Blower motor replacement

[Ozark Tim]

I have a blower motor going out on my 72 F-100 Explorer and am not sure what the process is to change it. Last night I looked it over and came to the conclusion I have no idea what the procedure involves this being my first old Ford truck. It has factory a/c that is operational and I have been using it a lot here in MO with the heat index's over 110 degrees. Can anyone give me a play by play, or is there some procedure manual I should refer to for this?
Thanks,
OT

[flyboy2610]

My Chilton's manual gives only one entry for the 65-77's, and does not differentiate between AC and non AC models.
1 Disconnect the electrical wires from the motor and the ground from the top of the heater.
2 Remove the screws retaining the motor to the heater box.
3 Remove the motor.
4 Loosen the blower wheel Allen screw and remove the wheel.
5 Remove the screws retaining the motor to the mounting plate and separate the motor
Installation is the reverse of removal.
if anything is different on an AC truck somebody else will tell you about it.

[Ozark Tim]

Thanks for taking the time to look. That doesnt seem consistant with what I saw, but then again I could be wrong. I did a quick check when the blower startd making noise, and I couldnt even put a hand on it. Hopefully there is a simple solution.
I owned a 67 Ford truck w/o a/c many years ago for a short time and I think you could actually see the blower motor when you were sitting in the truck, but this is definately not the case with the 72 and factory a/c.
Thanks again for taking time to respond,
Ozark Tim

[Chasbod]

It's a whole different ballgame w/ the factory A/C. The blower motor on a heater only truck is right there in front and easily accessible. W/ the factory A/C, it's embedded in the under dash unit. I don't have any personal experience w/ the factory unit so hopefully someone else will respond.

[Ozark Tim]

Something tells me you are correct. That is a scary thought to drop all that equipment to replace a blower motor, but surely someone has dealt with this issue and can fill me in on what I am in store for. Hopefullt the same engineer who designed the dipstick accesability on my engine wasnt responsible for the blower moter. Ha!
Thanks for the response,
Ozark Tim

[FORDification]

You're not going to enjoy this task at all. The entire heater/AC unit does need to be removed and then split in half to give you access to the blower motor. Unfortunately, this will also mean disconnecting your A/C lines, requiring you to recharge your system once everything is reinstalled.

[oldschoolrods]

I looked this up in my 69 shop manual, and it said about removing the entire unit then removing like 30 screws to get the blower motor out

[Ozark Tim]

OUCH!!!!!!!!! I shouldnt be surprised when I couldnt visually locate it the other day. I suppose that blower is the original so I wont fret to badly, but you have to wonder why someone designed that kind of a mess. I will try to deal with that one over the weekend, and hopefully it goes well.
Thanks for the updates, and the information, even if it is depressing.......
Ozark Tim