I need some starter info. I have a 400 sb with a 153 tooth flywheel. Everything has been balanced. I am using my stock 1964 aluminum bellhousing. The 400 block has a diagonal bolt pattern for the starter. I bought one of those, but the starter nose interfers with my bellhousing, and now thinking about it, I think the starter gear will be too far away from the flywheel.(153 tooth vs 168 tooth) The original starter(straight across bolt pattern) will bolt up with the outer bolt, but there is no inner bolt hole in the block. I will have to drill and tap a hole for the inner bolt. Is this a problem? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Paul

 

You'll have to drill and tap the hole for the inner bolt. As far as I know, there is no starter with the diagnol bolt pattern that works with the 153 tooth flywheel. Some 400 blocks come drilled for both. You and I have one that didn't.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan. That's what I thought I would have to do. I have drulled and tapped the hole, and it seems to bolt up fine. Did you have to use any shims when you did your starter?

 

I haven't built up my 400 block yet. I've had to shim other starters in the past. I ran a GM mini-starter on my 350 for awhile and I wound up shimming it, but it also always made more noise than a factory starter.

 

There is a cast iron nose that may fit the 153 flywheel with the diaginal bolt pattern.

 

easy fix. bolt the starter in place with the one bolt that is there, just snug. if the bellhousing isnt on yet, align the drive gear into the flywheel and torque up the one bolt. if u doing this laying under the **** thing because you just discovered the prob, use a short 3/8 bolt (forgot exactly how long but it will be obvious) with double nuts to gauge distance between big part of starter body and oil pan ,align starter parallel to pan and torque up the bolt. find the drill bit that just barely fits into the still unused starter mount hole, use the hole to guide and drill into the engine block ONLY 1/8 in deep. u now have located the second mounting point which should be right over the boss on block that gm forgot to d&t. if u have a long enuf 5/16 drill bit (std on is too short but most hdwr stores have extended ones) leave the starter in place to eyeball guide and drill thru the boss. if u dont have a long bit remove starter and use some kind of gauge to keep perpend to block. tap 3/8-16. the block is not very hard material-drills/taps easy. goes real quick.