Author Topic: Gear reduction starter (Read 9683 times)

david_moore · « **on:** May 12, 2003, 06:34:40 PM »

Hello Everyone!
The starter motor in my 79 Corvette has decided to make it's own decisions. I never encouraged it to try smoking! Basically I am sick of it, after removing it and refitting it a couple of times I either need to replace it. I see the average starter motor is reasonbly priced, but, to continue wrestling with this sort I really need to take up weight lifting. What is the good oil on the Gear Reduction type? ;30

Brutus · « **Reply #1 on:** May 12, 2003, 08:41:06 PM »

Dave...I can help you with the weight lifting, but not with the starter. I am interested in finding out more about them too tho. Not sure what their cost is out here, but they're thick on the ground over in the US.....literally. It's a real eye opener taking a casual walk through a wreckers over there. Btw they charge you $1 just to go and have a look around!

david_moore · « **Reply #2 on:** May 13, 2003, 06:10:28 PM »

Gyday Brutus,
Good to hear from you. I have had a bit of a look in Parts Peddler and it seems the average price of the gear reduction starters here is $395 and quite a few places are advertising them. I believe they have different power outputs, I guess the more powerful units are for high compression motors and diesels. When we were in Canberra I seem to remember Johnny Dunne singing their praise and giving me a short lecture about them. Ofcourse at the time I thought sheeesh mine is fine, ancient old thing that it is. I also remember Johnny saying "Sorry I seem to have usurped your position in the queue!" ;29

Scott81 · « **Reply #3 on:** May 13, 2003, 06:28:17 PM »

David- is this what you are looking for? http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?action=prod_detail&catid=698&pid=1085 I have a similar one and it works great, also good because it's easier to get at in tight places, I recommend a Moroso heat shield for it as well. It's a bit lighter than the stock boat anchor too, I had no trouble installing it with one hand turning the wrench with the other.

david_moore · « **Reply #4 on:** May 13, 2003, 07:04:34 PM »

Thanks for info Sott81, the web site you put me onto looks good too, I'll have to check it out some more. The standard starter must be about 20 lbs, I had to use a jack to refit the old heavy weight, probably would not be so bad if the car was on a hoist, just using chassis stands makes things a bit cramped. I am curious tho, of the need for a heat shield, are the Gear reduction starters susceptible to heat, more so than the standard items? Admittedly, the exhaust is very close to the existing starter on my Corvette. :20

Scott81 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 13, 2003, 07:28:23 PM »

David- you're welcome. From all that I have read on different forums it seems that heat is a big killer of starters no matter the size of them, one solution seems to be a remote mount solenoid, another for those who are electrically challenged like me is a heat shield if only for prevention. Once you have a mini-starter any good repair shop should be able to repair it should it ever fail. The big benefit is that they are easier to get installed/removed in the confined areas on our Corvettes, and a nice weight reduction.

Having had Brutus as a guest a couple times I understand that ordering parts is not cheap for you guys overseas, and shipping costs from the states borders on the insane, plus the exchange rate. Not having been to Australia yet I don't know what you could find locally but Bob can probably give you some tips for buying parts here. So far I have been pleased with the service from Scoggins-Dickey, another good parts house is "The Last Detail" http://www.tld-corvette.com/ I can't say what anyones policy is on overseas shipping.

Bob- not all junk yards are ripoffs like the ones here in Florida, this is the state where everyone has their hand in your wallet.

david_moore · « **Reply #6 on:** May 13, 2003, 08:01:54 PM »

Thanks Scott, one day I hope to get to USA, I have friends living there and they keep on asking me. Ever since the purchase of my Corvette money seems to come in one hand and out the other. My Corvette was a real bomb at first and what I had budgeted to convert and restore was not enough. Then the bank introduced me to credit cards, great idea but it has never quite recovered, since getting my Corvette on the road. It is not all that bad, soon it will be all better!! I have found Conell Chev to be qite good for buying parts from the USA, very prompt and trustworthy. Not all the people over here that deal in the selling of car parts are a rip off, they are providing a good service and at the end of the day they are business people just trying to make a living. But they are expensive. I reckon if I had started buying parts from the USA earlier I'd be a whole lot richer, some folk like to sell you anything here and assure it is the right bit. ;27
I know what you mean about cars electricals too, very challenging, I am an electrician and struggle myself. I have a book on restoring Corvettes and one bit I always remember is the chapter on Corvettes electrical systems, I quote "Everyone knows there is smoke in wires just trying to get out"! :22

Adam · « **Reply #7 on:** May 13, 2003, 08:27:46 PM »

I recently changed my starter, so I went around asking about rebuilds and exchange deals. All were over $250, being the cheap bastard that I am, I was not satisfied. With further searching I got one for around (i forgot exactly) $180- BRAND NEW (with solenoid) from American auto parts! And apparently it was one of the less common types for chev small block (i have a 305).

