Got a stock SBC that was stuck, not bad, one night soak and it broke free and can turn it over with a 1/2" ratchet on the balancer bolt but slow on the starter. Good connections, cranking amps etc.. Before I pull the starter I was just wondering if anyone knows how much torque it should take, roughly, with a torque wrench on the balancer bolt to turn it. Plugs out.
I don't know the answer but I think I remember reading that in the How to Hot Rod a Small Block book.
Are you sure the starter is OK??? I once built a 351W that went together very tight. Probably took 80 ft-lbs or more to turn it over by hand at the balancer. However with new cables and a starter, it spun over just as quickly as a tired old 300,000 mile motor. Most OEM start motors produce 5 to 10 hp, which equates to 10 to 20 ft-lbs of torque at the starter gear, depending on rpm and amperage. Multiply that by the typical 15:1 to 20:1 gear ratio between the ring gear and starter gear, and you should see 150 to 400 ft-lbs of torque at the flywheel. If it takes 150 ft-lbs to turn over a 350 with no plugs, you have a bigger problem.
Thanks guys. I can turn this with two fingers on a 1/2" ratchet, probly less that 25 ft lbs, so starter's coming out.
You may want to put a volt meter on the battery and see what the voltage drop is when you try to crank the motor. Might give you an indication of whether you have a starter issue or a bad battery... Good luck.
I'm sure glad that has never happened to me. Except for that one time, maybe and I don't want to talk about that. Good find; it is nice the actually find a problem.
I used to have piles of this stuff laying around. Had to go to the bone yard, bought a rusty core for $20, swapped the nose, off and running. Caused by backfire I suppose. Oh, notice the shorter than typical solenoid? Had to swap the fork and piston into the new housing.