Gear Drive Starter Question

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Dan McEachern

Senior Member
Has anyone running a gear drive starter reversed the ring gear on the flywheel so that the chamfered teeth are on the engine side rather than the rear?

The gear drive starters engage the pinion from the front side of the flywheel rather than the rear side with a stock bendix.
 
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Hmm...sounds like an easy modification to get away from the original style bendix.
need to find the starter that mates up to the A flywheel then just space it correctly with it's mounting adapter
 
Gear drive starters for the A/B engines are available from several sources ready to bolt on.
I'm hoping for some input from someone who is already using one. thanks!
 
Dan McEachern said:
Gear drive starters for the A/B engines are available from several sources ready to bolt on.
I'm hoping for some input from someone who is already using one. thanks!
Click to expand...

Dan, we have a 12v one on our Run-in stand, -and that is the biggest thing I don't like about those starter. You almost need to install one of those starters when the engine or trans is out.

I really like using that starter if we have an engine that after assembly is on the tight side, but for some reason that starter likes to drag with a Ring Gear installed in the original direction. If we have one that is starting sluggish, we now dedicated a flywheel that we will never use for anything else (was being converted for V8 clutch and holes were really misdrilled) so we installed the ring gear like you are suggesting, and we just swap it out use it to fire the engine for the first time. Night & Day difference between the way the starter works. Then swap the customer's flywheel back on after initial run-in.
 
This is from Terry Burtz new engine guide.
"The new flywheel does not come with a ring gear installed because the beveled teeth on the ring gear need to be at the rear if using a Model A starter, and at the front if using a gear reduction starter."
 
Brent- thanks- yes this is a new motor and the flywheel is still out. I reversed the ring ring gear but when you do that, the chamfer is now on the wrong side of the teeth- not sure it matters, but just realized if we ever want to go back to an original starter there is going to be an issue. I'm just being anal, but.... Bob C.-- yes I'm aware of Terry's note in his builders guide- thanks for the input. I have a call into IMI waiting for their input also. I've asked a few local guys and none of them even realized the different pinion approach direction- no problems reported- yet! Stay tuned.
 
I'm no expert but won't the chamfer make a bigger window between the gear teeth thus aiding the engagement? :)
 
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