Mike,
Maybe Bob did not post it to the list after all. My apologies if this
is the case. Anyway, here it is:
At 10:20 PM -0500 3/20/00, Bob Spruck wrote:
>Hi:
>While I had the engine out of my ' 67 Midget vintage race car this winter,
>I needed a bearing in the Lucas starter replaced. The local auto electric
>guy not only returned it because he said he couldn't fix it, he also broke
>a wire inside and swore that it was broken when I brought it in. My
>choices were to replace it with another Lucas, get a gear reduction starter
>for about $300, or use the Isuzu starter as described by many Spridget
>Listers in past threads. Numerous racing friends have the expensive
>starters and are really happy with them, but since I am a member of Frank's
>"We Cheap" Club, I decided to try the Isuzu.
>
>It worked out great. It bolts right up to the engine back plate with no
>modifications. The circular boss on the starter fits the large hole in the
>plate perfectly. The Isuzu offers the advantages of reasonable price, great
>availability, superb torque, and the inability to engage the ring gear via
>inertia while the engine is running. The latter may not be a problem in a
>street car since the braking forces are not as great as on a race car, but
>it is nice to know it can't happen anyway.
>
>What you want is a starter from an ' 89 to present Isuzu Trooper. Pep Boys
>had it for $89.99 and Advance Auto had it for $73.49. Both had a $35 core
>charge. I returned the burned out Lucas starter a few days later and they
>never knew the difference. The starter is 1.2 KW, has a nine tooth gear,
>turns clockwise, and has flat mounting ears just like the Lucas only they
>are a little thicker. Make sure you get part number 16878. There is another
>starter for the four cylinder Trooper (part number 17155) but it has less
>torque and has different mounting ears. There are no modifications required
>to the engine. I had to fabricate a light jumper wire to go from the
>trigger connector post to the big one where the heavy line from the
>solenoid connects to. The guy at the Pep Boys parts counter told me how to
>do it.
>
>There is, however, a down side to the installation. The housing of the
>starter interferes with the sheet metal of the passenger side foot box. The
>body has to be "modified" a little with the proverbial BFH. The engine must
>be out of the car to get the proper angle and wind-up space. I used a
>propane torch to heat the area and gave it a few good whacks with the
>hammer while it was hot. The edge of the sheet metal on the outside (engine
>side) of the foot box is vertical. Inside the car, the same edge is angled
>to offer a footrest to the passenger, so there is a void between the inside
>and the outside. From the inside, you can see the line of spot welds. On
>the outside, I dented the corner from where the brake line passes on its
>way through the transmission tunnel to the rear of the car down to the
>frame member. It hurt some to ruin the paint and make so much noise, but
>after I ground the area with a wire wheel, primed it, and painted it, you
>can hardly see the damage when the engine is back in place. The
>installation was so easy and the results so good, I am thinking of doing
>the same to my ' 72 street car before I put the engine back in it.
>
>One of you asked about my mentioning the adjustable oil pressure spring.
>The standard hexagonal cap on the side of the block is just above the top
>starter mounting ear and ordinarily clears it with no problems. I have an
>adjustable oil pressure unit made by Jon Stamps of Jon Stamps Racing in
>Carrollton, GA. (770) 832-7471. It has a small bolt through the cap which
>attaches to a washer-like plate inside which compresses the spring when
>you turn the bolt in. This puts more pressure on the ball bearing that
>replaces the standard plunger which has a tendency to wear and hang-up.
>More pressure on the spring yields higher oil pressure in he engine. The
>hex head on the bolt was a hair's breadth from the Lucas starter mounting
>flange and never caused a problem. Because the flange on the Isuzu is
>thicker, it interfered with the bolt. All I did was cut the head of the
>bolt off and cut a slot in the end of the bolt so I now use a screw driver
>to adjust it instead of a wrench. If you have a stock arrangement, there
>should be no problem with the Isuzu starter clearing the large cap. On a
>street car, you would probably never adjust it anyway.
>
>I hope this helps explain the installation. If you have any further
>questions, let me know.
>
>
>
>Regards,
>
>Bob Spruck
>Sharpsburg, GA
>' 67 Midget Vintage Racer
>' '72 Midget Weekend Car
>4 parts cars in the woods
Jeffrey H. Boatright, PhD
Assistant Professor, Emory Eye Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
Senior Editor, Molecular Vision, http://www.molvis.org/molvis
mailto:jboatri@emory.edu
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