Technical Whats the fe ford starter install secret?

Is the Bendix sitting against the big spring or like it is in the photo above?

 

The different lengths are probably for a manual or auto trans. BBF’s are that way.

 

It has been many years buy I think if you hold the pinion teeth against a wire wheel bench grinder it will release the drive back to the disengaged position. Not sure which direction it should turn freely only one way.

 

. . . Not to mention your knuckles and the back of your hands ! ! !

 

So a little about how I was able to remove it, in the 1962 Motors Manual as indicated earlier it says to drop the steering for 58-60 Edsel, but the 60 Ford and Edsel are the same car essentially. Once dropped I had what I needed to get it out but going back was a worry that day.



How it came out...

And what I thought was ready to install..


Well, the drive (Bendix) for the win. After more angst and suffering than should ever be I dropped everything and searched all there was to know about the Bendix Folo-Thru drive,both in the manual and online.

In pictures on the net it showed some extended and some drawn back, and I began to expect the extended pics were about how it traveled. Mine moved maybe ¼" and that's it. Being the hoarder/collector I am I rummaged thru some old starters, had a gummy drive just like mine,but why was it so much shorter? Took it off the old starter, cleaned it up really nice and got to engage and retract freely. Extended it sat just like mine, retracted, well back for easy engagement to the flywheel.


There's the difference. I don't know how what was there would ever work, and may have been the reason the old starter drew so much current and turned so slow. The exciting climax to this effort, it damn near installed itself and I'm super confident in the whole gig. The mentions above about the drive steered me in the right direction, thanks for that, and as promised here it is in the hole. Now I know about early FE starters too. This job basically sux but all's well that ends well. Thanks again my bruthas...

 

F#%!’n Old Ridiculous Design.

 

Glad it worked out. In the future for one you might keep. I have bought and done what @wraymen had mentioned previously. Worked out nicely. Even bought a extra and did another starter just to have as a spare.

 

I remember the advertisements from Ford in those days "FORD HAS A BETTER IDEA"

 

Excellent!!

 

Well done! Persistent bugger aren't you? And now I know a little about a backward-ass Ford starter, so thanks!

 

"And-now-we-know"....why so many guyz get Shivel-layz !
Nice work.....way to hang.
6sally6

 

Glad you got it !

 

Me too, but after seeing the parts and diagram for that damn thing I don't think that was one of them.

That is one hell of an effort for just a starter! I bet your glad that's done, great job

 

I forget how mine went in, it was freezing when I did mine but cannot recall what made it easier, maybe I got lucky.

 

My father- in-law has a 47 Lincoln v12. Needed to replace the starter, his go to guy for the parts told him it had to be installed from under the car. At 73 he could not climb under the car and lift the starter into place and start the bolts.
I was drafted to help him. I looked at the engine bay as the car sat in his garage, reached over the fender, slit the starter
into place and bolted it down. 10 minutes later the car was running. Sometimes the experts are wrong.

 

The gear spins in not out. When the engine starts the flywheel kicks it back forward. If you think that is hard trade it for a 1965 Buick grand sport 401.

 

I get it, know well how they work, wasn't hip to the Folo-Thru, and yes the kick switch starter design is better and more compact. Still, you saying you wanna trade a 65 GS for my Starliner?

 

I am surprised you got a starter with the bendix mechanism attached. When I replaced the starter in my '62 Merc Monterey, Auto Value gave me a starter motor with a bare shaft. I had to transfer the bendix mechanism from the old starter to the new. Gave me a chance to clean it up and re-grease it. It has worked good ever since.

 

I had a spare drive. Turns out the one on the starter I removed is mullered up somehow, stuck in the drive position, will not fully retract, and creates substantial interference coming out and will NOT go back in. Now we know. And yes, the new starter did not include a drive.

 

I fired it up today for the 1st time. No smoke, lifters quieted down in mere seconds, and I only ran it for about 10 seconds, tomorrow I'll let run longer. Somebody will get a good one

 

After installing the Chevy starter you need to spend a couple hours playing with shims so it doesn’t sound like all the teeth are being ripped from the ring gear when starting it.

 

If I had one I would trade in a hart beat . In 1968 I changed the starter in a 65 grand sport 401 after trying for a day I went to the Dealer and look at the factory shop manual. It said pull the engine

 

I'm usually that buddy......sort of how I got my username lol

 

Reading this brought back memories of lying on my back under my '59 Retractable trying to replace the starter on it's 352. Thanks a lot, I'd forgotten all about how miserable that was...

 

Thanks for the update....wow..

Even more glad that I went with sbc's in my lifetime...good job hanging in there.

 

I’m glad you got the rascal back in and it works like it should. The only insult to injury would be that the thing bench tested good but was crap after the installation. If that was the case I don’t even think that I would want to be the fly on the wall………

 

Well we are about memories and nostalgia around here. Glad I could contribute

 

Final update, this ol gal purrs like a house cat (to quote my dear friend Mikey). I ran it for about 15-20 min and it did clatter up top again, but in very short order it went silent and smooth. The ol guy did well preserving the engine. On one restart it caught and stalled, then the starter ground a bit from not waiting the requisite seconds before a restart. Yes, my butthole made diamonds for a brief moment, but all is well. Shit, just a sip away from perfect. Hope y'all enjoyed the show.

 

Freezing the starter made it smaller. That's why it went in easier!

 

Cut loose the starter side motor mount and lift the rngine may do it.