Heater motor...

[Paul Witek <pwitek@domain.elided>]

Well, I'm sure this approach will draw some criticism, but bear in mind I was a poor college student at the time.

When the heater fan motor in my 81 Spider was found to be a solid lump of rust, I too balked at the high price of a replacement.  "This is a freakin' electric motor", I thought, "how special can it be?"  So I paid a visit to a cousin and her husband who had inherited a whole stack of unknown auto parts that were left behind when they bought their house.

I chose a motor that was approximately the right size, diameter-wise, and had the same shaft diameter as the original. It was a bit longer, so I had to cut a hole in the bottom of the heater box, and "massage" the transmission tunnel a tiny bit with a hammer for clearance.

The motor was a snug fit into the heater box, and I secured it with a little epoxy.

The upside to this approach was twofold:  1) it cost me a few dollars for a tube of JB Weld, as opposed to $100+ for an original motor, and 2) the replacement fan must've been from a freakin' school bus, because that sucker put out the air!  No problem at all defrosting the windshield.

So, my advice?  The heater motor can probably be substituted with one from a lesser make (at a lesser price) without negatively impacting the inherent value of a Spider.  Stop by your friendly auto parts store during a slow time, and see if you can find something that'll work.  You could, I suppose, use a used motor like I did, but knowing what a pain it is to get the heater out, you probably would do well to use a new one.

YMMV, etc. etc.

- Paul Witek


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