Hi All, One of the things I want to do this winter is rebuild the
original starter in my 79 L82. Bought a kit but will need a new
solenoid. Is there a "upgrade" over a stock solenoid? I found that
Accel makes one and curious if anyone tried it.
Thanks

 

Best upgrade is to install a high torque gear reduction starter from a newer Chevy. Starter from a '96 full size truck should fit your application. Smaller, lighter, and work when hot or with a weak battery. Much easier to install as well. Unless you are concerned about originality, there's no value in keeping the original boat anchor.

 

Solenoids are kinda like brands of gas where they all work even though some a trace better than others. Just go with common brand like Borg Warner or good old Standard Blue Streak. Or whatever makes u feel better. Plenty of cheap repos that will work for years of service too.

Wow, rebuilding the motor too. Tough getting the bearings in and out then also cleaning/inspecting the commutator and brushes.

Good luck,
cardo0

 

Your a trooper! Are you going to use a multimeter to check the windings for shorts, and undercut the insulator between the contacts on the armature so the new brushes will not bounce?

 

You can buy rebuild kits for the solenoids, too. But, if the starter/solenoid were working OK when you removed them, you can likely rebuild the starter and just open up and clean-up the solenoid.

Take care on the solenoid cover retaining nuts/studs to put rust penetrant on them before trying to remove them. If they are rusty, they are likely rust-welded together. If you try to remove them without soaking them first, the studs will snap off and you will need another solenoid.

But, the only thing you need to do with the solenoid is open it up, clean off the corrosion/junk from the contacts inside, and put it back together. If the main power contact is badly burnt/worn, you can sometimes just pull it out of the cover, turn it 180*, and replace it. That will put an unused area of that contact in proper place.

The starter just needs to be opened up, cleaned out (lots of old brush dust inside!), brushes replaced (get them oriented properly...best to remove one and replace it at the same time so there is no error), and journals/thrust-washers cleaned and relubed. Also look at the journal bushings to see if they are badly worn. If not, just clean them out and re-lube them.

All that's left is to re-paint the outsides of the parts. I tend to paint ALL metal surfaces (except those that carry electricity) so that they will never rust/corrode again.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

Thanks to all that replied,good advise! I have rebuilt starters before so that isn't a issue. Just wanted to somehow get more cranking power.
drwet I was kicking around the later model truck starter. Curious if
the wire (wires) use the stock connections to the starter motor?
I do not like to mess with the wireing and or wire terminals unless
there is no other way.
This is no show car but it is all original with 33k miles

 

The stock GM starter for your car has plenty of starting power. If you are experiencing problems with starting, your most likely areas of concern are:

1. Bad or missing main grounding wire from front/right A-arm (frame) to right motor mount bolt.

2. Weak/defective battery wiring.

3. Bad battery.

4. Timing set improperly or mis-adjusted to compensate for engine ignition set-up problem.

5. Carb choke not set or not working proplerly.

6. Carb accelerator pump non-functional.

7. Weak spark due to some ignition problem(s).

8. Fouled spark plugs or plugs gapped too wide (.035 for points ignition; .045 for electronic or HEI ignition)

 

Thanks 7t1 I will all so check those items.

 

The weak point on the Chev starters are the solenoid. If you rebuild use the best heavy duty components. This is a very common reason for Corvette non-start issues.

 

post #5



that is what I do with my starters, never had any problem with them.

 

Make sure you inspect the bushing in the end housing. These take the abuse from the starter engaging.
There's also a bushing in the front plate cover.