Hey!

So i was finally able to dig into my new 73 vette yesterday and see what condition everything was in. We replaced a valve cover gasket that was leaking oil and everything else seems good. Put new oil filter, oil change and replaced the spark plugs for good measure. Car runs great.

EXCEPT

We're having starter grinding issues a few times when we try to start it. After getting in there to look at it we can see that the flywheel has some teeth that are getting ground down. The previous owner had just put a new starter in about a month ago. So we're assuming right now that he may have put the wrong kind of starter in it.

One other issue is that there's aftermarket headers on the engine, and they seem to wrap pretty close around the starter and it's heating it up pretty good. What sucks is that once we run it, if it dies or we kill it then restart it, it won't turn over. We have to let it sit and cool off.

We're looking at replacing the starter with a high torque starter that should handle the heat better, and from there we'll have to see if we need to replace the flywheel

I guess im just double checking on here to see if anyones had similar problems, and what they ended up doing. We don't know if it's the original flywheel either so we're going to count the teeth and compare. Would anybody know the proper teeth count on a flywheel for that year?

Hope im not just rambling here

Thanks!

-Aaron

 

You don't say whether you have a stick or automatic. I can assume you have stick. If some of the teeth are rounded off, best to pull the transmission, clutch etc. and pull out the flywheel. Most any automobile machine shop can replace the starter wheel. A quick wack with a cold steel chisel will remove the starter ring gear. The shop will then heat the new starter gear and put it on the flywheel. It will shrink to fit. Before you invest in a new gear, determine if the flywheel is in good shape. They can be cut, but must be within specs. If you just replace the starter, you will be revisiting the problem later. You can get a starter ring gear at most of the larger vendors. Make sure you count the teeth and order the correct one. Good luck. Jerry

 

There a 2 different flywheels for SBC 168 and 153 tooth. Difference in clutch size 10.4 or 11.0 inch disc. If you decide to replace ring gear. I would want to have the lightweight flywheel vs the standard flywheel if present. The 168 tooth starter uses staggered bolts and needs to have little bracket to hold motor end of starter to block. If it's missing the torque when bendix engages flywheel can cause starter to tilt. Bendix teeth can clash or bind in ring gear while engine is turning over. Starter may have to be "shimmed" for proper engagement / gear mesh.

 

Its an automatic and we got some shims to try. Next on our list is counting the teeth on the flywheel

 

I wouldn't count teeth with battery disconnected I would use a little lever to pry drive into flywheel and watch how teeth mesh. Gears should mesh somewhat smoothly and fairly deep but not bottom out..

 

Your flywheel is history with missing teeth....I can answer your questions ....First the flywheel has 168 teeth and is worth about $35.00 at most parts stores. It may sound incorrect but the engine stops in the same place every time you shut it off....the previous owner may have hit the key to start it with the engine running too often...

The cranking problem can probably go away with a more powerful battery and NEVER use those shims with a OE starter as it makes a bad situation worse by moving the starter further away from the flywheel. Also, starters always get up to engine temperatures every time you drive and normally the wrong solution,,,,ie {heat soak} is a bench racers fix.....and normally wrong ...a starters function is to work without fail no matter what the temp... and they do a good job...

If you can get a high torque starter get one