jshalsey77

iTrader: (1)

Im having issues with finding a starter that fits my car, The moter is a SBC 350 from the late 70's with staggered bolt and the t-5 is from a 1991 z-28 also the fly wheel is stock 153 tooth. i have tried several years and none fit any help would be help full.Thanks

stroken85z

im not sure but i think on summit they sell a universal starter with both bolt holes for 153 tooth fly

camaronewbie

The block has both sets of holes in it - you just need to buy a 153 tooth starter and install it. Might has to dig gunk grime out of the inline hole to install, but it's there.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

This REALLY REALLY REALLY needs to be a sticky. I've typed it so many times I should just cut & paste.

MODS, ARE YOU READING THIS???

If your block doesn't have the hole circled in pink, then NO STARTER EVER MADE will work with the 12.8" flywheel.



All the people who tell you what you want to hear, namely how this that or the other starter "should" work "see says right here in the catalog it fits both flywheel sizes" ARE WRONG. They have never DONE IT.

The deal is, for the smaller flywheel, the starter has to be closer to the crank. (duh - shouldn't be too hard to figure that out) Now look where that "staggered" inboard bolt hole is... if the guts of the starter were moved over somehow far enough toward the crank for the teeth to mesh, a bolt in that hole would go RIGHT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE MIDDLE of the starter drive. Therefore you CANNOT POSSIBLY put a bolt into that hole through ANY starter that will engage that flywheel. You absolutely MUST have the correct hole.

Then, ONCE YOU HAVE THE CORRECT HOLE, your block will be "universal"; it will fit not only the older large starter, but also the one that appeared in about 78 or so, and for which they added the appropriate hole around the same time. Pre-78 (more or less) blocks won't have the hole unless somebody has added it. If there's any one thing I've learned about things like this, it's that the factory didn't include any "features from the future" when they built cars.

The block in the pic is about a 73 400 that I drilled the circled hole in.

Note that starter bolts, and their holes, are "special". The threads are down deep in the hole, and the first ½" or so of the hole is larger. You can see that in the pic quite clearly. The bolts have a matching enlarged section right behind the threads. The combination of special bolts and special holes turns the bolts into dowel pins, accurately locating the starter in the exact right place, and preventing it from moving on the block, even slightly. Regular bolts and/or regular holes WILL NOT work. Without this "dowel pin" feature, the starter WILL move, the teeth WILL mis-align, and bad things WILL happen.

Best thing to do is to take the block to the machine shop BEFORE you install it, and stop up your ears when the uninformed try to tell you what you want to hear, which is unfortunately FALSE. Much better than dropping the motor in ANYWAY, and then discovering that no starter in the universe can possibly fit it, and then trying to figure out how to attain the required level of precision while laying on your back under your car, and scrapping your block by drilling it wrong. That would also be a bad thing.

tjtaylor

sticky.

but my i had a 400 with a 168 tooth flywheel and a t-5 and i made it work with a staggered bolt pattern. i just had to cut the bottom lip of the bellhousing off to clear. but i dont think you want to change your flywheel and cut the housing when you can just easliy drill a hole. good luck!

jshalsey77

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for that info.