So this last Thursday evening, went out into the garage to start my 32 Cab - had been sitting for a couple weeks and I wanted to wash it and get it ready to take down to the ECTA Race at Wilmington Ohio. When it sits for a bit (and it is warm), the gas percolates out of the carbs and it is a bit hard to start (I'm using a stock fuel pump) - takes a bit of cranking for the thing to fill the bowls. So I leave the mag switch turned 'Off', crank it over a bit and pump the gas peddle a half dozen times. Now, mag switch back on and crank again. It starts to fire immediately, but kind of hits back on the starter hard. I give it a few more pumps, hit the starter button again . . . and the starter sounds really funny. (Keep in mind it was rebuilt when I put this new 42 Merc flathead engine in, at the end of last year). I think "Oh Crap - I bet the starter shaft is bent! ". So Friday AM, I pull the starter - spin it around by hand . . . Yep . . . bent armature shaft. Double Dog Ass Crap . . . I don't have a spare starter and I want to take the car to Wilmington. What to do? There is no way I can get the starter rebuilt in time (and they probably won't have an armature anyway), nobody has one 'in stock' . . . I'm basically SCREWED! Hmmm - Start Pondering - There has Gotta Be a Way to Fix This Sucker??? So - maybe I can find an old starter somewhere out in the abyss of my barn. I dig around and there is exactly one to be found . . . old, rusty, in a wooden box - been sitting for years . . . probably came off of some engine I found 30 years ago. Well - it is the only one I have, so what the Hell do I have to lose . . . maybe it has a good armature? I take it apart - armature actually looks about new! I tear my "good/rebuilt" and bent-ass starter apart and remove the armature. I "tune up" the armature out of the old starter I found - just a little polishing on my lathe. Slap the good armature back into the rebuilt starter . . . back in the car . . . works like a champ. No money spent and just two hours of time - and I made it down to the race at Wilmington (where I wasn't racing, just meeting up with some fellow ECTA friends - Ronnie Roadster and Bob Ida and Crew..). My buddy Chris Daniels came down to enjoy the day . . . was a beautiful one. Ron and Ron Junior both ran well with their flathead powered rear modified roadster (176 and 177 mph) and Bob Ida upped his record with the 'Frightening' - 193 mph. Quite a few guys stopped me to ask what the Hell engine and cam was in my car . . . guess the snotty ass flathead made an impression on a few. LOL! (uncorked of course). I don't think any of them have heard a flathead sound quite like mine . . . . Relentlessness Can Sometimes Overcome Adversity: Sometimes yah gotta improvise boys - find some way to overcome some stupid problem that is working hard to hose your schedule and well made plans. There are a lot of things that can be fixed - just make up your mind to do it . . . Jed was a millionaire today . . .
Necessity; the Mother of Invention ! Good job outthinking the problem with a "use what ya got" attitude.
Way to go ! I don't like throwing anything away just for that reason. My wife will say I am a hoarder but I say I might need it some day.
well shit...I thought this thread was gonna hava happy ending with you finally putting a 283 in that thing...oh well
Nice work. I feel there is a fine line between being a hoarder and being prepared for anything. I consider myself well prepared.
If you heard this thing, you'd be transformed into a full-blown flathead lover . . . there is NO OHV that sounds anything like this - it is THE SOUND of an old bad-ass hotrod! You'd be begging me to build yah one!
good stuff, great to seeing things getting done and not giving up. Now if I could bottle up a bit of the sound of Ron's blown flatty in his mistress .......that is old fashion bad-ass. Cheers, Drewfus
Nice work on the starter, where is the post about, you fixing the fuel issue? Maybe try a small squeeze bottle with fuel in to the carbs float assembly? And let it start on that, till the flow is up to speed. So to speak. I have the same thing about saving stuff, so now I feel more normal
283 what's that? Is that late model I thought we were talking hotrods here. Don't streetrods have chevy motors not true hotrods they run flattys. Lol all jokes aside I can't wait to hear my flatty dale because yours sounds wicked... And this is a good post since I have about 6 starters I'm sure one will work now. Talk to you soon.
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