Hot Rods SBC starter ?

Got a fairly stock 350 and having astart issue after driving 40/50 miles. It does have a ford solenoid wired in. If I let it cool down about 5 minutes it'll crank over slow but will start. Have about 20K miles on it and just started to do it. I'm thinkin -- new starter. What is the best stock type out there ?? Seems like all out there are just Chinamese rebuilt junk. Thanx in advance for your input

 

Sounds like it needs new bushings. Do it yourself.

 

You are going to get alot of suggestions and opinions, Install a Oem newer mini style starter 95-1999 from vortec engines , diagonal bolts
is for small flex plate ,straight across for the big flex plate

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3854242403...K4%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2047675&epid=717950044 This seems like a bargain ..

 

Was it having a starting problem before installing the solenoid?
I think the Chevy engine is rejecting that FFF@rd part.

 

No , had the FFF@rd part on it since build

 

Would like new and not rebuilt if possible

 

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3467841

This is the later Vortec "mini" starter. You'll need shorter starter bolts, other than that it's a drop in upgrade.

 

Check the ignition timing, it may be advanced too far. A quick check can be done by pumping the throttle once, then cranking the engine. If it fires right up, that's a good indication the timing is advanced too far.

 

Timing is dead nutz

 

I had the same problem. Turned out the starter was “tired”. Replaced starter and never had the problem again.

 

Bushings and brushes are usually under 10 bucks for all of it.
One thing though. There are light duty and heavy duty Delco starters. The light duty is shorter and the strap from the solenoid to the internals usually comes out of the body right at the end of the solenoid while the heavier duty starters need the extension on the solenoid to reach the strap.

 

If you go with the mini starter - use the Factory GM unit and be sure to get the correct bolts. The bolts are available from the dealership. They are goofy and special the aftermarket ones just aren’t the same and cause you all sorts of aggravating crap
10mm knurled shank with 3/8-16 thread.

 

Have you ever done a voltage drop test on the starter cables? Excessive voltage drop will show up more on a hot start. My 64 Chevy truck main cable to the starter would drop about 2 volts. So instead of trying to turn the engine over with about 10 volts (normal cranking voltage), it was only being supplied 8 volts. It started okay cold, but was sluggish turning over when hot.

You can test this with a voltmeter. You have to have the starter cranking slow when it is hot. First check the voltage across the battery while cranking. It must be above 9.6 volts or you have a battery problem. Next, move the voltmeter + lead to the starter stud on the starter leaving the - lead on the battery terminal (it stays there through all this testing). Crank the engine and read the voltmeter. The reading must be within 0.5 volts of the reading you took across the battery. So if the reading across the battery during cranking was 10 volts and the reading during cranking at the starter terminal was 9.6 volts, you have a 0.4 volt difference which is okay. Anything above this reading indicates excessive resistance (voltage drop). Move the + lead to the starter case and crank the engine. The reading must be less than 0.1 volt or you have a poor ground circuit for the starter.

 

Quality cables are a must, but get back to basics and load test your battery. I went through all the troubleshooting on my 59, cables, solenoid, grounds, only to discover my relatively new battery was too weak. New battery, no problem since

 

I have a couple of auto-electric shops I trust with starters, etc. I usually have a 2nd one built up and put away for a rainy day.

 

Maybe pop the cap off the chevy solenoid, the main contact sometimes gets worn down to where the disc that comes up against it won't make a good contact. The bolt/contact has a square shoulder on it, you can flip it 180 and get some more life out of it sometimes.

 

Could be heat soak if it starts after cooling down