Hi, We are building a rear motor plate/adapter to put a GM bellhousing and manual trans behind a Lincoln 337. Our car will have a belly pan and is designed to be serviced from the top. The GM starters I know about have vertical bolts going up from the bottom to attach it to the block. So we need horizontal bolts to attach a starter to the adapter. We will use the 168 tooth flywheel. Does anyone know what starter we should be looking for? Thanks, Joel
Not sure if it works for 168 tooth flywheel but the ACDelco Professional 336-1849 Starter, has horizonal bolts
This starter fit a lot of Chevys and GMCs with manual trans This one for a 68 C 10 with a 327 and granny 4 speed. I'm thinking 60/68 with a manual trans have the starter that bolts to the bellhousing rather than the block. I remember that back in the early 80's someone gave my buddy a pretty nice 327 that had the corner of the block that the vertical bolt starter bolted to broken off ( I think the chain they were lifting it with broke) and we stuck a truck bellhousing on it and ran the truck starter.
Early 60's Corvettes used that starter and I checked my 62 and the flywheel has 168 teeth so the one I mentioned previously should work if mount points are same.
Most of the aftermarket hi-torque gear reduction staters for SBC are horizontal bolt starters attached to an aluminium adapter plate
That starter fits a list of Chevys that is pretty long. Several outfits including Jegs and Summit sell a starter plate for tri 5 chevys when you put a late trans behind the engine that doesn't have provisions for a bolt from the bottom starter. I'm not sure that would be good for anything except a pattern in your case though. You could do that with a truck bellhousing.
I have used truck bellhousings forever with my Chevy applications, manuals only of course. Were trucks with automatics using the same type starter?
I think Lakewood is now a Holley brand? https://www.holley.com/products/drivetrain/bellhousings/chevrolet/parts/15003LKW The starter shown above, that fits this scattershield, was used on Chevy cars from 55 to the early 60s. And trucks with V8 from 55-72. Pretty easy to get this starter.
Up to 1972 C10 with manual transmission used the horizontal mounting bolts. In conjuction with @Mr48chev @squirrel post.
Since you're making your own engine/trans adapter, another option for a "horizontal" bolt pattern starter is one off of a 2005 - 20010 Trailblazer Vortec 4200 six cylinder. Different bolt pattern than the early Chevies listed above, but still uses the same starter gear. It is small and powerful. Sort of a factory mini starter. I used one on an engine adapter I made using a traditional GM bellhousing and GM 168 tooth flywheel.
I had a similar problem with a Pontiac and made an adapter like the one that Mr48chev showed. It worked well and I used it for years.
I'm thinking I like that newer one because it only has two bolts and it looks like they are easier to get at. Thanks
I have a used Chevy Lakewood scatter shield I bought at a swap meet. I'm pretty sure it is the late 60 design that has no provision to bolt a starter to it. But I could always sell that and buy a different one if that proved wise.
Except every time you really need it, the rope pulls off and just hangs there in your hand, or else it won't retract.
I went and ordered the trailblazer starter from RockAuto. Will see if I can make that work. Thanks for the help!
I had a factory original 1969 CST/396 1/2 ton chevy truck, turbo 400... It had that "horozontal bolt starter". .
No problem. And if the trailblazer starter won't work, it is pretty easy to just machine up a new aluminum block (see arrow on picture) that meets your "horizontal" bolt pattern requirements and use an aftermarket mini starter:
What starter would I use for that? Say we were to use a starter like that, get rid of that block, and machine whatever is on that block right into the adapter plate that is going between the engine and the bellhousing?
There are a ton of generic aftermarket mini starters like this. Below are just a couple off Amazon. I never thought about machining the adapter plate itself, but that would work. You might still need a spacer between the starter body and adapter plate though, in order to get the right throw distance of the starter gear.
The Jalopy Journal
