Technical Getting to the bottom of all the blessings. Almost there.

Sorry boys, i had to call in the heavies at Jimmys Top Tech here in Austin. God dammit im still learning and i hate to throw in the towel so quick.

 

Sum bitch damn near fell off the car. The starter that is. Relieved to know it was a matter of screwing it back on. Here's a clip of loose it was.

 

Yeah that will do it. Parts falling off your motor is almost always a bad sign lol.

 

New starter negative on turning over.

Edit: Either way I called my local shop and they're taking it in tomorrow.We shall see. This thread should be called " watch this noob try to fix his car."

 

She's on her way to the shop. We shall see what the problem is real soon.

 

Switched the title of the thread to more accurately describe the topic.

So after figuring the issue out by tracing each possible problem and fixing it I finally got to the starter and this is where I found the main issue. After trying to replace it w a new I discovered that this bottom one is not the correct one for the year of my, transmission?, idk but it didn't work out so I took it to the shop and they took the old starter (the top one) and shaved the face plate on the starter down so that the gear on the starter could slide in to the ring gear yada yada yada you know what I mean.

Can I just go ahead and swap this bitch out w a new one or is having to modify a starter a thing w everyone of em ? And what do y'all recommend I use in the "hi torque" side of things, if it's worth it ?

I'm trying to do it right but I'm limited in skills and I feel like I'm getting the runaround.

 

Seriously, you should spend $20 and purchase a repair manual.
Always a good investment for specifications, and, in the case of a newbie mechanic, steps are listed to guide you through repairs.
If you choose not to do repairs yourself, at least you'll have basic knowledge, so the shop mechanic will be less likely to hand you a bucket of bullshit.

 

Do you know for sure what transmission you have? Could it have been swapped to something other than the original?

 

I have no clue what tranny is in it. I know the motor is not the original. Its a 272 off of a 56' F1.

 

The problem sounds like a bad starter drive. In your posted picture of the starters the difference is in the length of the armature shafts and the starter drives. The top starter that came off your car is a #3115 it was used from 1956 to 1961.
The bottom starter has a shorter shaft and starter drive it is a #3123 and was used from 1962 to 1964.
The starter drive you need is a 3-553(rebuilt) or a 4-553(new).

 

The trans is a 1954 ford. Air cooled Fordomatic. There was a repair manual in the car. If I help with anything feel free to call me Alex. I would look at a mini high torque starter.

 

Thanks J3' I got the manual and been combing thru it. I was looking at those high torque starters but the shop fixed the old one and billed me for it w out a headsup and there went the cash for a new High torque one but we got it figured out for now. But heres the deal, the fuel aint flowing so somethings not right. Im havin it towed to Daves Perfection Automotive tonight and i hope its nothing insane.

 

Have you turned the electric pump on, and check the filter

 

If you were the previous owner of the '54 , it's a great looking ride.

 

I am and I feel terrible. As soon as I sold it the new owner has had so much trouble.

 

Update***

I took it in to the shop and the carb was gaumed up. They rebuilt it and adjusted the valves and set the timing. She's running but 2 cylinders aren't firing so my options are to rebuild or a "new"er motor.

But on the upside I've had time to treat the exterior. Here she is now.

 

I have a '54 Coupe also, but my 'Custom' was a '53 Vic. (my '54 is a 'businesslike street toughy')

Your Coupe with its custom appointments is as striking as ANY Victoria, convert, etc.
Everything looks just so right. Get those mechanical problems ironed out and enjoy.

 

Ourfriendlex, Your car is a beautiful example of a late 50s early 60s mild custom. Regarding a rebuild because 2 cylinders are not firing: Don't jump to conclusions without a thorough diagnosis and second or third opinions. I think we tend to think the worst on these types of things. Just for starters, check to be sure the plug wires are on the correct cylinders, cap and rotor good, spark plugs OK, plug wires show continuity, "bad" cylinders getting spark, what does a vacuum check tell you, do a compression check, do a leak down check. Pump compressed air into a suspect cylinder at TDC on the combustion stroke. These are most of the things you can do and they are all easy and cheap compared to a rebuild. I'm sure more experienced HAMBERS can offer better advice or strategies to diagnose your problem than I have outlined here. Good luck with your car. Whatever you have to do to get it right will be worth it. These things are to be expected on a 62 year old car.

 

Boss man called me a few days ago and said "Hey! I found a motor. 239/2 speed w matching numbers." Well we picked it up today. Here's a clip. and this cool shot of one of Gary Howard's impressions