Starter Questions

[Thomas F.]

How are starters different for a manual and automatic transmission?
Did any Corvettes have starters that bolted to the bellhousing instead of the block?
I have a starter 1108418 3B 1 8 Delco Remy USA also says D-3701 What does the 3B 1 8 mean?

[Joe L.]

How are starters different for a manual and automatic transmission?
Did any Corvettes have starters that bolted to the bellhousing instead of the block?
I have a starter 1108418 3B 1 8 Delco Remy USA also says D-3701 What does the 3B 1 8 mean?

Thomas-----

The primary difference, if there is any difference at all, involves the starter nose. The starter frame (the round, barrel-shaped component) are pretty much the same for all 1963-82 Corvette starters with some minor differences unrelated to manual or automatic transmission.

Some starters are considered "standard duty" and others "heavy duty". This not directly related to standard or manual transmission, though, as the primary difference between "standard duty" and "heavy duty" relates to the armature and field coil length. Depending on application, manual or automatic transmission cars may use either duty level starter.

All 1953-62 Corvettes, except 1962 with Powerglide, were equipped with a bellhousing-mounted starter; all 1962 with Powerglide as well as all 1963-82 Corvettes were equipped with a block mounted starter.

GM 1108418 was a starter used for 1971-E75 Corvettes and other GM applications with small block and manual transmission. It was a "standard duty" starter with cast iron nose.

3B18 is a date code. It denotes February 18, 1973, the date of manufacture of the starter.

An important thing to keep in mind: if a starter has been through a commercial rebuilding operation at any time in its life, the numbers stamped on the frame are meaningless. They only denote the starter that was originally manufactured with this, particular frame. Commercial rebuilders strip down cores to their component parts and build up remanufactured starters to any configuration required for their own inventory needs.

[Thomas F.]

Thanks Joe...........very good information.....I know a lot more now about starters. I have a 1957 Corvette and the starter mounts to the bellhousing. The starter number I mentioned in my earlier post is a new replacement. As I understand there are no shims needed with the bellhousing mounted starters. I am not sure about this...correct me it I am wrong...It looks like this starter can be adjusted since there is a large hole...not threaded...on the bottom of the starter that goes into a threaded hole in the bellhousing and a large hole in the bellhousing...not threaded...that the top bolt goes through into the threaded hole in the starter. The third bolt passes through a small...not threaded...hole into a threaded hole in the bellhousing that can serve as the pivot point allowing the starter to rotate a small amount depending on the size of the two larger holes...not threaded...in the starter and bellhousing. I have not tested this out yet since I have not installed the starter. Another thing I don't understand is how to test the gears engagement when the starter gear is back in the starter and not engaged in the flywheel gear? The starter I am replacing is numbered 1107355 4 L 25 Delco Remy USA 501. Based on the info you provided me I figured 1974 December 25 (Christmas Day). This would make my old starter case newer than my replacement case but I guess it has been rebuilt. Thanks for helping me understand some things about these starters. Research is part of the enjoyment of this hobby for me. Also my starter mounts to the bellhousing of a NHRA-AHRA-APP. Chevy R.C. Ind.ing. Medina, O. and my engine is a 283 1964 Block.

[Joe L.]

Thanks Joe...........very good information.....I know a lot more now about starters. I have a 1957 Corvette and the starter mounts to the bellhousing. The starter number I mentioned in my earlier post is a new replacement. As I understand there are no shims needed with the bellhousing mounted starters. I am not sure about this...correct me it I am wrong...It looks like this starter can be adjusted since there is a large hole...not threaded...on the bottom of the starter that goes into a threaded hole in the bellhousing and a large hole in the bellhousing...not threaded...that the top bolt goes through into the threaded hole in the starter. The third bolt passes through a small...not threaded...hole into a threaded hole in the bellhousing that can serve as the pivot point allowing the starter to rotate a small amount depending on the size of the two larger holes...not threaded...in the starter and bellhousing. I have not tested this out yet since I have not installed the starter. Another thing I don't understand is how to test the gears engagement when the starter gear is back in the starter and not engaged in the flywheel gear? The starter I am replacing is numbered 1107355 4 L 25 Delco Remy USA 501. Based on the info you provided me I figured 1974 December 25 (Christmas Day). This would make my old starter case newer than my replacement case but I guess it has been rebuilt. Thanks for helping me understand some things about these starters. Research is part of the enjoyment of this hobby for me. Also my starter mounts to the bellhousing of a NHRA-AHRA-APP. Chevy R.C. Ind.ing. Medina, O. and my engine is a 283 1964 Block.

