Topic: 65 Heater Motor

[Texas Swede]

My 65 GT350 was manufactured at San Jose on 5-7 of May 1965 and I have a question about the
heater motor. Should there by some kind of isolation tape around the middle of the motor case?
If so, does anybody know how wide it should be? The motor has one yellow and one brown wire.
Thanks,
Texas Swede

[Brant]

Bo,

All the ones I have seen have this tape.  I think that black masking type of tape works well.  I'll have to get the width for you.  I can't remember exactly.

Here are pictures of originals.  First is an early motor (NOS, but looks like the assembly line ones I have observed) and then a later motor in a very original car (sorry the picture is not better.)

[Texas Swede]

Thanks Brant,
Looking forward to the width of the tape,
Texas Swede

[67gta289]

Available here:
http://www.deadnutson.com/page/page/2965331.htm

[Texas Swede]

Thanks John,
I will order the tape from deadnutson.
Texas Swede

[jwc66k]

Thanks Brant,
Looking forward to the width of the tape,
Texas Swede

The tape is one inch wide and a dark tan in color. Regular masking tape is too light in shade, what you are looking for is closer to brown paper bag (brown paper bag with contact cement?).
Slightly off topic, the tape used on a San Jose 67 (May 67 build) was one inch friction tape.
Jim

[Texas Swede]

Thanks Jim,
I ordered the tape from deadnutson and they say their tape is black. Can it be the tape loses it's
luster over the years? Much like myself.
Texas Swede

[CharlesTurner]

The original tape I've been seeing doesn't have a brown appearance, it's more of a blotchy dark to medium gray.  The tape on driven cars will lighten with age though.

[jwc66k]

The guy I bought my San Jose build 65 GT Fastback from pressure washed the engine compartment prior to my buying the car. He didn't do that good a job. I remember that there was a small piece of what looked like masking tape attached to the bottom left of the blower that I knocked off when I replaced the heater core. That was 19 years ago. I have a "Dec 2 1965" dated motor sitting on my desk as I type. You can see the remnants of something in one spot about three inches long. It is 15/16inch wide. I just removed a painted over 1/4 inch chunk. Whatever material it is, the color against the motor housing is light brown (almost rust?).
So, by the process of elimination, it is not plastic tape, it is not duct tape, it is not friction tape and it don't stick well. Using a bit of logic, as the tape deterioriates over time and appears to have allowed moisture thru to the housing, it is most likely paper based. Masking tape has that type of property so as a replacment material, masking tape. Charles say grey or dark blotch. So the question remaining is - where do you get it?
Jim

[CharlesTurner]

On something like a concours car, I have spray painted 1" wide masking tape and wrapped it around the motor.  For the T-bred stuff, I would use an NOS motor like in the picture above that has the original tape.

[J_Speegle]

On something like a concours car, I have spray painted 1" wide masking tape and wrapped it around the motor.  ...............

+1 Always found that this reproduces the look and texture of the original for any year classic Mustang

[ChrisV289]

On something like a concours car, I have spray painted 1" wide masking tape and wrapped it around the motor.  For the T-bred stuff, I would use an NOS motor like in the picture above that has the original tape.

Charles, what do you spray it with?

[midlife]

Just curious...what is the purpose of this "friction tape" over the motor housing?

[J_Speegle]

Just curious...what is the purpose of this "friction tape" over the motor housing?

Never seen friction tape used. One of the current beliefs is that the tape held the short wires to the motor as it was inserted through the hole in the firewall

[CharlesTurner]

Charles, what do you spray it with?

Semi-gloss or satin black spray paint, nothing fancy.  Few light coats just to cover.  The stuff Jack sells looks nice though.

Mid: I suppose it was just a little something extra to keep moisture from getting inside the motor.  The motor housing separates at that joint.