12 volt starter

[bobby horne]

will a 12 volt starter from a 1957 to 1959 Dodge work on a 1956 and older engine? I have a 56 dodge engine that came with a 1954 6 volt starter. My 36 engine starter will fit the 56. I believe the 57 and up have the longer block. thanks

[Don Coatney]

Bobby;

My guess is it will work as long as your operating on a 12 volt electrical system. I am using a 12 volt starter from a 56 Plymouth in my P-15. It was a direct bolt in replacement for the original 6 volt starter. I have converted my car to 12 volts.

I see you live in Abingdon, Virginia. I stopped in Abingdon for gas while passing through a month or so ago. I carded the gas. Cost $47.83 to fill up. When I checked my bank account I was billed $477.83. After a few phone calls and a bit of frustration I got it resolved. It was an honest mistake by the gas station. They discovered the mistake before I contacted them and made corrections. The station manager was very apologetic when I stopped there on my return trip 3 weeks later. So this story had a happy ending.

[Paul Hoffmeyer]

Bobby;

The number of teeth on the flywheel ring gear changed in '57. So '57 and later starters will not work against a '56 or earlier flywheel, and a '56 or earlier will not work with a '57 or later flywheel.

Paul H

[billwillard]

THE 6vt STARTER WILL WORK JUST FINE ON 56 AND EARLER ENGINES USING 12vts. IT WILL SPIN YOUR ENGINE OVER FASTER AND NEVER GIVE YOU ANY PROBLEMS.

[Don Coatney]

Bobby;

The number of teeth on the flywheel ring gear changed in '57. So '57 and later starters will not work against a '56 or earlier flywheel, and a '56 or earlier will not work with a '57 or later flywheel.

Paul H

Paul;

I was not aware of that. Thanks for posting.

[bobby horne]

I found a 1957 rebuilt starter but did not know if it would fit. I have run a 1954 6volt for 10 years on a 12 volt system with no problems. I run the 12 volt generator and regulator from a 1956. Don C, I see you shaved your bell housing for the starter on your T5 conversion. Does your longer block Desota engine with a Dodge or Plymouth bell housing take a different starter?

[Don Coatney]

Don C, I see you shaved your bell housing for the starter on your T5 conversion. Does your longer block Desota engine with a Dodge or Plymouth bell housing take a different starter?

bobby;

I had to shave my starter mount because of the parts I used. Desoto engine with a P-15 flywheel mounted to it. The P-15 flywheel sits about 3/8" further back (towards the transmission) than a Desoto flywheel. Once I did a mock up of the parts on the bench I discovered that the starter gear teeth did not mesh with the ring gear teeth when the starter bendix was engaged. So I had to take the bell housing in for a shave. Works good now.

[bobby horne]

Don C, What starter are you using? All my 6 volt starters have a snout of 3 and 1/16 inch with 2 and 3/16 9 teeth gear depth.

[Don Coatney]

Don C, What starter are you using? All my 6 volt starters have a snout of 3 and 1/16 inch with 2 and 3/16 9 teeth gear depth.

Bobby;

Both my P-15 6 volt starter and the 12 volt starter from a mid 50's Plymouth that I am currently using measure the same 2 7/8" from the flat boss to the nose.

[bob_amos]

If the newer starter won't fit then you can have the old 6 volt one reworked to 12 volts. We have them done all the time in my shop. We have a rebuilder do the work for us as it is quicker and leaves us available for more profitable work.

[martybose]

I'm using an 47 starter converted to 12V; if memory serves, the guy who built it said that the coils came from a Studebaker starter.

Marty

[277 HEMI]

THE 6vt STARTER WILL WORK JUST FINE ON 56 AND EARLER ENGINES USING 12vts. IT WILL SPIN YOUR ENGINE OVER FASTER AND NEVER GIVE YOU ANY PROBLEMS.

Not so my firend, I just broke my 6V starter "housing" on my P15 using 12Vs to run it. Had the broken part droped down into the dust cover it would have eat my flywheel up. I took another 6V starte into the electric shop and had it converted to 12V.

So don't say the old starter will work "all the time" on 12Vs.

From the man that it didn't

277 hemi

[Don Coatney]

One thing I found when running a 6 volt starter on 12 volts is not only does the starter motor run faster but it also engages the starter teeth into the ring gear faster. This will lead to premature gear wear and eventiaul failure.

I do not have documented proof but my gut feeling is that running a 6 volt starter on 12 volts requires a higher amp draw. I had to run the fatter battery cables when running the 6 volt starter on 12 volts. Once I installed a 12 volt starter the aforementioned problems disappeared.

[bobby horne]

I have a 12 volt battery in the trunk with a new very heavy gauge cable. My engine starts real easy, so the 6 volt starter does not have a strain for very long, and has worked very well for 10 years, but I would like to put in a 12 volt starter.