Ivan
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| posted on 11/12/11 at 03:18 PM |
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Starter motor blues
I've got the starter motor blues. 
Finally got my Cobra running after a complete engine rebuild which entailed a 383 Cu Inch stroker kit , Edelbrok heads, 230 Duration cam etc. etc. but
I never changed the starter motor. - I am sooo stupid.
Now the 35 year old starter is not strong enough to consistently swing the motor and I am in trouble.
1/ I need to get the old starter motor out to replace it but can't get to the wires without taking out the headers, an almost impossible task
without removing the motor so guess my best bet is to cut the cables as close to motor as possible.
2/ Have a choice between
a/ a factory reconditioned motor for 80 Pounds which might do the job but might not but is off the shelf.
b/ a Chinese high torque motor also off the shelf for about 100 Pounds that will do the job but rarely lasts 6 months before the welding
fails.
c/ a MSD high torque motor guaranteed to do the job for 320 Pounds but with a 10 week delivery and need to drill and tap another mounting
hole.
3/ Have decided to go with option 1 in case it works and I can get car back on the road, and if it's not man enough then sell on and go for
option c.
And now for the big downer - have suddenly found that at 62 it's a lot harder to handle heavy starter motors whilst on your back under a Cobra
than it was the last time I tried something like this.  Guess I will have to get the wife under there with me when lifting the reconditioned
one.
The up side is that based on my one test drive the motor is brilliant - lights up rear wheels with minor blip of the throttle in first - going to be
really interesting in the wet. 
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pewe
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| posted on 11/12/11 at 05:37 PM |
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Ivan, I think the key word you have used in Option 1 is that it "might" do the job which seems to indicate you aren't sure.
OK you can buy 4 of the "might do the job" ones for the price of the Option 3 ones but that's high torque and it sounds as if it
will deffo do the job.
Providing you can drill (and tap?) the third hole relatively easily and you are keeping the car for the foreseeable future I'd bite the
bullet and pay for Option 3.
As for lugging the SOB in and out - necessity is the mother of invention - there's always a way even if you have to resort to bits of
string/rope to support most of its weight whilst you fiddle it in (ask me how I know)!
Just my two pennies' worth.
Cheers, Pewe 10.
Ivan the "not thinking about it" bit is what I find so interesting when doing projects. There's still the challenge there even if
you've fiddled on with cars for years i.e here's a problem I didn't anticipate now how am I going to fix it? Eg removed the boot
lock on the latest project to have keys cut and couldn't get back in. That taxed the brain until I managed to catch the activating rod by
waggling a bit of flat strip through the key-hole numerous times. The alternative was going to be a tin-opener!
Ah summer motoring - I'd forgotten you're just coming up to it - sod it go for Option 1!!
[Edited on 13/12/11 by pewe]
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Ivan
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| posted on 12/12/11 at 05:56 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by pewe
Ivan, I think the key word you have used in Option 1 is that it "might" do the job which seems to indicate you aren't sure.
OK you can buy 4 of the "might do the job" ones for the price of the Option 3 ones but that's high torque and it sounds as if it
will deffo do the job.
Providing you can drill (and tap?) the third hole relatively easily and you are keeping the car for the foreseeable future I'd bite the
bullet and pay for Option 3.
As for lugging the SOB in and out - necessity is the mother of invention - there's always a way even if you have to resort to bits of
string/rope to support most of its weight whilst you fiddle it in (ask me how I know)!
Just my two pennies' worth.
Cheers, Pewe 10.
I agree with you Pewe 10 - the reason I am going for option 1 is not to save money but to not lose 10 weeks of summer driving - I will most probably
order the MSD one anyway and fit it over the winter, but if the reconditioned one works well then maybe I won't as the motor will only get
looser and easier to spin as it runs in.
I still curse myself for not thinking of the fact that a longer stroke and 10% higher compression ratio will put additional strain on the starter and
at least asking people in the know re options.
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Ivan
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| posted on 2/1/12 at 05:00 PM |
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Well sorted out my starter problems - bought a Proform High Torque starter and fitted it and it works brilliantly. Cost about 230 pounds - money
well spent so far and weighs less than half the old one.
Unfortunately it highlighted two other problems
1 - think the torque plate is on back to front as the gap between end of sprocket and torque plate is 0.25" instead of 0.1" so sprocket
only half way engages on Torque plate.
2 - there is a fluid leak from the front of the gearbox despite fitting new seals so it's gearbox out again to cure leak and check torque plate
fitment.
Unfortunately I can find very little definitive info about which way the torque plate should be fitted on the web.
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