starter/flywheel gear mesh

first of all.... hi to everyone!!
im not much for long winded storys so ill get right to the problem im havin..
i just built a new engine for my 74 nova custom
everything went great, started on the first crank
wich i thought was good for someone who has never done that befor...

but the fun only lasted a week.. then the old starter died
so i replaced it.... should have done this to begin with i know...
another week goes by an im stranded at a gas station cuz the starter wont start the car just spins away..

come to find out that the starter isnt close enuff to the flywheel an it ate a tiny part of the starter gear off...
i dont understand i kinda new to this... do i need to get a larger diameter flywheel?? do they make them bigger?? or is there something i over looked??

thanks in advance!!

craig

Usually you have the opposite problem with the Chevys, too much engagement, which is shimmable. Are you running a standard 10 3/8 diameter clutch? You can find out how many teeth the flywheel should have somewhere online I'm sure. I would count then first and see what you have. The next thing is that you might have the wrong starter on the motor. The housings can differ quite a bit from application to application. See if you can find the exact replacement starter and compare yours to it.

Bob

I had on old truck with a canadian 327 in it and could never get the right starter. So what I did is jam some washers inbetween the starter and the block on the outside bolt only which tilted the starter in so it would mess. not the smartest thing I ever did but it worked and I hated the truck anyway

I had on old truck with a canadian 327 in it and could never get the right starter. So what I did is jam some washers inbetween the starter and the block on the outside bolt only which tilted the starter in so it would mess. not the smartest thing I ever did but it worked and I hated the truck anyway

ive heard you should be able to fit a paper clip inbetween the gears...
with mine i could get a toothpick in there no problem...
wouldnt think it would make that big of a diff.....

they sell shims for the problems just like this one.. when you take the starter off and put the shims in it, energize the starter with a jumper wire to check how the gears mesh.. Depending on how many teeth you damaged on the fly wheel you might want to replace that when you do the starter