Starter Problems

[bhoward]

Hey Guys, 

 I have a broken starter head on my 48 Plymouth business coupe.I found one for a 49 to 55 dodge and was wondering if it will fit my engine. I have the 217 ci and the starter I found fits a 236 ci or 239 I think. I have looked everywhere local I know to look. I have the starter at the local rebuild shop. He is going to check and see if he has one in his junk pile. I am trying to come up with plan B if I need to.I have also reached out o some of the online shops without any success. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[greg g]

You might need to change some parts over the Dodges (are these Canadian cars? Displacement should be 230 for us built Dodge). The Dodge had deeper flange on the crank shaft and the gear tooth could t needs to match.  Later cars had different tooth counts on the ring gear so you need to be sure they will engage properly.

[Cold Blue]

I had the same problem on my 48. I found one on ebay about a month ago. Suggest you try there. And I also got a "follow through" starter bendix, also on ebay, to replace the original bendix which would kick out prematurely, and I think it was the cause of the broken starter head. The upgraded bendix works great! If you have a shop manual, look on page 92 - it shows the "follow through" bendix which was installed on 52 thru 54 Plymouths, and can be installed on 48's. The housing assembly part number is PS 1253, Autolite. Good luck!

[bhoward]

Thank you both for the information, I will try that.

[bhoward]

Just wanted to give an update on my starter issue. I purchased a new starter for 49-55 L6. The starter heads are the same. The only difference I found was the body of the starter motor itself. The body was a little shorter but much bigger around. It seem to fit fine once I adjusted the clearance on one of the oil lines.

Thanks for the help.