Thanks John -
That answers some questions, my switch has pretty positive and solid action, so I doubt it's the issue.
I havent yet pulled the resistor (that'll be next), but the harness at the resistor shows no heat damage.
Good to know the fan will come out without modification (in the back of my mind, I thought it would)
I do have a copy of the manual, and also have been using electonic garage copy when I'm away from home - the part about romovign the blower motor on page 545 would lead you to believe you need to pucnh a hole in the fender well. As the heater core is still solid, it sounds like I can avoid that.
Your fan motor failure sounds alot like mine - except I've got the inline breaker in place of the fuse. if the resistor is good, I'll pull the motor.
You said they're available from the aftermarket - as in Napa, Pep Boys, Autozone, etc..?
Thanks, again - Rhett