So, I have a problem. I need a new starter in my 51 merc powered t roadster. It seems sumple enough, but no! My starter is physically shorter than the starters that I bought to replace it with. Can anyone help me out? I just want to know how I can get a starter for it. Here is a pic to describe what I am up against.
starter repair is simple with only two parts that wear, the brushes and the bushings. disassemble your starter, clean and examine all the parts to see what you need. install new brushes and bushings. nothing to it. lots of times a simple cleaning and they work again
biggest pain in the ass is the 4 springs that hold the brushes, other than that they are simple. While it's apart, switch the fields to 12v, and your Bendix spring will thank you.
Those drives look like the "Folo-Thru as found in later Ford stuff, probably early automatic trans cars. I went through similar grief on an FE not too long ago. The drives come off easy enuff, can they swap or are the motor shafts longer too? I bumped into that issue also.
Measure depth of bell cover to see if a longer snout will fit. Rear of starter must be tilted upward & toward block so snout clears flywheel while inserting.
I worked in a starter repair shop in 1964 and we used a piece of coat hanger bent into a hook to hold the springs back with one hand while inserting the brush with the other hand. There can be other things wrong, burnt up coils and bad armatures but often its just brushes and bushings
I ordered a 12 volt &^%$ T bird starter and switched field, commutator and front bushing retainer. The T bird commutator did not have the wooddruf key in it.
I’m going to be converting my 51 Ford to 12v and I’m just going to keep the original starter and keep a spare bendix in the car for whenever I kill the one that’s on it.
I know this has probably been asked before a hundred times before but isn’t the high torque starters way better than the replacement 12v versions?
I've been told by a couple rebuilders that making a starter high torque is simply using thicker shims on the field coils. True or false?
If there are any rural areas near you, check around for an "auto electric" type shop that would likely have experience rebuilding starters and generators for old tractors and other vintage farm equipment.
These are flathead starters, I have a few flathead cars and I have used these before. My problem is that my 1927 t has a shorter front half on it and I am wondering why that is?
https://thirdgenauto.com/product/19...new-6-volt-starter-motor-assembly-w-warranty/ Reuse your old bendix drive. They are out of stock, but others mat have the same thing.
If you are not concerned with looks or original appearance the gear reduction starter is the best choice of them all.
OK The old starter is bolted to the starter plate. That plate must be used. The bendix end of the new starters (Aluminum mounting pad) must come off as it has to bolt to the flathead V8 starter plate. The two bolts that run through the starter also bolt to the starter plate. These two long bolts that bolt to the starter plate also hold it together. I always tape the starter together with masking tape just to hold it together. Once it’s bolted to the starter plate, I peel the tape off. I think you’ll find these starters are the same length once you get them on the starter plate.
Early flathead starters have an aluminum end plate about an inch thick, then a shorter main section. Later, the end plate is only about a 1/4 inch and the main housing got longer. Not sure the year of the change, but yes they end up the same length.
I don't know where you bought the two new starters in the first pic, but they are not for flathead. The 91-02-5787 part number is not for 49-53 Ford/Merc. It's for 1954 and newer. I believe the 32-48 had the thicker alum end plate, and 8ba had the thinner alum end plate. '54 and newer had external mounting ears like the ones you posted pics of.
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