I have a '44 2N tractor with bone stock rebuilt '50 F1 8BA. Over the winter I will be swapping it into a '50 8N tractor with a Sherman transmission. I will put the 8N engine in the 2N and sell it. My question is on starters. To do a V8 conversion on a tractor, they have you cut away part of the bellhousing for the starter drive. On the 2N I have a good 12V starter with the guts from the '50 F1 starter in a '63 390 T-bird case. It works fine, but I am considering buying a mini-starter so I don't have to cut the tractor bellhousing on this one. Are any brands better than others? I see Powermaster seems to be the most prevalent. Anything I should know before I spend big bucks on a new starter? Anybody have a used one? If you do an image search for "Ford Flathead Mini Starter" there are basically 5 that show up 1-Powermaster 2-Speedway Stumpuller unbranded 3-Titan 4-IMI 5-Snap Rebuilders there is also an Australian one that I can't get the page to open. The Snap Rebuilders one is the least expensive at $200, but the website seems to have some sketchy writing. Without someone to vouch for them, I probably wouldn't order from them. The Titan one is $400. Maybe it's just that good. The others are all around $250. Most seem to be based on a Denso style gear reduction starter. I don't need super high torque. My engine is bone stock. I do like the idea of being able to rotate it, you can see from the picture where it has to go. Any additional first hand experience with these is appreciated. Thanks!
Good or Bad I've put a Power Master starter on every Flathead I've had done for maybe the last 20 Years? No failures to date that I know of?
Mini or "traditional" style? I have not heard good things about the traditional style Powermasters, but have no first hand experience. I can use the starter that I have, it works just fine, but I hate to cut another bellhousing. It has a cover that is supposed to go over the drive and kind of seal it up, but it hits the drive bolts as you can see the paint rubbed off in the photo. I could make a bigger cover, but I'm willing to sacrifice a little old school look to keep dirt out of the clutch area with a gear reduction starter-if they are reliable. I can paint it black and put a tag on it to make it look older.
Having built my fair share of flatheads(many for myself and plenty more for customers) I have always achieved gr8 results simply using a stock 6 volt starter on 12 volts with very few problems. If u spin and spin and spin(maybe like 30-40-50 seconds continuously) u are prone to experiencing “problems” or difficulties with the “stock” starter. The problem arises when the “operator” of this device doesn’t have enuf “sense” to find out why the engine won’t start quickly. Any flathead in good shape should fire off in less than 5-7-9 seconds or else something is “wrong” but because they are “ignorant” they continue to crank and crank and crank until the starter gives up. Most “breakdowns” are because of a broken spring generally caused by the bolts holding the spring have back out!!! Many problems occur because of operator error or ignorance. ALWAYS make sure the engine trans combination is securely GROUNDED with an extra ground strap to eliminate more problems in the electrical system.
I run the snap rebuilders mini starter in my blown flathead drag car. I don’t know if it’s better than the others or not but it’s been fine living right next to a hot header pipe. I was able to clock its orientation to fit in a tight spot so good enough for me
Thank you! Their website seems a little sketchy but if the product is good, then it's good. A few have missed the reason I am looking for this. I have a perfectly good original starter converted to 12V. It works great. I have no issues with that style starter and it's function and/or long term reliability. What I am trying to accomplish is putting this engine in a new tractor and not cutting the bellhousing like the photo in the OP. Thanks!
Ordered a Powermaster 9507 from Jegs. They are running a promo where I got it shipped and taxes for $251. Here and on the Ford Barn that one seems to be a popular choice. Thanks for the help.
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