buying a starter? where?

[Tod59]

Hey Guys,

Where can I purchase a starter for my 1959 six cylinder 3100? I went to my local Auto Value, talked with an old school guy who has been there for years. He used the books, and computer, but couldn't find a starter with the floor start option.
Do any of our vendors sell them?
I want to have an extra starter on the shelf just in case.....mine is working fine for now.

As a side note, he can order the generators 20 or 30 amp. But not the starters.

[OrrieG]

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/chevy-235-starter

Rockauto also shows parts available but not the armature motor housing or complete starter. If I remember correctly the armature housing is the same, the hose is different for push button solnoid and V8 type, I remember converting one once.

[1project2many]

I'm bringing the starter from my '36 to a local rebuilder that I trust. They do work for people all over the country.

http://www.chelmsfordautoelectric.com/

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

I'm bringing the starter from my '36 to a local rebuilder that I trust. They do work for people all over the country.

http://www.chelmsfordautoelectric.com/

do this ^^ or do it yourself
buying a rebuilt means nothing except it worked when they shipped it
a typical rebuilt starter/generator/alternator is tested and then the bad stuff replaced
you may end up with 40 yr old brushes, rectifiers and bushings

rebuilding yourself is easy too, most machine shops can test the armature
other than the armature; brushes and bushings is pretty much all that can go bad

what is your starter doing wrong?

[Tod59]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

do this ^^ or do it yourself
buying a rebuilt means nothing except it worked when they shipped it
a typical rebuilt starter/generator/alternator is tested and then the bad stuff replaced
you may end up with 40 yr old brushes, rectifiers and bushings

rebuilding yourself is easy too, most machine shops can test the armature
other than the armature; brushes and bushings is pretty much all that can go bad

what is your starter doing wrong?

Thanks Guys! Ogre....my starter is fine. I just wanted to have a spare on the bench at home just-in-case mine goes bad. Simple swap and rebuild the broken unit.

I didn't realize these starters are not as common as the V8 sbc starter....or as cheap.

[1project2many]

rebuilding yourself is easy too, most machine shops can test the armature
other than the armature; brushes and bushings is pretty much all that can go bad

Yep. In my case I have the bad luck of having one or more shorted field coils and I do not have tools to remove the attaching screws. Otherwise it would have been easy to freshen up the old motor.

I didn't realize these starters are not as common as the V8 sbc starter....or as cheap.

The original SBC starter (most people here are not using these) bolts to the bellhousing and is similar to the starter used with medium duty trucks for many years. What most folks use is a starter which bolts to the block, either the style used through the '80s or the newer permanent magnet starter. This type is generally very common.

[mr48chev]

My local rebuilder is a vintage car guy and does a lot of mail order work both shipped in for rebuild and via sales. They do good work and their turn around time is great.

http://smithae.com/

[Tod59]

Thanks Guys!

[_Ogre]

Originally Posted by Tod59

I just wanted to have a spare on the bench at home just-in-case mine goes bad. Simple swap and rebuild the broken unit.

without an electric solenoid those starters are pretty much bullet proof
keep spare brushes and bushings on hand, easy peasy 2 beer job to swap out

maybe find a vendor that sells the old foot starter and keep their card handy
while it can happen, the armature and field coils rarely go bad
usually from using the starter with bad bushings or over cranking

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by _Ogre

without an electric solenoid those starters are pretty much bullet proof
keep spare brushes and bushings on hand, easy peasy 2 beer job to swap out

maybe find a vendor that sells the old foot starter and keep their card handy
while it can happen, the armature and field coils rarely go bad
usually from using the starter with bad bushings or over cranking

But what happens if the computer gets a glitch or a sensor or something?


DAMN I love these old cars!

I polished and waxed my daily driver over the weekend, DAMN I love driving that car!




Brian

[S10Fan]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

I polished and waxed my daily driver over the weekend, DAMN I love driving that car!

Very Very Kool Car!!

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by S10Fan

Very Very Kool Car!!

Thanks, I am not kidding, I feel this car every day, I love driving it. Squeaks, rattles, poor handling, wind noise, I don't car, I rather drive it than a new Mercedes! And it's a cheap car! They are darn near worthless so it's not like I had to spend a lot.

Brian