Definitive Fix for Starter Misalignment

[ByronRACE]

Hi Byron,

The Lakewood bellhousing was designed before mini starters existed. Lakewood
could not put the mounting holes for the starter at the exact same angle as
stock (because their bellhousing doesn't have enough material in this area),
so they rotated the mounting pattern slightly. This did not matter when
using a stock starter because the nine tooth pinion gear was centered in the
4.09" register diameter. As you rotate the stock starter the distance
between the center of the starter pinion gear and the center of the flywheel
ring gear does not change.

Many of the new mini starters (including those based on Nippon Denso
starters as well as the late model Ford factory mini starters) do not use a
9 tooth pinion gear like the original stock starter. Instead they use 10 or
11 tooth pinion gears which are larger in diameter. To allow for the larger
pinion gear, the starter manufacturers offset the gear to one side rather
than having it centered in the register diameter. This works fine as long as
the mounting holes for the starter bolts are at the exact same angle as a
stock bellhousing.

The stock bellhousings use a starter locating plate (about 1/8" thick) that
goes between the engine and the bellhousing. This plate has a hole in it
(about 4.09" diameter) to positively locate the starter in the correct
location. If you put this plate on a Lakewood bellhousing you may find that
the two holes for the starter bolts don't line up because Lakewood rotated
the holes.

Our mini starter uses a 9 tooth pinion gear that is centered in the register
diameter just like the stock starter from the 1970's. So it will work even
if mounted on a Lakewood bellhousing. I recommend that you use the factory
starter locating plate, even though you may have to redrill holes in it for
the starter bolts. Using the plate will locate the starter much better than
relying on the bolts alone. Plus, if you don't use the plate, it may make
the pinion gear too close to the ring gear (longitudinally, not radially).
However, even if you don't use the plate, our starter will mesh with the
ring gear better than other mini starters.

Our pinion gear sticks out 1/2" past the mounting surface at rest. So the
ring gear should be 5/8" (plus or minus 1/16") from the starter mounting
surface. If necessary, we can substitute our short gear (which is 1/8"
shorter) when we build your starter at no extra charge. Just let us know
when you place your order. If you place your order online, the system allows
you to leave us a note.

Hope this helps,

Robb