Kerrmudgeon

....start mounting to the block, and not the bellhousing? Did they still use the bellhousings drilled and tapped for starters after the change over to block mounted?

Dan Hampton

I believe '61 was the last year for the bellhousing mount. It seems that the introduction of the 327 in '62 is when they changed the configuration.

62Jeff

62 4 speed mounts to bellhousing.

And it looks like 62 was the last year for it
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1577739477-post7.html

MikeM

If it had the 153 tooth flywheel, it had the block mounted starter.

The first Chevy engine was the '62 four and six cylinder Chevy II engine.

The first V-8 Chevy engine was the Chevy II dealer V-8 conversion in late 1962.

The first Corvette V-8 would have been the '63 model.

Kerrmudgeon

Thanks, now I'm really confused! My 62 has the original motor, and the block mounted starter has been on since way before 77, when I replaced the block mounted starter in Californa, but when I was changing the solenoid today I noticed the bolt holes in the bell housing?

What's up with that?

wmf62

typically a block mounted starter nose will not fit into the hole in a bellhousing mounted starter bellhousing. i had to knock the corner off my bellhousing in order to use a block mounted one.
Bill

Kerrmudgeon

Mine is still intact and it fits through the hole????

wmf62

Kerrmudgeon

Me neither.... It's ambidextrous or AC-DC!

Plasticman

Bill,

I think it was Tom Parson that stated that a cast iron nose on a block mounted starter will fit into the belll housing starter hole (with the bell housing mount & holes).

John

Dan Hampton

If you look at the Corvette Central website for C2 starters, they list 327/350 cid, '62-'68. I wonder if '62 was a transitional year or CC make a typo.

DZAUTO

FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE ONLY TALKING MANUAL TRANNY SETUPS AND GM-DELCO STYLE STARTERS BELOW!
For the smaller, 153 teeth flywheel (REMEMBER, starters must be matched to BOTH flywheel size AND bell housing style), ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL starters were block mounted. Period!

For the larger 168 teeth flywheel, there are some options.
IF a bell housing is used with the 3 holes for mounting the starter to the housing, then either a housing mount starter can be used, OR, a block mounted starter with a staggered bolt pattern and a CAST IRON NOSE. Repeat, CAST IRON NOSE! YES, a starter with a staggered bolt pattern and an ALUM nose and one with a CAST IRON nose are different!!!! The alum nose is "fatter" and will not fit into the starter bulge of the big bell housing. When using a block mounted cast iron starter with the 55-62 style bell housing, it MAY be necessary to do some VERY MINOR trimming of the starter nose. But the alum nose is a no go, period. PLEASE, do not modify the bell housing to make a block mounted starter fit-----------------ESPECIALLY A 60-62 STYLE ALUM BELL HOUSING!!!!!!!!!

For a 63-later BIG bell housing, such as a 942, 983, 444, 621 or even a truck housing (to fit the 168 teeth flywheel), a block mounted starter with a staggered bolt pattern and CAST IRON nose is the ONLY choice.

MOST starters that I have seen with the staggered bolt pattern and a cast iron nose were the hi-torque variety.
MOST starters with the straight bolt pattern and alum nose (I've NEVER seen a cast iron nose with a straight bolt pattern) were the standard torque variety. BUT, there certainly were hi-torque starters with the straight bolt pattern (used on MANY hipo small blocks).

Tom Parsons

Kerrmudgeon

All very interesting Tom, but were the bellhousings all drilled (2 holes) and tapped for housing mounted type of starters? BTW, my starter has a cast iron nose, straight across bolts, and fits through the hole. And it's worked well for 30+ years.

wmf62

FWIW, this starter (the black one) would not fit into this big flywheel bellhousing
Bill

Kerrmudgeon

Thanks Bill, do you have a shot of the front surface of the bellhousing? are there 2 holes across from each other at the starter hole?

JohnZ

In Corvettes, the '62 Powerglide was the first usage of the block-mounted starter; '62 manuals still used the bellhousing-mounted starter. From '63-up, all Corvettes used block-mounted starters.

wmf62

just for you...

Kerrmudgeon

Ya, forgot there are three, my mistake. So basically in 62, you can use either type of starter, block or housing mounted.

I wondered this, because the housing holes have been used before from the look of them, and the bolts holding the starter to the block are not starter bolts, you know... the knurled ones with the shoulder, they are regular bolts with lock washers, and shorter than the regular ones. Mystery solved....I think. Thanks.

wmf62

which "3" are y'all talkin about? i don't see 3 VERTICAL holes in the pic i provided... unless you are talking VERTICAL in the sense that they are on the vertical face of the bellhousing/starter mating surface.
Bill

JohnZ

All of the '55-'62 large-flywheel bellhousings have three tapped holes for the three horizontal starter attaching bolts; the one in the photos above has the bottom corner broken off through the bottom starter bolt hole. Photo below shows the three starter bolt holes.