Starter Alignment to Flywheel Ring Gear

BigSky

Does the starter need to be aligned to the ring gear when installed?  I ask because the bottom bolt was loose in the bell housing & there was a fair amount of placement one could tighten it at.  Don’t want to screw up the starter or ring gear & nothing in the manual talks of this.  

Hopefully one can see in the photo how it’s pushed over to the 3 o’clock position. Thanks.

54coupe

This shouldn't matter, as the starter is indexed in the hole that it is mounted through. 

BigSky

Is it indexed by these 3?  Is it the rear engine plate that aligns it correctly?  Should both bell housing studs be securely tightened down before installing the bell housing or should it be done after installing the bell housing?

54coupe

Yes, those are the indexing rails to align in the rear engine plate. I make the studs just finger snug on the bell housing side, and install the trans. Then install the starter, and tighten the nuts on the starter, Then make sure the back side it tight. I'm not sure it matters all that much, but I do it that way so if the stud needs to move a little bit to align itself, it can.