Hey could you do one more thing 302GMC? Can you measure the diameter of the gear, and how far the bendix pushes it back from the mounting face? The magic numbers here are 1" diameter, and 1.562 from the mounting face to the back of the starter gear at full throw.
I'll cross-link these, so you know what all the rumpus is about... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...-lasalle-related.149650/page-22#post-11682535
This is interesting. An oldtimer, older and wiser than me, told me the Caddy starter was the answer for hot rod Chevy's that were hard to crank. Being it had a larger or longer barrel and could develop more power. I've seen an interesting GMC6 starter that has the solenoid at a angle to where it would hit the frame if used on a Chevy car. That nose housing might make it a good candidate for a left side mounted Olds or Caddy. My question here to you guys is the gear. You are talking 6 volt starters with the 53-54. Starting with the 55, the 12 volt use a different armature and drive which is not backward compatable with the earlier starters. Does this also affect the Olds and Caddy?
yes, I am pretty sure the later starters are a no-go on the 324, they would probably work on the 371. I am 100% a-ok with a 6 volt starter on my olds, that doesn't bother me. If theres another nose that kicks the solenoid over even farther than the std, chevy one, that could be a real good deal. I think at this point, the main question is going to be does the chevy starter gear move back far enough to engage properly with the olds ring gear? Like I said on the other thread, if I can establish that, I am willing to spend a few bucks on a chevy core, so I can bring it home and try it out. It would be a REAL big deal for olds rocket guys if it turns out that this will work. A bolt-in solution with no more bashing in the side of the pan. Gotta like that!
I'll add this, then go measure .. Quick look in a '66 D-R catalog shows same 1878079 drive for : Some Stude V8 Packard to '53 Olds to '53 Kaiser to '52 The other most used is 1873789, fits almost every other Delco starter for Buick to '53 Cad to '53 Chev pass & tk to '54 GMC to '53 Packard '54-'55 Pontiac '49-'53 Nash w/ HT On the '53-'54 Chev: Diameter of teeth is 1 5/32'' and throw on both assembled starter & loose arm/drive ass'y is a bit more than 7/8". 1956 MoToR flat rate says '54-'56 Olds drive used by the 4 other GM divisions ...
Thanks 302GMC. Whichever way this turns out, you are really doing a service to the rocket community on here.
looking at this list, I have a hunch that what we are going to find out is that the chevy starter and cad flathead starter both work on the 303, which leaves us 324 guys SOL. Nonetheless, if it DOES pan out that way, we have learned something useful for the 303 guys anyway.
I had special adapters made to use the little hi-torque starters on my 302 GMC's when using the 139 tooth ring gear and stock bellhousings. With the Buffalo Enterprises plate all that changed so I can use the 168 ring gear and store bought minin starters. Funny that the Nissan starters I bought to adapt used a gear which worked the 139 ring. As I remember it was a 9 tooth.
For what I am doing on this particular car, I have no interest in putting a late model mini starter in it. Just not going to work on this deal I have spent three years rounding up all circa 1962 period correct parts, a mini starter would stick out like a whore in a nunnery. Have them in my S10 and Chevy II, love 'em, but not on this car.
I am going to give this a bump, I think it should actually be '54/'56 chevy 6 starter, they changed in '54, as did the Olds.
My post has little to do with what you asked.. but, GM did some crazy things in interchanges. One I ran into was the somewhat uncommon GMC 305-351 V6 with either the rare Powerglide option, and the rarer TH400 option in 66-67 -up. They use a different type of A/T flywheel setup which is a heavy iron wheel w/ring gear like a stick, but use a spoked flex plate (which differs between GMC Glide and GMC TH400)...but the V6 GMC stick starter is different than these two A/T's. The A/T GMC used a same years V8 chevy truck stick starter with 3 horizontal bolts, like the old Tri-5. I think the stick GMC V6 was two bolt. WTH so, my point is that you may figure your Olds starter interchange out at some point
I have seen the spoked gm flex plates, never knew what they were for and avoided them. I am going to the Monroe swap in Oct. and Paul probably is too, I have kind of a plan to try to suss this all out there, I am going to send him a pm later and discuss. You know whats probably going to happen? I will spend a whole bunch of time getting this all figured out, come up with some conglomeration of parts using a chevy 6 based starter that mates with the Olds flywheel and everything, spend a bunch of time rounding up all the bits and putting it together, bolt it on the motor and the solenoid will hit the filter bypass... and there will be inappropriate language and wrenches will fly.
Keep thinking outside the 50's box. These Olds swaps were being done in the 50s and early 60s, and pretty much done before the mid 60s. I think there may be pieces in the early, mid, or late 60s that maybe can work, that were never discovered, or published
Really, as long as the solenoid is tipped to the right to clear the filter by-pass, and the gear matches the ring gear and goes back the right distance to engage it, and it bolts to the crossover, bobs yer uncle. A guy with a set of verniers can suss that out pretty quick
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