Works well too.

david_moore · « **Reply #8 on:** May 13, 2003, 09:34:54 PM »

Cheap is the way to go, but when it comes to a Corvette, i can't help but splurge. I like there to be no problems, don't like rebuilds, mechanics don't trust them. Next to electricians, they are the biggest lying cheating deceiving SOBs on earth. I should know, I am an electrician!!

Adam · « **Reply #9 on:** May 13, 2003, 09:59:12 PM »

Yea, well as i said i went with brand new, and it was cheaper than a rebuild, not wrong about those electricians then!

'd rather save up money for a nice paintjob, interior or engine rebuld rather than a fancy dancy chrome starter! :22

jdunne · « **Reply #10 on:** May 14, 2003, 07:10:05 PM »

David,all of what i said was examinable material......good news,you passed....what i was on about is that not only do they work better but you get more space,on the other hand ,with extractors you get a bad bad heat problem that can kill standard ones stone dead...mine is a Tilton which is a beautiful piece of work and it works brilliantly,i think it was A$300,they are not at all hard to get....john:o

david_moore · « **Reply #11 on:** May 14, 2003, 07:58:58 PM »

Hi there John - Don't get me wrong I find your opinions of a very high standard! I am convinced the gear reduction starters are better! And you can usurp my position in the queue any time you damn well please! Have you managed to sort out the engine performance of your Corvette, I seem to remember you battling to get it to rev out properly. Is it a Rochester carb you are using? I am pretty sure the later model Rochesters have the float level set too low. Look at the different float levels for a late 70s compared to an early 70s. Mine is a 79 and after rebuilding the engine, with a few mods I found the recommended float level for a 79 was 15/32inch, for a 70 it is 1/4inch. After setting it to 1/4inch it then revved out perfectly. Get a big black vet up ya!
Regards
Dave M;27

jdunne · « **Reply #12 on:** May 15, 2003, 09:20:19 AM »

David,started with Qjet,then 2 edel 750 vac sec(both with manufacturing probs)then new style Holley 750vac sec...as that didnt fit on rpm airgap without a spacer to adapt base,it was too high....now old style holley 750 vac sec...just needs some dyno time to tune properly.....got a small vac leak that is contrib to idle prob but the flutter at 4000 rpm is just tuning....all i need is some uninteruppted time to do it.....john

Brutus · « **Reply #13 on:** May 15, 2003, 11:55:54 AM »

John...Let me know where I can find some of that uninterrupted time......I'll even pay good money for it.:b2

david_moore · « **Reply #14 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:03:04 PM »

I am with you Brutus, Wouldn't it be good if decent dollars just rolled in by themselves and nasty interruptions like work didn't exist. I keep telling myself I love my job but sometimes it wears just a little too thin. Perhaps it is time to ask the boss for another pay rise!! Four Dollars aweek from the big boss is just not enough!!! :20

david_moore · « **Reply #15 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:07:58 PM »

I am with you Brutus, Wouldn't it be good if decent dollars just rolled in by themselves and nasty interruptions like work didn't exist. I keep telling myself I love my job but sometimes it wears just a little too thin. Perhaps it is time to ask the boss for another pay rise!! Four Dollars aweek from the big boss is just not enough!!! :20

John - I have just had the distributor off my Corvette regraphed - picked it up today, maybe yours needs the same treatment? I'll be refitting mine tomorrow, hopefully the flood that we are experiencing in Sydney will have subsided.

jdunne · « **Reply #16 on:** May 20, 2003, 02:02:17 PM »

David,the prob with the carb is fine mixture control leading to fluttering as the secondaries open.....mainly a prob in second and third gear...hard to fix except on a dyno..john:(

david_moore · « **Reply #17 on:** May 20, 2003, 06:32:41 PM »

John - Hope you get it on the dyno and sort it soon. I bit the bullet and bought a gear reduction starter on the weekend, very flash indeed. Got it home and unwrapped it, sat it on my bench, must have stared at it for half an hour, thinking - Cor that is a real nice piece of work! And I still have not fit it, the old one has mysteriously started behaving. I guess it is waiting for an opportune moment, like 300 miles from home! :mmm

Scott81 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 20, 2003, 07:13:52 PM »

David,

If you get stuck somewhere due to starter failure try this; bang it with a broom handle or give it a wack with a hammer if you can reach that far under the car without burning your arm. I had my starter go on me one day, a guy walks up and we start talking about what's wrong, he says to hold on he'll be right back, grabbed a broom from his truck and poked at the starter while I fired it up, I just stood there amazed.....I thought he was just some nut. Turns out he was a mechanic. Little tricks you never hear of.

Brutus · « **Reply #19 on:** May 20, 2003, 07:15:21 PM »

What sort off $$$ did you end up paying Dave and where did you get it from? Brand name?