Hey fellas, im running a 55 olds 324ci/ 4 speed saginaw in my hot rod and i got a Wilcap starter switchover lower bell housing that mounts the starter on the passenger side instead of the drivers side to avoid interference with the gear box. I had the original starter rebuilt thinking thats the one i needed but it doesnt go in for shit.I called Wilcap and he said that they havent made that starter switch over for decades and he doesnt have the instructions and doesnt remember which starter is called for this application.He said i might have to grind the cone of the starter housing to make it fit but hes not sure...Anybody ever have this problem?? Any feedback would really be appreciated
Been years since I did this swap...but if I remember the starter is mounted upside down...to get the bendix lined up with flywheel..solinoid on bottom
As I remember I had to grind the gear housing at the flywheel end of the starter to clear the flywheel. It dosn't mount at the same rotational angle as it did on the other side.
I am running a Hildebrandt adapter with a 47 ford 3 spd truck transmission in El Tiki. I had the snout on my starter bust off. My adapter's bolt pattern is not even close to the same as stock. Stock uses 3 holes and the adapter I have now uses only two and they are about 180 degrees across from each other. My starter had no ID on ot at all. I queried here on the HAMB for sometime asking what my starter was without much luck. Took it to a reknown starter rebuild shop here in Indy. Found out it was a 6 volt GM starter. They welded the snout back together and rebuilt my starter. They ID'd it as a 235 Chevy six volt starter GM # 1107109. Don't know if this helps or not but I for damn sure feel your pain. MDM
I have been trying to resolve this question for about a year now! My stock starter,swung over to the passenger side (upside down), still has some interference problems with the oil pan. This is a 324 Olds in a '40 Ford coupe with starter change over. I have been wondering if a '56 Caddy starter might be the ticket? I know that they were on the passenger side and possibly had the solenoid on the bottom. Anybody have a GM part # for a '56 Caddy starter? The Caddy and Olds had the same bolt pattern on the bell housings and the flywheels were the same I think.
If I remember correctly, you could use the starter off a 46-48 Olds Model 76. That was the 6 cylinder Olds. You could then use the 6-cyinder nose on a later 12 starter. I know the flywheels from the 6-cylinder would interchange with the Rockets and they were easier to find than the V8 flywheels. But that was a long time ago, and finding anything for a 6-cylinder Olds would be difficult today.
FWIW, I found a decent picture of my starter adapter after it came back from the chrome shop. It shows the bolt pattern pretty good. I'm not smart enough to post it here. For anyone that is curious or it might help, PM me with your email address and I'll email it to you tomorrow.
This link has the 56 cad specs and the starter number I always use that site for starter numbers and other specs. http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/500.cfm You can also look up the numbers of all the other car starters listed in this thread to maybe see which are the same??
I think you are right with the cad starter deal, pretty sure I have read that elsewhere. P.S. if anyone has a spare starter change over I'm looking for one.
The cad starter will work fine, per the old articles in Hot Rod. They also had pictures of where you had to modify ( grind ) the olds starter to fit correctly.Some where I have the info, as I need to do that for my olds starter in my 42 merc.
Does the Cad starter mount with the solenoid on top or the bottom? (when used with the change-over adapter). r.e. "a spare change-over adapter; The Caddy lower bellhousing half has the same bolt patterns with the starter on the passenger side. They were also used "back in the day" on Olds swaps. The alignment pins need to be relocated,but they will work for a change-over,with some work.
