Tilton Starter Pinion Gap

[SSSammy]

Getting down to the last things before startup of new Keith 482. Measured the gap between the face of the block plate where the starter mounts and the ring gear on the flywheel. That measures .80". Subtracting the height of the pinion from the mounting face of the starter at .625" I get .175" versus Tilton's .140" max allowable

Will call Tilton when they open up .. but know Rick Lake and others here may have faced this issue on their FE. The question .. is .035" loss of engagement too much in this case? The pinion moves .50" when it actuates. the flywheel gear is .40" thick. If you can follow my math .. .175" movement to get to the ring gear leaves .325" for engagement of the .40" gear versus Tilton spec of .360" minimum. Is that enough?

Whadaya think? Am I gonna damage my flywheel if I crank it? Or are the long term effects an issue?

Tech facts: Pond 427/482 Alum block, Lakewood 15210 BH and block plate, McLeod Alum flywheel, Tilton model 54-20013 Severe Duty Starter.

Thanks!
Sam

[RICK LAKE]

Sam if you have the motor off out of the car it's alot easier. All you have to do is get a paperclip, extend the starter drive without the motor spinning and check the clearance in 2-3 spots. If off, Titlon sells shim kits with there starters. I know that you will rip up the drive with a big motor if it's out. This starter is strong enought to engage the motor and drive the car into a trailer. I have done this when I was alone. The spec is .035" not .350" I think you forgot the .0 The bell housing was centered on the crank before you started these measurements? Has long as the drive covers the whole tooth on the flywheel you will be OK. I think the first time I did mine I had to take shim out to fit. I will see if I can find the info for setting up. This is why I leave the starters, flywheels, and lakewood bell housings with the same motor for life. This little crap is a pain, but if not done right, you will wear out parts fast. Sam sent me a private e-mail to call you at tonight see if we can fix this for you. Rick L. or call me 732-254-3536 est. after 7:00pm

[SSSammy]

Rick, I got a call back from the chief engineer at Tilton yesterday. My problem is too much gap .. so shims are not the solution. He said with .325" engagement of a .40" wide ring gear it might be ok and that I ought to try it and see before heading to the machine shop.

He says maximum engagement is good, though. If I want to close the gap some more, he said the only thing to do is take the face plate off the starter (the part with the Ford 3 hole pattern) and have it put on a lathe and machine around the circumference of the registration ring. I could take off .075" to get it to engage the full width of the gear, for instance.

The motor is completely installed and ready to light. I did zero the bellhousing with a dial indicator and welded the block pin collars in place. I am inclined to crank it up, but am still thinking it over.

PMing you my cell number.

Thanks for the help!
Sam

[Loadco]

Actually everyone that uses a Lakewood with the backing plate has this problem simply because the backing plate of the Lakewood is much thicker than the stock backing plate from Ford. All the Ford starters are designed to work with the standard Ford belhousing/backing plate. It's not that big a deal to remove the face plate from the starter and have it machined. Much cheaper and easier than replacing a flywheel.

[SSSammy]

I had a local tool and die shop put it on a lathe and turn it down .075" as Tilton recommended. This puts me in the center of the Tilton spec. It's back on the car. With this particular part originally being built on a lathe, it was a simple, one pass operation. They did it while I waited .. took 20 min Their minimum charge is $45 .. well worth it to me!

Sam