[RP67Coupe]

I have a problem with the starter on my '67 with manual 3-speed tranny. It has a 302 from a '79 Lincoln. The starter has worn down its teeth due to spinning against the flywheel ring gear while trying to start the engine. The teeth are not worn completely off but rather just a small amount I have experienced a very noisy sound when starting, but today the starter would spin but wouldn't turn the engine. The engagement must be off in some way to have caused this wear to occur.

The flywheel has 157 teeth and the starter has 9. The starter is the longer-nose model used for a 289 HiPo, which is also the part number for a '68 302 4Bbl automatic and 1967 289 2 Bbl automatic. The wear on the starter teeth indicates a proper full engagement. The shorter nose starter will not engage deep enough, as best I can determine. I have measured things and this application seems to require the longer nose. The starter for the manual tranny will have a short nose, and I don't think it will work.

Could the 157 teeth on the flywheel and 9 teeth on the starter gear be mismatched in a way that would cause this problem?

Another possibility that I have not yet checked is that the 10-tooth starter may have a larger gear diameter than the 9. If so, then the 9 may be too small to properly mesh with the ring gear, and thereby cause skipping (and wear) as the starter tries to turn the flywheel.

I also noticed that this rebuilt starter has somewhat larger bolt holes than required for the bolts, leaving me to conclude that some extra play may be present if that diameter is unusual.

Advice is badly needed!

[68 GEE TEE]

Why do you have a 60s 289 starter on a 79 lincoln 302? I am pretty sure they use different cones, so you might want to ask for a starter for the Lincoln and then see how it is physically different from the one that is giving you trouble. That may clear up the problem. One thing for sure, your starter is damaging the gear, so I would get it handled asap.

[Veronica]

Hello.Is the bell housing also out of the Lincoln?

[RP67Coupe]

Not sure where the bell housing came from. The Lincoln was automatic and the Mustang is 3-speed manual. I think the bell housing is for eiher 289 or 302.

[Veronica]

Hi again.The Lincoln would have had a 164 tooth fly wheel on it.If you are sure that you have 157 tooth one,then I would get the starter for a 67 mustang with a 289.Since the bell housing has a big hole in the side of it for the clutch fork,then it probably came out of the mustang.Hope that helps.