1960's Chrysler starter motor

While I was sitting on the patio at Starbucks this morning I heard a car start that reminded me of the late 50's early 60's Chrysler starter motors... The Chrysler starter motors had a very distinctive sound. The question is, why? What made them sound so distinctive? Obviously Chrysler was using something different to build their starter motors but what? I would suspect they used a different engagement drive but I would appreciate hearing from someone who actual knows. And when did they switch to the "normal sounding" starter motors? Just curious....

 

They were a gear reduction starter. They used them into the 90's on RWD trucks. Good starters easy to work on.

 

4-pot nailed it. With the gear reduction the engine cranking spred was slower but they made a lot more torque. Especially well suited to big inch and high compression engines, but Chrysler used them on the Chinese 6's as well.

And the sound they made was known as "the call of the Highland Park hummingbird". I see 4-pot's from Michigan, but maybe he doesn't live close to Highland Park.

 

Thanks, I thought that perhaps the "Bendix" was different.... now I know, gear reduction. You could certainly hear a Chrysler start for a good distance over the ambient noise of the area.

 

It's sort of a "Skiff, skiff, skiff, skiff" sound........my '64 Plymouth has the original starter on it.......rebuilt several times, easy to work on.

 

Those starters were not fun at a new car dealership. Chrysler would not replace starters under warrany, just whatever part was needed. So we had to rebuild them on site.. They were a pain, because you could only replace a part that was bad.

warped nose housings, bent gear shaft, etc.

 

Not saying I did it, but those warranty jobs somehow always had an O-ring leaking somewhere else on those cars the Techs were getting hosed on warranty wise.....

I knew a guy that would keep all the seals and
O-rings out of A6 compressors on customer pay jobs.......he wanted all the warranty work the dealership had. He would have the service writer make a warranty work order for a "leaking" compressor.

Pay back is a *****.

 

WTF? Chinese Sixes??? Never heard that term, and I've been around Mopars for over 40 years. I know what that is reference to, but I've never heard them called that.

 

Some Dodges had Itchy***** motors in them. Like a Colt.

 

Guys, i am working on a '58 392 hemi,, is there any way possible to adapt one of those "Highland Park hummingbird" starters to my hemi? I would love for my hemi to sound like a Chrysler starting up instead of an old Chevy. I do know the mount tabs are quite different, and I believe the HPH starter has ten teeth on its pinion and my original hemi starter has nine...I know I may be crazy, but I would like to give it a shot...

 

Ithink theres about 3 or 4 different lenghts on the mopar starters, important only if you need one to clear your headers. I use a Cappana Brothers trans adapter which uses the 318 to 440 mopar starter.

 

You should be able to adapt the "horse's whinee" starter to the 58. It may be possible that the starter pattern on the 58 Hemi is the same as a 61 Chrysler, which IIRC still used the Cast Iron Torqueflite. Think they went to 727 Torqflites in 62. Might check it out.

 

I was told the sound was caused by the way chrysler pressed and welded the ring gear on the flywheel.

 

Nope. Gear reduction. Best sounding starters, ever. I''ve never had to "shim" one, either. (Ahem).

 

Skeel, skeel, skeel whump.... if it was a big block with an AFB

 

Yep and easy to work on as long as you figure out that there is a piece in the starter that holds the brushes that the armature pushed down out of the way when you install it. Hell for good starters that you had to wear out as they usually gave little trouble before they were worn out.