Looking for an answer from all of you Flathead V8 parts Guru's. A while back I was trying to replace my starter in my Flathead this is what came out, the old style Henry Ford impact spring on the end This is what they sent me as a replacement I could no way shape or form get the end of this starter past my flywheel/ring gear? My only thought, was I have a Truck bell housing which is cast and a little thicker vs a steel which is thinner. I ended up with this and am happy but I'm at a loss as to why the replacement would not fit other than the bell housing thickness. Any info just for general knowledge is welcome.
I had the same problem with a stamped steel truck bell housing. The "new and improved" version would not fit.
I am using this on my 8BA I changed the flywheel to an aluminum one, this starter engages perfect. It bounced a bit across the top of the ring gear at first. I had to removed the starter adapter plate, elongate the mounting holes, dowel it and the bell housing so it wouldn't move back and for ease of install. Other than that, it works great on my blower motor.
The high torque starter fixed it for me too. I'm real curious as to why this so called replacement flat ass won't work and alls they need to do is slightly reduce the diameter of the impact snubber.
So remove the new style bendix and install the old style. Shafts should be the same. https://cgfordparts.com/ufolder/fordpart.php?number=B-11350
The tractor style bendix will fit with a bit of wiggling around, its a superior design, I ran into the same problem but it eventually popped in. They work well, havent broken it yet and its been several years since the swap.
Yes they DO fit. I too thought they wouldn't. It does need to be angled just right to slide past the flywheel. It will go in. I installed two in and they work perfectly. ..
What year pans are you guys having trouble fitting them into? I've seen them in the catalogs, but haven't bought one yet.
Mine was 48 truck motor/pan and bell housing. I tried every angle possible, even grease to see the contact points on the inside of the housing. Gave up and bought a high torqe mini.
A 48 truck used a late model style engine, so that is different than the pre 48 stuff I use. I would think the pre 48 pan would be even worse than a late model.
Flathead starters can be a real problem. I ended up with three starters that were too long. I believe they are for an automatic! The only way to use one would be to cut out the back of the starter pocket!
So this brings up a good question. When I was having trouble aligning my mini high torque starter I had to knock the pocket out of my 8BA bell housing leaving an unsightly hole. I destroyed it taking it off, now what do I do?
I see where some have replaced starter to a modern, 12 volt high torque unit. Which starter has a track record of working? If other changes are made to the vehicle, in my case a 52 truck, such as installing GM automatic transmission, I presume that the starter selection would be different as well. Can anyone pass along good info so I can buy the correct parts? Thanks!
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