a rebuild as even if a used unit is working fine at the moment it may be ready to go bad at any moment, plus a well used unit never seems to spin as fast as a new one even if it is not making noise. So these are not available new/rebuilt anywhere??? I'll go with a good working used unit if I can't come up with something.

 

Dat521gatherer, the motor I have has 3 tabs/mounting holes spaced at 0, 90, and 180 degrees, it looks like your motors have mounting holes equally spaced every 120 degrees, don't think it will mount to my box??

 

Wayno, don't get down there very often but you could ship, you have a picture?

 

Thanks guys, Mike.

[wayno]

It looks like I only have one motor like that, and I am not sure what is in my 66 520 right now.

I ran the motor, it didn't spin paticularly fast, but the fan blade was broken, so the whole thing is out of balance.

None of the 520/21 series trucks had fans that moved a lot of air, fact is the defrosters are marginal at best, my freind down the street modified the 521 heater box to except a 720 blower motor, as the 521 defroster drove him crazy.

If I were you, I would look for a 521 heater box with a good motor and heater core, as they(521s) are easier to come by, if I can get the heater box out of the 520, as it is not hooked up at this moment, and it is not the type of motor you need, then I will sell you this one, as I will have no others like it, so I would have no reason to hang on to it.

 

 

 

[vettespeed]

Well as I like a really good heater I bought a new 720 motor and modified it to fit and seal tightly in the original heater box. It is a much bigger motor and I was really anticipating a much better heater that blew faster and harder. Unfortunately I was kind of disappointed. I can't say it's much better than the original 520 motor when it was working properly. Can't say I can really explain this but at least it's working again and hopefully for a long time. I should have taken pictures of what I did but, I didn't.

[wayno]

What is the issue you are having?

Not enough heat?

Defrosters don't work good?

If the defrosters are the issue, make sure the plastic defroster pieces(cowls??) are lined up with the defroster holes in the dash top, sometimes they get twisted out of position.

If heat is the issue, then it's a little more difficult, you can buy another heater box complete and mount it somewhere else(behind/under seat on it's back???), and then pipe it in series so the heated water goes threw both cores and then back to the engine, then you will have two heaters in your truck.

My friend down the street used the whole 720 heater box in his 521, he said he was happier with it, but when he re-did everything, he went back to the 521 heater box, as the 720 one was in the way of the passengers feet/shins.

[vettespeed]

Oh, I'm probably being a little too optimistic of the amount of heat I could get out of that tiny little heater box. I just thought the 720 blower motor would blow much harder and faster than the original 520 motor, and it really doesn't. I just like a really hot heater. I think I will check what thermostat is in it and most likely put in a 195 to get a little more heat out of it.