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Technical 265 transmission adapter to fix 350 starter issue?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by The Chevy Pope, Jun 23, 2025.

  1. Am I correct in thinking this will fit a 76 350? My 350 is one of the defective starter hole blocks. And I already have a very nice Wilson reman starter to fit a tri five. And thinking the adapter itself would help correct my driveshaft length issue. Just making sure there isn't something on a 55/56 265 that would make this work on a 350 FB_IMG_1750520395737.jpg
     
  2. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 14,052

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    Block broken or just a stripped threads where the starter bolts to? Show us pics with starter removed. Maybe we can save you some money not going the route your thinking of.
     
    The Chevy Pope likes this.
  3. No it's the one in every 5 010 blocks that had the starter holes drilled wrong. Turns out the starter it came with was also drilled wrong but in a way it worked. Unfortunately I didn't figure it out till after I turned it in as a core. They actually sell a starter for this specific issue but they're like $500 lol
     
  4. So not actually damaged. A defect. On an engine with 80k from brand new lol
     
  5. I honestly didn't know about the defect until I had my issue and researched it. I've owned literally 100 of the almighty "010 four bolt main" 350s. And this is the first starter defect block I've had
     
  6. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 14,052

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    How did it leave the plant with no issues for 80k miles.
     
  7. Dealers were instructed to install the $500 starter I mentioned. Truck it came out of was a low usage government vehicle. Us military the first 40-50k and small town fire department the last 30-40k. Like the more I read into the more common it seems to have been
     
  8. This same engine was so babied the when I changed the timing set when I pulled the engine 3 years ago it still had a mint condition nylon Cam gear lol
     
  9. My other idea to fix it was to t5 swap it using my 57 Chevy bell housing. But that'd be even more cash and more involved. Plus if rather save that bell housing for an eventual model a roadster
     
  10. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 24,403

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Last edited: Jun 23, 2025
  11. e1956v
    Joined: Sep 29, 2009
    Posts: 2,547

    e1956v
    Alliance Vendor

    Chevy Pope is 100% correct on what he says. It was cheaper for GM to design and make a starter with a custom drive end housing that it was to scrap all of the defective blocks.
    I heard about this at a continuing education class for auto electric rebuilders. If the original starter was lost as a core you were in trouble. Because no other 3510 350 starter would cure the noise and miss alignment issues.
    The cast iron drive end housing pictured was for 4speed applications and still would not cure it.
     
    The Chevy Pope likes this.
  12. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 24,403

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Find some scrap cast iron and make a headless bolt, with a flat screwdriver slot.

    Screw it into the incorrect hole and stake it.

    Drill a and tap the correct hole.
     
  13. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 24,403

    gimpyshotrods
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

  14. Johnny Gee
    Joined: Dec 3, 2009
    Posts: 14,052

    Johnny Gee
    Member
    from Downey, Ca

    Learned something new.

    As shown in the latest replies, there is a much easier way around the problem.

    By the way, did the guy running the drill press get fired from GM? :)
     
  15. e1956v
    Joined: Sep 29, 2009
    Posts: 2,547

    e1956v
    Alliance Vendor

    ;)I’m a GM guy all the way but he probably got promoted to union shop steward.
    Hope union guys can take a joke :) ;)
    The shitty thing was not letting customers know about it so they could take appropriate action and have the “custom” starter rebuilt when in needed to be replaced. As a loyal GM guy thats really shitty, but not at all surprising.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2025
    Truckdoctor Andy and Algoma56 like this.
  16. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 9,678

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    I had a similar issue when a friend asked me to swap a T56 six speed trans into his Nova with a 350. His engine had the wrong bolt pattern for the correct starter for the T56 flywheel, so I bolted up the starter to the block and pulled the solenoid off to engage the starter gear into the flywheel. Then I just used a drill bit that slid into the starter hole and spun it enough to make a start mark on the block. Once it was marked I pulled the starter off and drilled the hole and tapped for 3/8 threads. It was super easy and the blocks drill and tap fine.
     
    Johnny Gee likes this.
  17. Ran into same problem with a 307 block. Bought an nos 307 for nothing. After many tries I pulled the new block and scraped it. Local starter generator guy gave me all his stash of starter noses to fix this POS. All failed.
     
  18. justpassinthru
    Joined: Jul 23, 2010
    Posts: 609

    justpassinthru
    Member

    I have only seen one of those so-called problem child Chevy small blocks in my lifetime.
    I have been in the business for 43 years.
    .
    Customer had this hot rod 1977 Chevy truck with a 350.and automatic trans.
    He had the starter and flex plate replaced 3 different times from different shops, before it came to me.
    Eventually it would tear up the starter and flex plate over and over.
    Even with new components installed, he said it sounded like it was grinding rocks while starting.
    Flex plate and starter were factory type.

    So I replaced the flex plate and starter.
    168 tooth flex plate and a staggered bolt starter.
    There were no shims installed on the starter when I took it apart.

    Come to find that when the new starter was bolted to the block, with no shims there was a country mile of clearance between the starter pinion and the ring gear.
    In my case the starter was way too far away from the ring gear, with no shims!
    I wasn't about to shim the outer bolt of the starter to bring it closer, especially on a staggered mount starter.

    My solution to correct the problem, was to have the starter nose cone milled down where it attaches to the block.
    Ended up having .125" removed from the nose cone. then had to install 1 thin shim between the starter and the block to get the clearance correct.
    Once done, the starter was quiet as a church mouse.

    So at least in my case, it would seem the pan gasket/starter surface of the block was machined too far away from the centerline of the crankshaft, causing the excessive clearance or the bolt holes were drilled too far away from the centerline of the crankshaft. Don't know which.

    Was a pain in the ass to figure out how to fix.
     
    leon bee likes this.
  19. patsurf
    Joined: Jan 18, 2018
    Posts: 2,182

    patsurf

    put him in the same position as the others mentioned --before-THAT starter is the only one from then on -don't lose that core
     
  20. wheeltramp brian
    Joined: Jun 11, 2010
    Posts: 3,236

    wheeltramp brian
    Member

    Like said above, I've had to shave the actual starter down cause it was so far away.
     
  21. Considering I already own the new reman Wilson starter for a 55-57 and the plate I showed in my pic is just over $200 a long with I'd have to buy another starter to do any of the suggestions honestly the plate seems the way to go. If I buy a starter that mounts like stock I'm going later model gear reduction. Which runs about $200. Amazon starter is cheaper but that's what I'm currently running with a lot of grinding on the nose cone that is losing its starter drive lol
     
  22. ididntdoit1960
    Joined: Dec 13, 2011
    Posts: 1,234

    ididntdoit1960
    Member
    from Western MA

    I had to do that SAME shuffle on a 350 in a friends '62 vette - a lot of head scratching to get us there....
     
  23. BHRS
    Joined: Jun 20, 2009
    Posts: 54

    BHRS
    Member
    from Texas

    What years or known measurement tells you it was mismachined or misdrilled? I have two virgin 70010 blocks - one from 1971 and another from 1974. How do I know there is a problem before going to the machine shop?
     

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