<VV> Fan Bearing Failure

[Smitty Smith]

From: airvair 
Ever try it with an a/c car? Just as bad as a turbo. And ever try doing
it on the side of the road with almost no tools to speak of, let alone a
hydraulic press in your trunk? Then there's the source of replacement
parts in the middle of nowhere. (At least you acknowledge THOSE
problems, even if they don't make any impression on you.) Like I said,
been there, done that, don't ever want to have to do it again. Does that
make me wrong about putting a QC bearing in my cars? I think not.
-Mark
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  Smitty says;  Mark there are always going to be a few mechanically inept people who travel with a pair of pliers and make every road "happening" into a disaster.  Corvairs are tough and darn well not disaster prone but they do have failures such as any other car does.  I won't deny that some things such as Early axle bearings and fan bearings can delay a delay a trip.  But it is only a delay if intelligent recognition of possibilities is realized.  Everyone doesn't need to cover their butt like I do because most never get far from home with their Corvairs.  Those who travel with an Early or Late would be well advised to carry a fan bearing installed in a hub for that once in a hundred thousand miles when they fail.  Then when it is character development time you can find a friendly parking lot (or side road) and spend three hours getting to know your engine.  I carry a jacking tool to pull the bearing shaft out of the block cover.  Lacking that, slide hammers are on loan
 at many FLAPS.  I don't remove the block cover.  I use a propane torch to heat the shaft boss.  There is tranny lube on the end of my axle dipstick to lube the shaft with to put it back in.  In over 400,000 miles of Corvair travel I have only had to do that once and that was at the Portland convention.  Come to find out later, it wasn't the fan bearing making the noise.  In any event, no press is required.  No QC bearing is needed.
  As you travel the highways you see cars by the side of the road.  As you travel you see repair shops with cars stacked outside waiting to be repaired.  They all break.  We just happen to have some unique problems of availability of parts.  One has to recognize those problems and prepare in advance for them.  If you want to treat your Corvair as a modern car, just take your unique part to the repair shop and have them do the work "in a few days when they can get at it".  (at your own risk).  As for traveling without tools, what idiot would do that ?