Few questions about DB Electrical starter..

[dustnx]

I just had a couple of questions I was hoping some could lend some insight on. I am looking to purchase a hi torque mini start for my 454, seeing as my starter is shot. I've been looking at the DB Electrical SDR0031-L.

Can anyone give me some good reviews on this? I heard someone say the starter drives on their starters are plastic, is that true? It doesn't appear to be by the pictures, maybe the bushing is plastic? I'm not sure what they meant. I've got a tight budget right now and this fits well within it, so I really would like to know if it's worth the buy or should I keep saving for something different? Thanks!

[68Timber]

I bought one from them for my 6.2 last spring. Good price, works fine.

[JellyBeanDriver]

Originally Posted by dustnx

I just had a couple of questions I was hoping some could lend some insight on. I am looking to purchase a hi torque mini start for my 454, seeing as my starter is shot. I've been looking at the DB Electrical SDR0031-L.

Can anyone give me some good reviews on this? I heard someone say the starter drives on their starters are plastic, is that true? It doesn't appear to be by the pictures, maybe the bushing is plastic? I'm not sure what they meant. I've got a tight budget right now and this fits well within it, so I really would like to know if it's worth the buy or should I keep saving for something different? Thanks!

The ring gear in the planetary inside is plastic, not the pinion gear that drives the flywheel.

That said, I hear the stock Delco Remy made one is also.

What I have read is that if your engine 'kicks back' when starting, that tends to take out these cheaper mini-starters.

I don't have one of the DB ones, but I did get an OEM one from a later year junkyard truck but have yet to install it.

[dustnx]

Originally Posted by BRUISER

I bought one from them for my 6.2 last spring. Good price, works fine.

Not had any problems out of it?

[dustnx]

Originally Posted by JellyBeanDriver

The ring gear in the planetary inside is plastic, not the pinion gear that drives the flywheel.

That said, I hear the stock Delco Remy made one is also.

What I have read is that if your engine 'kicks back' when starting, that tends to take out these cheaper mini-starters.

I don't have one of the DB ones, but I did get an OEM one from a later year junkyard truck but have yet to install it.

Well, if your engine kicks back much on any starter it seems to damage any starter lol. That's what happen to my old starter. Which I rebuilt with some other old starters I had laying around and it still isn't gonna cut it.

I think everything is in order now on the truck so the last time I tried to start it, which was two weekends ago, it didn't kick back any, but the starter I had rebuilt is just toast, fixing junk with junk just never seems to work, lol. What year model truck comes with a oem gear reduction starter?

[THE "10" SILVERADO]

Originally Posted by JellyBeanDriver

....I don't have one of the DB ones, but I did get an OEM one from a later year junkyard truck but have yet to install it.

I hear that you can do this. What make/models work? I'm going to have to upgrade soon because my headers are going to fry my regular starter.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by dustnx

Not had any problems out of it?

None. It came with a warranty but I don't remember how long its good for.

[b454rat]

I got an off the shelf mini starter on my 454, and dont' have any issues. Actually I got off a forum now that I think about it. But it's the same as a local race shop sells. I paid $45 shipped and works great. Local shop wants little over $100 IIRC...Cranks my 10:1 454 over like there is no compression...

[JellyBeanDriver]

Originally Posted by THE "10" SILVERADO

I hear that you can do this. What make/models work? I'm going to have to upgrade soon because my headers are going to fry my regular starter.

Honestly I'm not sure what I took it off of when I found one on the junkyard. It was a 4x4, looked to have a big block in it, but the side of the truck said '1500' and the door jamb sticker was too faded to read and there were no emissions stickers under the hood to read either so I never new the exact model, year or engine size. Starter did have staggered bolts, AND had a heat shield!

That said, all the reading I did said to get one off a 97' 3500 truck - that it bolts right in.

You do need shorter bolts though, and make sure they're starter bolts and not hardware store bolts as the shank need to be larger to keep the starter from shifting out of position.

The junkyard one I got, I got the bolts with it. Have yet to install it so I don't know if the donor truck's bolts are metric.

BTW, the mini-starter come with 11 tooth pinions instead of the OEM 1:1 starter's 9 tooth pinion.