Pre-War Starter Interchangeability?

Jon B

I have a 1937 Terraplane.  Despite rebuilding (and attempts at other fixes) my starter still jambs with the flywheel gear. 

I have an opportunity to borrow a 1941 Hudson starter (6 cyl.) and bolt it in, just to see if the same jambing problem occurs.  (If it does, then this indicates my problem lies not with my starter but rather some damaged flywheel ring gears, mounting problems,  or something else.)

Does anyone know if a 1941 starter should fit in a '37?  I don't want to attempt this if (for example) the teeth of the 1941 Bendix gear don't mesh on the teeth of the '37 ring gear, for that would cause damage to my car.

Unfortunately, the Hudson interchange manual suggests that neither the starters, the ring gears, or the Bendix drives from 1937 and 1941, will interchange.  But possibly someone has attempted this sort of interchange with success, when some slight modification is made!

Geoff

It should work just fine Jon. I have  been using a Jet starter on a '37 motor that I have running on the shed floor.  Just had to  wedge it out a bit to get the distance correct.

charles4d

Sound like a shim issue  might need  to be backed out a bit you try a washer on the bolts
I have a 40 you can try if you need it

Jon B

Geoff, is there a way to easily determine what is the correct distance for the gears to mesh correctly?  How did you know how far to "wedge it out"?  Or, would the Bendix drive simply "throw" itself into the gears and find its own correct position when the two sets of gears mesh?

Geoff

Jon, I have the engine sitting on my shop floor, so I have easy access.  I did not have a Terraplane starter, so just  used a Jet one and fitted it so that the collar was shy of the flywheel, and the pinion meshed correctly.  The pinions are the same from 1936 right through, except for the Auto transmission versions of course.   if you have another starter there , just measure it against your existing one. 
Geoff 

Jon B

Geoff, when you say "pinion" I assume you mean the gear on the Bendix drive. 

When you say the collar was just shy of the flywheel, do you mean that you added a washer or other type of shim between the starter's mounting flange, and the motor plate?

Geoff

Yes, the pinion is the small gear on the end of the starter shaft.   The collar on the  end of the  Jet starter (which has the rear bushing) is much longer than the Terraplane starter obviously, as it hit against the flywheel ring gear, so I packed between the  flanges so that it was clear, and the pinion came into full mesh with the ring gear.   You should not have to worry about any of this though, if you have another splasher 6 starter from 1936-47.  it should just bolt right up.  

Jon B

Really?  Any starter of that period?  Do you know for sure that the ring gear (on the flywheel) and Bendix drive gears, all meshed during those years?  (Sorry to keep harping on this but I sure do not wish to destroy the teeth on the gears, with an incompatible starter drive!)

Geoff

Bolt it up, check the mesh and go for it.  Worrier!!!