help with starter/timing

[Sacramento70]

hey guys i'm having a bit of an issue. i just replaced the old starter in my 70 blazer with a new skip white 3hp mini starter. i tried 2 shims, 1 shim, and no shims but it still grinds right as the motor starts. i also replaced the old distributor and upgraded to hei. my father has said the timing could be what is causes the starter to grind. it sounds healthy upon start all the way till it turns over but has a slight grind that i know shouldn't be there. any info or help is much appreciated. i did use the new bolts and the wires are correctly hooked up to the best of my knowledge.

[cpetersen]

I bought one and had the same problem. Did yours come with a body shim? It shim the gear away from the flex plate. I used the body shim and it noise went away. Mine was shattering when under throttle. The pinion depth was alright>

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by cpetersen

I bought one and had the same problem. Did yours come with a body shim? It shim the gear away from the flex plate. I used the body shim and it noise went away. Mine was shattering when under throttle. The pinion depth was alright>

what do you mean body shim, is it the the circular looking washer thingy thing that brings the gear a little more inwards?

[cpetersen]

There is the one like the shape of the starter body and the washer one. It thats the starter gear away from the flex plate.

[cpetersen]

Pic is coming i had to find it. lol

[cpetersen]

[cpetersen]

Do you have these?

[Sacramento70]

Originally Posted by cpetersen

Do you have these?

yeah those came with the new starter i wasn't real sure what they were for but i see know where they would go. do i just remove the big plate and swap them out or add them to the ones already there?

Also am i damaging the starter or flywheel by trying the starter out until it works right even if i hear slight grinding?

[cpetersen]

Just add to the ones that are there. I also used my dremel and took off just a little bit of the starter gear. Funny thing is my flex plate cover won't fit anymore it rubs to. My dad used to run late model stock cars, they used plastic ones, the plastic don't rub rub for long. lol

[Sacramento70]

is it possible that incorrect timing could cause the starter/flywheel to grind?

[chuckmc8]

I try to replace one thing at a time. What I would do is put my old starter back on and work out the distributor issue (or vice versa) and then add the other piece when I am happy with the installed one.
It gets confusing when I change more than one thing and have probs....

[SeventyOne]

Originally Posted by chuckmc8

I try to replace one thing at a time. What I would do is put my old starter back on and work out the distributor issue (or vice versa) and then add the other piece when I am happy with the installed one.
It gets confusing when I change more than one thing and have probs....

That's good advice. If it were me I would double check I have the timing right then see if it still grinds. If it still grinds try the old starter. Still grinds - swap in the old dizzy and see where it put you. If it STILL grinds sell the truck.

[Torrey72]

Starter needs to be shimmed to give specific clearance between starter and Ring gear. A paperclip will give you the correct gap between teeth/gears. Just get under the rig and engage the starter gear by hand and use the a straightened out paper clip to gap the teeth at the place they mesh.
The starter will make the most damaging sounding noise and hang up if not set up correctly, and will destroy the meshing teeth.
Shims may need to be used across both mounting bolts or just one depending on clearance required, one side shimmed will increase clearance and other bolt will decrease clearance purely a case of trial and error to get it right but providing the paperclip clearance is met you will have a sweet sounding starter. Check clearance in three different places on flywheel by rotating it.

[Sacramento70]

so i found out the gear on the starter was bent and was shaking as it engaged the flywheel. i did manage to figure out the timing too, it was off by 1 tooth and as soon as i set tdc to #1 piston it fired up and purrs. I got the mini starter from skip white and let me tell you there customer service is great they have already sent a new one in the mail and were very polite and apologetic about my bad starter. ill let you guys how the second starter works out and my final opinion on skip white parts.