hemiyota Posted December 18, 2023 Report Share Posted December 18, 2023 I have a 1950 Chrysler Windsor. I am putting a 318/727 out of an 83 truck in it. All of the starters, I've tried, won't work. I've tried the 5.7 hemi starter for manual, and auto trans, but they won't bolt up. I tried the smaller unit from a v6 Dakota, and it won't work either. It hits the steering arm. Are there any of the late hemi size starters that will bolt up? Don't really want to have to cut the motor mounts out if it isn't absolutely necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sniper Posted December 18, 2023 Report Share Posted December 18, 2023 More modern starters are shorter, but wider than the older ones. Did the 83 truck starter clear? You might want to look at a clockable ministarter, something like this https://www.manciniracing.com/poultohispst.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencombs Posted December 18, 2023 Report Share Posted December 18, 2023 I don't think you'll find a bolt-on fit for that. If there is just a small interference and If I were working on it I think the first thing I'd try is removing the pitman arm. Then install the starter and measure a lot. It may be possible to bend the pitman enough to clear. They are forged steel and can be safely bent. Maybe even construct a new arm altogether. That's what I'd try, but some say I'm overconfident in my welding skills. My letter to Santa asking for a new welder was returned. With a note, 'I've seen your welding, you're getting a new grinder for Christmas!". Seriously, don't try either of those unless you are confident in the process and your skills/equipment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desoto1939 Posted December 18, 2023 Report Share Posted December 18, 2023 I am not so sure abut bending the pitman arm. That might make your steering off and then the alignment might be a problem and then also more wear on these parts. Take measurements and take measurement and take measurement. As the old carpenters said measure twice cut once. Rich hartung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemiyota Posted December 18, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2023 36 minutes ago, Sniper said: More modern starters are shorter, but wider than the older ones. Did the 83 truck starter clear? You might want to look at a clockable ministarter, something like this https://www.manciniracing.com/poultohispst.html No, the 83 starter didn't work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintage6t Posted December 19, 2023 Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) I believe my 50 Desoto has the same steering setup as your car. What I did for my mopar 383/727 combo was move the entire steering box towards the driver's side. That was accomplished by making spacer out of steel plate and inserting it between the vertical steering box frame mount and the steering box itself. Offhand I don't remember the exact thickness of the spacer but I think it was 1/2". It required longer mounting bolts as well. I measured the steering angles of the wheels lock to lock before and after inserting the spacer and there was negligible difference in terms of turning radius. As mentioned above, mini starters are shorter but wider due to their gear drive. I tried one with a clockable snout and it didn't have any advantage over the stock starter. After shifting the steering box, I just used the stock starter. Edited December 19, 2023 by vintage6t 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemiyota Posted December 19, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 16 minutes ago, vintage6t said: I believe my 50 Desoto has the same steering setup as your car. What I did for my mopar 383/727 combo was move the entire steering box towards the driver's side. That was accomplished by making spacer out of steel plate and inserting it between the ventricle steering box frame mount and the steering box itself. Offhand I don't remember the exact thickness of the spacer but I think it was 1/2". It required longer mounting bolts as well. I measured the steering angles of the wheels lock to lock before and after inserting the spacer and there was negligible difference in terms of turning radius. As mentioned above, mini starters are shorter but wider due to their gear drive. I tried one with a clockable snout and it didn't have any advantage over the stock starter. After shifting the steering box, I just used the stock starter. Did it cause any problems in the steering column? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintage6t Posted December 19, 2023 Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 8 minutes ago, hemiyota said: Did it cause any problems in the steering column? No. I didn't change the column drop at the dash. If measured the steering wheel horizontal is at a slight angle in relation to the dash but it's not really perceptible to the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintage6t Posted December 19, 2023 Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 BTW - What's not mentioned before is that as a baseline for clearance, the engine should be installed offset to the passenger side. That's a common factory configuration on many Mopar V8s. Mine is installed with a 2+" offset. If your engine is centered in the frame you probably have unsolvable clearance issues on the driver's side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kencombs Posted December 19, 2023 Report Share Posted December 19, 2023 On 12/18/2023 at 3:00 PM, desoto1939 said: I am not so sure abut bending the pitman arm. That might make your steering off and then the alignment might be a problem and then also more wear on these parts. Take measurements and take measurement and take measurement. As the old carpenters said measure twice cut once. Rich hartung Any pitman arm that moves fore and aft can be modified in the side to side direction without messing with wheel alignment. As long a proper geometry is maintained no wear additional wear should occur. Even gears with vertical shafts can have the arms modded, but much more care must be taken to account for linkage geometry changes as they often connect directly to tie rods or idler links. In horizontal applications, like my 56 PU they only connect to a drag link. Done all the time in the hot rod and off-roading worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hemiyota Posted December 24, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2023 On 12/18/2023 at 10:56 PM, vintage6t said: I believe my 50 Desoto has the same steering setup as your car. What I did for my mopar 383/727 combo was move the entire steering box towards the driver's side. That was accomplished by making spacer out of steel plate and inserting it between the vertical steering box frame mount and the steering box itself. Offhand I don't remember the exact thickness of the spacer but I think it was 1/2". It required longer mounting bolts as well. I measured the steering angles of the wheels lock to lock before and after inserting the spacer and there was negligible difference in terms of turning radius. As mentioned above, mini starters are shorter but wider due to their gear drive. I tried one with a clockable snout and it didn't have any advantage over the stock starter. After shifting the steering box, I just used the stock starter. I tried the spacer trick....still won't clear. There was a guy, on here, that did the almost same swap on his '50 Chrysler, except he used a manual transmission. He used the hemi starter, for manual starter, and it bolted up to his. I would think that there would be a variation of the hemi starters that would work with the automatic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.