[Bobalong]

Been wayyy to many years since I replaced my A/C blower motor, 70 GTO. The hood is off and the engine is out being rebuilt. What's the easiest way to get access to the blower without cutting out the access panel in the inner fender ?
Is it possible to drop the inner fender enough to gain access without removing the outer fender ? I'm trying to do this without having to realign the hood, fender, door clearances when finished. IF that's possible, plus I'm getting lazy in my old age.

[Formulajones]

The inner fenders will come out without removing the fender, just takes a little finagling. I've had the inner fenders out for blower motors in a few F-bodies and A-bodies, it's not all that bad to do.

[HWYSTR455]

I've had to take the tire off before to get the inner fender out, but it's not too bad. You can get it out without taking the tire/wheel off, but the amount of time and frustration, it's easier to just accept the fact that you're going to have to take it off.

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[78w72]

if the motor is out, ive had no probablem taking the entire a/c box off the firewall with wheel wells still in the car, on a 2nd gen firebird. seems a gto would have even more room to do it.

[mgarblik]

I just have to tell this story and it is related. When I worked as a technician at a Pontiac Dealer in 1979, a customer came in with a Brewster Green 4-speed SD-455 Trans Am for a blower motor. The FACTORY service manual said to CUT the inner fender to gain access and then seal it up when done. I just couldn't do it. I knew how valuable those cars were going to be and they already had quite a following in 1979. I called the customer and explained the situation and he agreed to pay me $50.00 cash on the side to pull the inner fender. He was a smart guy. Otherwise, I would have had to hack up an SD car. Even the factory didn't give a damn about doing things right, just get it done, period!

[Bobalong]

Originally Posted by 78w72

if the motor is out, ive had no probablem taking the entire a/c box off the firewall with wheel wells still in the car, on a 2nd gen firebird. seems a gto would have even more room to do it.

Good thought, so I went out and looked to see if that would work . . . . . .seemed like a good idea but no go for A body. Heater hose nipples, AC box and rear of inner fender all tucked in there real tight.

HWYSTR455 I think has the best suggestion, remove the tire, make some room and start turning wrenches. . . . .then off to Autoworld to see what blower motors of that size, but from 80's (where more RPM is made) can be fabricated to fit.
I'm looking for a faster blower speed to increase my A/C - Heater air flow.
Evaporator is clean, duct joints have been taped . . . .just needs more CFM
Will report back when I find something.

[428GTO70]

Originally Posted by Bobalong

off to Autoworld to see what blower motors of that size, but from 80's (where more RPM is made) can be fabricated to fit.

You may be surprised to know that the same blower motor that goes in our 70 GTO was used all the way into the early 90's (Oreilly's.com compatibility chart shows over 15000 applications for the PM102 blower motor). I think the cars that seem to blow more air is more of a factor of the design of the system rather than the blower motor.

Also making sure you have good grounds and power connection to the blower motor, as well as good seals on the blend doors etc. Of course a new blower motor may still be in order, but just getting the right one for your car and making sure you have good connections can help a bunch.

Also I will also say that the best attack for changing it is to pull off the tire and just pull the inner fender out. It can be done and back together in under a couple hours easy.

[78w72]

tucked in very tight on f-bodies too, but sure enough it comes out. once loosened you have to finagle it off the heater core tubes as you pull out & to the driver side. but when i do this its usually on a parts car that is getting stripped so i dont care about being rough with it & probaby had to tweak the heater core tubes a bit more than you would on your own car.

good luck.

[track73]

Cutting the inner fender is what I learned back in 73. I took off the inner panel to change the heater motor on my T/A only to fine out that the ground wire was off.

[Tom Vaught]

300 Grams of C4 will REMOVE it in about .00001 seconds.

Tom V.

[Bobalong]

SUCCESS. . . .Was dreading, fretting how to get to this motor without a gazillion screw and fender alignment issues when putting it back together. In less than an hour, removed the tire, a dozen bolts and some creative wiggle and tugging and the inner fender came right out.
Now begins the hunt for the highest RPM similar motor I can find.


Quote from 428GTO70:
You may be surprised to know that the same blower motor that goes in our 70 GTO was used all the way into the early 90's (Oreilly's.com compatibility chart shows over 15000 applications for the PM102 blower motor). I think the cars that seem to blow more air is more of a factor of the design of the system rather than the blower motor.


I'll report back when I choose my replacement. In the morning my first NAPA visit locally will be looking for a 1997 chevy pick up truck blower, internet pics indicate it is the pm102 mentioned above.
Also I am having doubts about the actual squirrel cage that is on the motor. I remember back in the early 80's replacing this cage from a local parts store, my oem was cracked plastic and all they had was metal. Not sure now that I look at it, that it's the right size.
And finally, I know the evaporator is clean and clear of debris, but there's some connections, and places that could use a little sealer & foil tape to prevent air leaks.

[428GTO70]

The one in my 70 GTO is a metal squirrel cage also, and mine had an issue where the cage part had come loose from the center that attached to the blower motor shaft. This made the cage spin free, separately from the motor shaft so not only did it sound horrible it would not blow worth a crap. I assumed my blower motor had a bad bearing or something but it was the cage. Something to check while its out.

[HWYSTR455]

True on the squirrel cage, they can get loose on the shaft.

I think the design of the cage limits the capacity of air, and unless you change it, regardless of how fast you spin it, it's always going to be the same.

Another area you should verify is clear, sealed, and operating correctly is the fresh air door in the kick panel area. There's a soft rubber elbow that goes from the firewall to the flapper door area that if it is collapsed, it won't flow jack. (maybe I will post a pick of one out of the car as an example).

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[Bobalong]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

True on the squirrel cage, they can get loose on the shaft.

I think the design of the cage limits the capacity of air, and unless you change it, regardless of how fast you spin it, it's always going to be the same.

Another area you should verify is clear, sealed, and operating correctly is the fresh air door in the kick panel area. There's a soft rubber elbow that goes from the firewall to the flapper door area that if it is collapsed, it won't flow jack. (maybe I will post a pick of one out of the car as an example).

.

I agree. The fins on the existing cage just don't seem large enough.