Technical starter sbc issue

I bought a used305 chevy for my 56 chevy pickup…. I took the engine down to the shortblock, every thing looked ptretty good. It has the stock 305 flexplate. I put a turbo 350 trans and converter behind it. The converter was installed correctly, and spun freely to alaign up the attachment holes. The engine turns with the converter bolted up easily with a 5/8" socket on the crank. (plugs removed).
I am using an in line bolt starter, stock chevrolet. When I attempt to turn over the engine, there is a slow turn, then clicking. The battery is fully charged. I even changed batteries from my other car with the same results.

I removed the starter, it will engage when charged off the engine.
I am thinking perhaps the solinoid is weak???

Any suggestions, before I spring for another starter.??

 

Have you checked you ground to the engine?

 

I believe that there are two different starters to go with the two different size flywheels. Make sure you have them matched correctly.
-Pat

 

may need to shim it if you need new starter they come with them usually.

 

x2 buckd

 

I have a nasty habit of bypassing the Chevy solonoid after jamming it and running a fender mount Ford solenoid...

Perhaps weird, but I have my reasons..

 

this or a weak battery. put a charger on the battery and try cranking it.

 

Sounds to me like the starter motor gear is too deep in the ring gear and binding up.Spray some paint on the ring gear and try it,that will show the gear depth.If it is,just shim it out as suggested above,but I wouldnt shim it untill I checked it.If it is not deep enough (as with too many shims) you can peel the teeth off of the ring gear.

 

Chevy has had heavy duty starters in the past.

You can tell them because they will have a short, (maybe an inch long) piece of copper tubing between the Solenoid and the field pigtail.

Big flywheel/flex plate uses staggered bolts and the smaller flywheel/flex plate uses inline starter bolts so make sure what you have.

pdq67

 

A ground problem is most likely it. Try putting the ground strap directly to the block or the head if it isn't already there. If the ground cable goes to a bracket, it is possible that there is rust or corrosion between the bracket and the block/intake/head.

 

Timing?

 

I'm another who always suspects ground connections on these situations. I've seen too many fresh engines with so much paint under the ground strap that there wasn't a good ground. I've also seen ground cables attached to piece are somewhat isolated from the block and don't provide the best ground possible.

Trying to start and engine with jumper cables hooked from the battery to the engine and starter doesn't usually work out well. I takes some serious jumper cables to do that and get away with it.

Good battery, Has it been tested or did it just come out of the daily driver ? If it is the "good" battery that has been sitting around in the garage for the past several months or year (s) it needs to be tested to make sure it's good and make sure it is fully charged.

What's the scoop on the starter? Fresh rebuilt or one that was kicking around or the one that came with the engine? In any case has it been tested? No I am not very trusting of things that haven't been tested correctly.

Check the whole setup, battery cables and the ends, the ground connection and the connections to the battery to make sure all are clean. Make sure that the connection at the starter is tight. Put the charger on the battery and actually charge it for several hours. It isn't charged or good until you prove both. Same with the starter, take it in and have it tested. It might freewheel when you try it on the bench but it may not have the poop to crank the engine over. And check that clearance between starter drive gear and the ring gear as was mentioned several times.

 

I agree with ground problem. Take the starter off and clean the block where it attaches when the block gets painted if there is paint on the block where the starter goes you have no ground,
Good Luck Mark

 

I removed the selonoid and took it apart and cleaned all the contacts. It had some slight corrosion on one of the contacts. I cleaned it all with electrical cleaner and reassembled it.
It worked….all good now. Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

Auto-electrics that sit around will oxidize and you wind up with a poor connection. Good job on sticking with it and getting it resolved. If you had a good solenoid to start out with, you would have learned nothing.

Bob