worship79

New engine (SBC gen I '80-'85) and flexplate (Pioneer FRA 104), same motormounts and starter as before. Two shimms currently used. Is it supposed to be this way? I forgot to check before disassembly.

We checked and the space betwee the flexplate and starter gear teeth is about a paperclip thickness.

oldalaskaman

that starter should have a spacer that goes between the body of the starter and that mounting plate. you may be fine the way it is , but the bendix gear may get hungup on the back side of the flex plate, the spacer keeps that from happening.
another issue might be that you have the flexplate mounted backward

worship79

How do I safely check wether it gets hungup or not?

The flexplate is on correctly, we checked that three times only to find out the convertor wasn't fully seated (oops).

scottw

You can check but the space between the plate and starter should be between .04 - .10. The space between the teeth should be enough to fit a paperclip end.

worship79

Alright, so either the bendix gear isn't fully retracted or the starter should move towards the front of the car.

oldalaskaman

rotate the bendix and see if it retracts more, you can also jump the starter, keeping your fingers clear of course, and watch how far it extends and retracts, and see if it hangs up on the flex plate,,as I said before that type of starter usually comes with a shim for the lateral spacing also...while you have it where you can get at it is the time to check this.

Peterbuilt

Disconnect the battery cable from the solenoid and jumper from the disconnected battery cable to the small terminal (purple wire), the starter gear will engage with the ring gear but the starter will not rotate. Now take your measurements.