I'm putting an SBC into an early Ford with a '39 trans and an older Wilcap adapter. The engine came out of a truck and it had a 168 tooth flywheel with a 12" clutch and a starter with the STAGGERED mounting holes. When I went to put things together, the starter sat about 1/4" too low to line up with the starter recess in the adapter. I didn't want to butcher the adapter, so I got a 153 tooth flywheel (which works perfectly with the 10" Long pressure plate) and I figured a different starter (STRAIGHT) would mount higher and line up with the adapter recess and the flywheel. Today, I got a look at a STRAIGHT mounting hole starter and it appears to mount even lower than the STAGGERED. Am I missing something here? What starter should I be using with the 153 tooth flywheel? Thanks in advance!!
The Wilcap requires the use of a 168 tooth flywheel and a early V8 Chevrolet starter. Check out the bell housing. See how the starter actually bolts to the bell housing ... not the V8 chevrolet block.
There are several different starter nosecones for GM starters. A local rebuilder might be able to ***ist you in finding one that would mount to the block or just use the one that bolts to the bell housing.
Thanks Deuce Roadster! Hmmmm.... So, it looks like buying the Wilcap adapter on its own wasn't the best idea. I have an early V8 starter (and an Offy adapter,) but I was planning on saving it for use on a 265 block without the starter mounts on the block. Question remains then, forgetting the adapter, what starter is block mounted and will work with the 153 tooth flywheel. PS: Is that a gear reduction starter shown in the Wilcap photo? Can that be "face" mounted? PPS: Just checked Speedway's catalog- They list both angled and straight and show photos of the back sides. Straight moves the starter way in for the smaller flywheel. Got it. Now, what to do with the Wilcap adapter?
It usually depends on what clutch or application the vehicle is running. 9-1/2 and 10 inch clutches usually run the 153 tooth flywheel while the 11,12 and larger (in big trucks) run the 168 tooth. Automatics usually depend on the engine or power rating of the engine with high hp or bigger cube engines running the 168 tooth flexplate while the smaller engines and lower performance engines usually run the 153 tooth flexplate. But there are always some that don't follow suit so that theory isn't totally cut and dried. Since I run a V8 truck bellhousing in my 48 I run the early or truck style bellhousing mounted starter on it and have had very little problems with it in over 20 something years. New brushes and bushings about every five years and go again.
IF ... it were me, I would use the 168 tooth flywheel and the Wilcap adapter. I like the way the early starter bolts to the adapter ( just like GM did it for the 55/57 Chevrolet V8's ) ... No starter alignment issues. 3 bolts holding the starter on and it ALL works great. I have many, many miles on a set up like this. _______________________________ I always get a big block starter ( the one with the little br*** spacer ) and install the 55/57 3 bolt head on the later starter body. It really spins the 168 tooth flywheel. My old 40 with the 283 is that way. The early 60's Chevy truck starters are the same as the 55/57 Chevy car starter pattern. Most any decent parts house should have one.
If the adapter has a pocket for the old style starter I don't think there is enough clearance to run a block mounted starter. If you have a 168 tooth flywheel and a Chevy starter all you need is the truck starter nose shown in Deuce Roadster's last picture.
I think I found the answer to my questions in Deuce Roadster's original post with the picture of the Wilcap set up. The starter shown is a "mini starter." A mini starter doesn't have a rear armature support that protrudes into the bell housing. It also has two sets of mounting holes that allow use with either a 153 tooth or 168 tooth flywheel. Seeing as it doesn't have the big "nose cone" sticking into the bell housing, there has to be enough room to position the starter pinion gear just about anywhere, which is why Wilcap shows (and probably offers) that type starter in their complete set up. Thanks to everyone for their help here. One last question: Can anyone point me to the magazine article a few years ago about finding and installing the truly "high torque" internals in a full size Chevy starter? Thanks again!
Remember when this conversion first started there was only one starter and flywheel available. No shims or special knurled bolts were necessary. They have been doing it for 40 years.
I believe the high torque starters are the ones, as mentioned above, that use a spacer between the starter case and the solenoid. All I've ever done, is swapped the main body to the one I needed. Check the bushing in the nose, if it's out of your "used" pile.
According to their website you can use either the block mounted starter for the 168 tooth flywheel or the 3 bolt bellhousing mounted starter. I've run the same exact setup that Deuce Roadster shows that he has on my 48 for years and have had no starter problems except the usual wearing out the bushings and brushes every few years. Using my O'Reilly's cheat sheet http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/s...evrolet&model=C20+Pickup&year=1966&vi=1321917 I see that there are two different thee bolt end frames shown. That may be to clock the starter solenoid though.
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