Thomas-----


I can't be of much help with the bellhousing starter installation as it's been a VERY LONG time since I've had any experience with one of those. However, as I recall, no shims are used.

If your 1108418 starter has a nose for a bellhousing mounted starter, you can be assured that it's a starter frame that's been used to build up a starter different from its original configuration. Most likely, it's been through a commercial rebuilding operation as I described in my previous post. So, what you have is definitely not a new starter but a rebuilt starter.

Your 1107355 starter FRAME originally resided on a 1965 Pontiac. It was manufactured on November 25, 1964 (an "I" is not used in Delco stamped date codes so "L" represents November not December)

I have no idea what the mounting configuration or requirements are for the starter used with an NHRA bellhousing.

[Tom P.]

The traditional GM Delco style starters were used in 3 basic styles:
Bell housing mount
Straight across bolt pattern for the small 153 teeth flywheel/flexplate
Staggered bolt pattern for the larger 168 teeth flywheel/flexplate.
For the staggered bolt pattern, there are 2 versions---alum nose and cast iron nose.
For manual transmissions with the large 168 teeth flywheel---------------A STARTER WITH A CAST IRON NOSE IS NEEDED!!!!! The reason is because an alum starter nose with the staggered bolt pattern is to fat to fit into the starter bulge of a 3872444-3899621-464697 style bell housing.

The bell housing mount starters were used 55-62 on Corvettes/cars and up to about 70 on trucks. ONE exception was the 1963 pass car 409 engines which used the 60-62 style open bottom alum housing.

ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL 55-62 V8 engines ONLY had the larger 168 teeth flywheel. In 63-65, Corvettes used the smaller 153 teeth flywheel (including the 1965 425hp/396). Thus, all cars with a 153 teeth flywheel had the starter with the straight across bolt pattern. The large 168 teeth flywheel was again installed in 66 on BB engines, requiring a starter with a cast iron nose and staggered bolt pattern.
A staggered bolt pattern nose will fit either auto or manual tranny bell housings. BUUUUUUUUUUT, as mentioned, for a bell housing, for the larger 168 teeth flywheel, ONLY a cast iron nose is going to fit in the bell housing.
I've learned this the hard way on too many Corvettes, Chevelles, pass cars.

Last, there were THREE different bolts used on block mounted starters: short-medium-long. All of them had serrated shanks to assure good alignment of the starter with the flywheel. The cast iron nose with staggered bolt pattern used the medium bolts.
Starter bolts.jpg

[Joe L.]

Here are all the iterations of the 3 basic type of starter noses used over the 1962-82 period and as described by Tom. In each photo they are depicted in the order in which they were released. All of the starter noses within each of the photos are functionally interchangeable and virtually identical.

The first photo depicts the GM 1957885 and the GM 1968122. These are the straight across "1 long, 1 short" bolt pattern aluminum noses used in conjunction with 153 tooth flywheels/flexplates.

The second photo depicts the GM 1966721, GM 1969309, and GM 1984098. These are the offset 2 "medium length" bolt pattern cast iron noses used in conjunction with 14" flywheels.

The third photo depicts the GM 801188, GM 1893864, and GM 1984097. These are the offset 2 "long" bolt pattern aluminum noses used with 14" flexplates. DSCN3538.jpg DSCN3516.jpg