I've got an SBC with a large diameter flexplate that I need a physically small starter to work with due to packaging constraints. Is there a cheap factory option that I can source from a junkyard or am I stuck with catalog$ and a fancy billlet gear reduction starter?
88-91 Corvette's used a small gear reduction starter. Finding one in a junkyard may be hard, but they arent that expensive new from the parts houses.
...I think...that if you go to the smaller flexplate you can use the small starters from the 90's vintage vortec trucks. Doesn't really help if you have the transmission bolted up there.
Depending on what exactly you need, a starter from Summit Racing may be the ticket. They're around $100 to $120 and work much better than a stock Chevy starter. It also saves time and money buying junkyard parts. http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=small%20block%20chevy%20starter&dds=1
Oriely's quoted my $90 something for a 1990 corvette starter.
I did find a cheap gear reduction starter on the web
Yes, the transmission is already bolted up, one of the starters I was trying to fit was a vortec starter, but it's a 153 tooth flexplate starter as opposed to the 168 tooth I need.
I suppose I should start a build thread at some point so you can all point and laugh at me. (Yes it is that bad, it's a customer's vehicle and I'm doing what he wants and trying to do it well with his budget in mind)
The one from the vortec 4.3 bolts on, you have to have the bolts that go with it too though. I cant remember which flywheel it goes with, its the one that uses the angled bolt pattern starter rather than the straight one.
Angled = 153.
Knurled wrote: Angled = 153.
Depends on the engine, later model stuff do have 153 tooth flywheel starters with angled bolts. But in the older sb/bb stuff, angled is for 168 and straight is for 153. Just something to watch out for.
81cpcamaro wrote:Knurled wrote: Angled = 153.Depends on the engine, later model stuff do have 153 tooth flywheel starters with angled bolts. But in the older sb/bb stuff, angled is for 168 and straight is for 153. Just something to watch out for.
which application would have a small ring gear with staggered starter bolts? i'm running a 96 Corvette LT4 starter in my Camaro, and it's got the straight across pattern..
here is what the starter looks like in my Camaro:
and here it is on the ground next to the big lump of "high torque" starter that it replaced:
if space is at a premium, then you might want to look at swapping in a smaller flexplate and going with the Corvette starter, but keep in mind that a lot of 350 and 400 blocks in the 70's were only drilled for the staggered big ring gear pattern- a lesson that i learned the hard way one time. you can drill the bolt holes, but it's something to verify before you have the engine in the car just to make life easier.
as far as i know every full size truck gas "V" engine built from the mid 70's to the late 90's- be it a 4.3 V6 or a 305, 350, or 454 V8- all use a big ring gear and a starter with a staggered bolt pattern. they went to a permanent magnet starter that is physically smaller and weighs half as much in the early 90's.
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