55 Olds - try a '49-53 Caddy lower bellhousing for a starter change-over. It will do the job with a little bit of work.
Thanks for all the info fellas, on my way to the wrecking yard to pick up a cad starter, ill post up any results
what a pain in the fuckin ass but i finally figured it out. after spendin about $150 bucks on junk starters, came across a delco starter part # 1107603.it was tagged 51 olds but i dont know if thats correct.i took the nose cone off and with a little modifications i got it to work on my original olds starter housing. ihad to grind down the opening a little to clear the flywheel and drill and tap some holes on the inside where those long bolts that hold the whole starter togrther because the original holes on the housing didnt align with the slots from the 55 olds starter but that was pretty painless. i had problems mounting the original starter upside down because there was interfernce problems with the oil pan and when i tried using nosecones off cad starters, i had interfernce problems with the block and that oil filter relocater plate.dont know wht that starter that worked is off of but maybe somebody has an old hollander or starter id book and can share that info with some of you with same problem.
I also used a Hildebrandt starter changeover with Olds starter, did some grinding on the nose. It then worked OK , but solenoid was at the bottom, almost on the ground. I carefully made a radial slice in the nose, cutting it in two. I turned the back part of the nose( the part that fits against the main housing)to clock the main housing so the solenoid is on top. I welded the two nose parts back together. Starter has worked OK for 40,000 miles Greg
Greg, the original thread is from 2008 but regardless of that it was a clever fix on the starter. Might help out someone even today
I believe that when you change over the lower starter housing which ever one your using you need to change the flywheel also. they made three lower starter housing . each one used a different number of teeth on the flywheel. so when you use those change over adapters you need to use the correct flywheel and starter the year matters as far as the starter location to the flywheel. olds made three different flywheel sizes and teeth number. the starter and flywheel must match. speak to Tony Lombardo at ross racing . he can set you up or at least put you in the right direction. good luck
About 50 years ago there was an article in one of the rod mags about cutting 1/4" off a Cad lower housing and bolting it to the Olds. I did that and it worked but I don't remember if I used the Cad starter. Seems like it would have been logical.
I'm glad this was brought back to the top, as I am putting together a '51 Rocket with an adapter to a '49-'64 Ford transmission with an Offenhauser switchover this summer. I thought it was going to be a "bolt-together". It looks like probably not.
It is testing my memory, 1960, so I can't remember what else, if anything I had to change to install the starter, but I do remember that I used the original starter, and installed upside down. The only change I remember making to the starter, was just to switch the cone 180 degrees, so that the opening faced the flywheel with the starter in the new position. Bob
I just finished 4 inch bore 55 Olds with a starter change over and like everyone else I found the starter would not fit so I ground on the nose and got it to bolt up Great. I bolt the solenoid on and now the solenoid hits the oil pan. I rotated the solenoid about a 1/2 inch and straighten the arm that the solenoid pulls , drilled a new hole and now it fits. I tack welded the sol. to the housing,if the starter takes a shit I will cut it off with the die grinder and weld on new one
Better late than never, but there is a very simple solution to this problem of switching the Oldsmobile starter to the right side, IF you can still find a 1941-1948 Cadillac starter. Simply put your 12v solenoid on top of that '41-'48 starter, goes right on, same screw holes, starter slips right into the aluminum Wilcap or whatever brand changeover you have! I used a 1949 Olds 6 cylinder flywheel first time. Either a '49 or '50 6 cyl flywheel will fit the crankshaft, and the starter, they will need the ridge machined off the face, and redrilled for your clutch, think I used a '56 Ford T-Bird clutch, and then balanced, a $20 dollar job(refacing, re drilling, balancing) back in 1962. I've used a V8 flywheel also, thicker and heavier, twice the weight. I liked the 6 cyl flywheel better, quicker revving, and de accellerating. The 6 volt starter will last forever if you don't have to grind on it to start the car. Starter rebuilder said he could rebuild either way, 6 or 12 volt, but he'd choose leaving it 6 volt, spins twice as fast. Good choice! Hope somebody finds this helpful. Believe I originally found the info in a small 'How To' engine swapping magazine back in the day, and it worked to a tee. The old Cadillac starters were a dime a dozen back then in the wrecking yards. Probably some, at least cores, still lying around, maybe swap meets like Carlisle/Hershey, Pate etc, and there are still some good rebuilders around, but they, too, are getting fewer, maybe!
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