[texasbowhunter2]

have a 1966 chevy c-10 i have a 80-85 chevy 350 crate motor having problems with flywheel and starter! first off i had to replace the flywheel and starter. my problem is that when i got everything together it worked fine after a week of driving the starter is not catching the flywheel and starting to eat the teeth on my new flywheel i took the starter off and took it to diffrent places to have it check it checked out fine so i put the starter back on and it worked fine for the first crank and the second time i tried to start it, its back to eating teeth i dont know what the hell is going on but this has never happen to me with the old starter but its getting old!!!!! not to mention that this is now the forth starter with then a month they all do the same thing. the last three checked out to be bad but this new one they say its fine even after lots and lots of test done on it autozone and orielly say its good please someone please help and tell that i dont need to pull the flywheel again its almost X-mass and wanted to take it to my parents and show it off but dont look like thats going to happen.

[cobalt327]

I'm sure you know the 'paper clip' method of checking for proper engagement between the ring gear and starter, so I'll skip that for now.

The correct starter bolts have to be used! Starter bolts are knurled where they pass through the aluminum nose of the starter and can wear w/use. Some noses have metric sized holes (or so I've read), so might not be correctly sized for the bolts you're using. The dealership has the correct bolts- the bolts in the parts store "HELP" section are not correct in many cases, although they DO have the knurling.

Obviously, be sure there's no grease or crud on the block's mounting surface or the starter nose.

You should also be using a starter brace that extends between the starter's back plate and the engine block- there's a threaded hole in the block for just that reason. A brace can make all the difference, especially if the nose was getting broken.

You can also use Loctite on the perfectly cleaned (or it won't work- at all) threads. But the brace will be the biggest help, IMHO.

[technicaltom]

Hi I hope this is not seen as a thread jack!!! but would a starter motor brace be required on an aftermarket /mini starter motor ie Powermaster type on a SBC 350 ?

[cjperotti]

GM 350 blocks utilize a plate between the starter and the tranny that is bolted to the block with two 10mm bolts. It serves as a splash shield and spacer for proper starter engagement to the flywheel. Failure to reinstall that plate will often result in poor engagement.