Westinghouse sidewinder disassembly question

[Mark Beldin]

I picked up a really nice looking copper plated Westinghouse sidewinder the other day. I pulled the lower covers and the windings and speed coil look great. I would like to take a look at the bearings but don't see how it comes apart. Does the top casting that the downrod attaches to unscrew or am I just missing some other trick? I have worked on a couple Century CFs and they are pretty straight forward. But, this is my first Westy. I plan on installing it in the bedroom of our house after checking it out.

Thanks,

Mark

[Stan Adams]

That top cap the down rod screws into screws off, That will open it up for access. Don't lose those blade screws, they are a weird thread.

[Mark Beldin]

Thanks Stan,

That's what I thought but wanted to confirm beforehand.

[Dave Hoatson]

Use a pipe wrench. 
 

You can mount the fan in a motorcycle wheel balance tool, and pour lead into the little compartments outside of the rotating stator to balance it. 
 

I’ve seen a couple variants. Most have a 2-wire speed coil and a 3-speed switch wired for 2 speeds. I have seen one with a 3-wire speed coil. All the castings have a place to mount two speed coils and I know a guy that did just that to make a 3-speed. 

The mounting location for the switch is large enough to mount a common ON/OFF switch, but you need to make an adaptor plate because the hole pattern is a little off. Or, you can oval out the holes in the ceramic. This makes the fan look more authentic. It can be wired to turn the fan on/off, or, by wiring it across the speed coil, it can select high/low.

The motor tag will say “Pittsburg”, “Pittsburgh”, or New Jersey. In 1891, the federal government made the city drop the “h” from the end. Around 1911, the city told them to f-off and put the h back on.

Edited September 21, 2023 by Dave Hoatson