[chevy350_Camd]

I have been having starter alignment problems with my 1980 350 . I got a ring gear and I figured I might have installed it incorrect. My first ring gear was bent so I got another one, Is it possible to install it backwards and have grinding probs with the starter ?. If so what should I look for to know ?

Thanks for any responses

[Augusto]

check that the lumps that stick out of the the surface of the flywheel face the converter, the ones where you put the converter bolts.

the ring gear has a small bevel, it should face the starter motor's gear.

your starter motor migth need to be shimed to reduce the noise.

Augusto.

[chevy350_Camd]

I know the lumps are towards the Converter but the noise is a complete grind and turning over. Any Idea ?

[chevy350_Camd]

I meant its not turning over its just grinding. Ive tried to shim it and it works for a little then it completely quits working and its back to grinding.

To me something has got to be moving, It could be the starter but i really tightend it down pretty good. I messed with the flywheel and found that its pretty wobbly but it takes force to make it wobble. Any Ideas form Here ?.

[Henry Highrise]

The first thing that I would question is.....Why was your old ring gear bent? What caused it? Sounds to me like your starter is not shimed properly, or possibly the starter bolts are loose. Or...you could have the wrong number of teeth on the flexplate for the starter drive... sbc flex plates come with two different numbers of teeth. Use the search function on this site and do a search on this and study up on it.

[chevy350_Camd]

Ive had that response so i went out and checked it and it had 168 teeth. Ive shimmed it crazy and still had the same results, it quit and went to grinding.
I really need help Because I need this vehicle to drive to school but I cant get it to quit grinding ?.

[Henry Highrise]

Click here and then start reading. http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/sear...archid=1587725 OK..If the number of teeth do not match the starter...you will ruin the starter drive gear and the flexplate/ring gear.

[speedydeedy]

NEW INTERIORS was having the same problem on his roadster and he bought a cheap mini starter off of ebay and it worked great. I you PM him I am sure he will be glad to tell you about it.

[woodz428]

If you have an automatic, which is what it sounds like, I doubt that you could get the flywheel on backwards. You are talking about the complete flexplate and not just the gear, correct? I think most flexplates would be difficult to install backwards because of the shape of the mounting flange. Just as a side note, we used to flip the ring gear on older flywheels(stick shift) that were hard to get, I just did it on a '36 Olds in the shop. Although there is a beveled side, the bevel cuts on the starter drive seem to be more than enough to prevent grinding. Most flexplates have welded on gears so you would have to replace the complete unit. I think the suggestions about matching teeth #s is probably the issue you have.

[chevy350_Camd]

Ive counted the teeth on the Flywheel and it came to be 168. I have never counted the starters. If i got a performance starter I could push it in more towards the block right ?. The teeth on the starter are just tipping the flywheel. If i tried to start it it just grinds and does not turn over at all.
Its never had problems with starters before but now its not even trying to turn over and all the mechanics I live by have no clue. I make sure its tight, when i did have it working it was tight and after about 7 tries it just went grrrrrrrrrrrr and sounded really bad. When it tried to start the starter completely quits the second it tries to turn on. This just started to happen out of nowhere And i have had two starters that did the same thing. Any other advise would be very helpful cause i cant do anything until this is fixed and its been doing this for quiet awhile. The flywheels teeth are also ok but I cant figure it out at all. Please help thanks.

[woodz428]

I re-read your initial post, I can't help but think that something is being left out of the equation. You didn't say whether the engine/starter worked fine before hand,or whether it was the original engine, whether it was rebuilt..several things that I think are important in any long distance diagnosis. I am NO Chevy authority, by any means, but have built a lot of engines, the shimming ( as I understand) is to correct if the starter is too close.From your description it sounds like the opposite. I wonder about a line boring on theblock that may have moved the crank upward too much. That's why I asked about some other details.

[T-bucket23]

Originally Posted by chevy350_Camd

Ive counted the teeth on the Flywheel and it came to be 168. I have never counted the starters. If i got a performance starter I could push it in more towards the block right ?. The teeth on the starter are just tipping the flywheel. If i tried to start it it just grinds and does not turn over at all.
Its never had problems with starters before but now its not even trying to turn over and all the mechanics I live by have no clue. I make sure its tight, when i did have it working it was tight and after about 7 tries it just went grrrrrrrrrrrr and sounded really bad. When it tried to start the starter completely quits the second it tries to turn on. This just started to happen out of nowhere And i have had two starters that did the same thing. Any other advise would be very helpful cause i cant do anything until this is fixed and its been doing this for quiet awhile. The flywheels teeth are also ok but I cant figure it out at all. Please help thanks.

Is the bolt pattern on the starter staggered or straight across, if you have a 168 tooth flywheel and a straight pattern starter you have the wrong starter. Stock chevy starters for a 153 are straight across 168 are staggered.

[MI2600]

14 years old and drives to school?

[Henry Highrise]

Originally Posted by MI2600

14 years old and drives to school?

I also wondered about that.

[Mustangsaly]

still today in the state of Nebraska if you live out of the city limits you can get a school permit to drive to and from school, and school functions at 14 yrs old. my drive way was maybe 20 ft past the city limit sign. growing up and I had a school permit at 14 yrs old. theres prob 15 kids 14 or 15 yrs old driving to school in our town. I drove a 66 Ford Fairlane GTA 2DR with a 390 & a C6 auto and a 9" trac loc with 390 gear ratio, my first year & a 1/2 then got my 67 GTO. never seen a school permit that wasn't abused. hell I remember drag racing the fairlane, it was my uncles & he was a OTR truck driver. that ole green fairlane eat a couple big block 69 to 72 chevelles and big & small block camaros. course I got beat too, I was young & dumb. it would just bark 2nd gear. a kid in my daughters class that was 14yrs old in 1995 was parlayed when he wrecked going to school, lost control on gravel. school bus came buy and found him. school permits are controversial now, some legislators & senators want them abolished. but farm kids drive a lot. most that grow up on a farm are driving tractors combines & pickups by age 11 and driving loaded grain trucks at 14 yrs old. when I was a kid at 16 you could legally drive a semi with farm tags. you know a farm truck thats not for hire. and I think now at age 16 you can still legally drive a farm semi, or maybe now its 18 yrs old now, but now I think its with in like 150mi of home. where it was just in the state. a farmer I worked for had us driving his trucks to the Omaha Ne. ConAgra elevators witch is 200mi from the farm. hes boy was 16 I was 17. he took us 2 trips with him riding then sent us boys together for one trip, then we run together each trip, two kenworth cab over semi trucks with hopper bottom trailers. a buddie of mine dads had bull racks (the ole high railer trailers it was b4 the possum belly trailers / drop deck trailers) he helped out with the semis and hauled cattle at 16 and 17 yrs old. things were easier then, and DOT authority wasn't on us as bad. there was no CDLs we had Chauffeurs license.