Chinese mini starters... I had gone over budget on my engine build, thought, wow $120 is a really good deal, I'll try it..
Well, for starters It looked cheap, anodized aluminum with a cast aluminum mounting bracket (I've got a Corvette block, so everything is twice as much money)
As far as I could tell the starter worked well, finally had a warm day about 2 weeks ago, took the car out and filled up with gas.. Get to the station, she's at about 170*F, shut it down fill up.. Get back in, and the starter is jumping from the flywheel (Horrid grinding noise, and it's done it before).

So, at this point, I'm trying to figure out a way to fix what I have, I honestly don't know my compression, I'm running flat tops with 64CC heads, so it could be between 9.5 and 10:1.

I called my parts guy and ordered a brand new PowerMaster, it's powdercoated black, has a machined aluminum mounting bracket, and was freakin' heavy!

Putting the two starters side by side, you can really get a good idea that buying North American when it comes to a lifeline like your starter.
I even brought the chinese one back to the company I bought it from, they told me it wasn't tight enough and sold me $6 bolts, still did it..
I can't wait to try out this new one!

 

How so? A "Corvette block" is absolutely identical in every way to any other block with the same casting # except that some of them have the 4-bolt main caps installed on them (which is totally invisible from outside the oil pan and has no effect on fitment). You don't actually walk up to the counter and ask for Corvette parts just because somebody told you THAT about your block, do you? That's like leaving a $100 sitting on the front seat of your car and leaving it unlocked in the worst part of town, you're just ASKING for it!!!

Sorry to hear the PM starter you got is so heavy. That's generally one of the advantages of those, is they're light. I guess I'll avoid that brand; or at least, pay careful attention to which one I buy. The good Japanese ones, based on the Nippondenso or Hitachi motors, are usually quite light. Sounds like you got a Chinese knock-off of a Japanese one. There's alot of that on eBay and such, these days; "designed to fit", "genuine US design", "replacement for Delco", and similar weasel-wording. The ones to look for, are the actual ND or H motors, that somebody just made an aluminum "adapter" block for, like this. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PWM-9526/ That one is a ND; a Hitachi looks like this. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PWM-9400/ The LT1 starter, made by Delco, is another option; it's heavier than the Japanese ones, but is a reduction gear unit as well, and therefore is FAR superior to the Neanderthal 100-lb direct-drive Delco POS from the Stone Age that came on these cars.

 

Wow - $120 for a bad starter? I got a madeinUSA mini-torque starter off ebay last year for under $80 shipped, and it's been a great little starter thus far. Here's the starter: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHEVY...Q5fAccessories

 

The power master works great!
I suggest it to anyone, especially with that 'Made in USA' on the box..

Stay away from cheap chinese copies, they're cast aluminum, and total crap.

Different bolt pattern for the starter, staggered 2 bolt instead of the standard.

 

Staggered 2-bolt is for larger flexplates if I recall, not Corvettes. That pattern is on a LOT of older sbcs.

 

Yes - staggered is for 168 tooth flexplate, inline for the 153 tooth flexplate. Doesn't have anything to do with Corvette or not Corvette. ALL 3rd gens have a 153 tooth fro factory - 168 can be used in the automatic tranny cars, but not the manual cars.

 

The staggered 2-bolt pattern IS the standard, for ALL blocks prior to about 77 or 78. The late-model pattern for the 12.8" flywheel was introduced about that time and became universally present on blocks by around 80, and more or less universal in passenger cars by the mid 80s.

It has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with "Corvette", beyond the fact that Corvettes had the same bolt pattern as everything else before they got the smaller flywheel later on like everything else. Best to just leave that word out of your vocabulary when buying parts.