I have had many 122s , 544s and a 210. They all had one thing in common, the blowers all sounded like they were trying to tear the car apart. I believe it has to do with worn shaft "bearings" which are just a saturn-like sphere rotating in a felt bushing all held in a pressed metal housing. Oiling only temporarilly soothed the beast.

I have discoved a permanent fix. The motor shaft is 7mm, the seats in the motor housing are 22mm. I bought (2) NACHI 627 ZZ C3 bearings (also the NSK part number) from Motion Industries (located all over the country) for $6.77 total.

The bearings are not just a good fit, they are a PERFECT FIT. (Although you will probably need to take 320 grade wet/dry and clean off offending light corrosion on the shaft).

The new sound is sweet, the rush of warm air is now the loudest sound. And I firmly belive that it now puts out more air flow as the bearings run smoother, letting the blower spin faster than ever.

Thanks, I LOVE these kind of hints!! Another "fix" I have heard of is to use similar bearings on the shafts of S.U. carbs, so they don't have to be rebuilt/reshafted every couple of years. I've never actually done this, but it seems to be permanent solution. Machining could be a chore, but the benefits,...!

I don't think the SU carb body is bulky enough to allow for antifriction
bearings. Rhys (Island Automotion) puts teflon bushings in his that work
pretty well. HIF6 carbs have rubber seals that also work well.
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George Downs Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Good fix! Reengineering sure is satisfying, isn't it?

(A little more reengineering)-
Consider also a bearing with a 2RS suffix. It indicates rubber seals on each side that contact the shaft, whereas ZZ designates a noncontact shield on both sides. The rubber seals will keep the bearing cleaner and the bearing will last longer, though either might outlast the rest of the car. (And maybe us!)

Thanks for the tip! It's always a good thing to find these little things out!

Now...how does one get the blower squirrel cage off the motor shaft? Mine has a low-carbon slotted screw in it that WILL NOT come out. It just destroyed itselft when I tried to turn it (maybe I don't know my own strength?)

I finally resorted to drilling it out, completely THROUGH the shaft and out the other side...so I could install a friction pin instead of a screw.

Then the motor self-destructed when I loosened the long body screws that held it together...*sigh*

It kinda looked like one of those Demolition Derby cars I had as a kid - touch it and you end up with parts all over the room!!

I have all the parts, and I even found both halves of the tiny phenolic brush holder and successfully repaired it with Gorilla Glue.

Then I went through my Dad's shop and dug out a motor and fan assembly for a Datsun (Nissan) sedan that fits perfectly, no repairs needed. Not stock, but most people couldn't tell the difference.

Like I really NEED a heater out here in the desert! I should spend my time gathering up air conditioning parts!

I had a tremendous amount of greif with that set screw too. And once I finally got it out, the cage wouldn't come off for anything. Lots of PBlaster, vice grips, twisting, swearing, and a certian amount of disregard for potential damage to the motor were required.

My motor originally would barely budge, and would only gradually start a lackluster spin. I cleaned and relubed the bushings, and cleanted and smoothed the commutator (over time they build up conductive dust from the brushes between the contacts which allows some of the current to short-circuit the windings) and it was much happier. Still not going to blow your baseball cap off into the back seat like some new cars, but it at least now gets the job done.
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I'm JohnMc, and I approved this message.