when i try to get my 1996 bellhousing to bolt up to my L98, the starter does not fit in the hole in the bellhousing . In everyone elses t56 swap, did you have to replace the starter?
thanks alot,
matt

 

What year is your car? I did not have to change my starter for my 92 camaro, but I think the older cars will need a new starter.

 

my car is an 89, should be just the same as yours
what year is your trans from?
thanks

 

My trans is a 97. I asked this question a while back when I did my swap and it seems like the 305 cars could use the stock starter while the 350s could not. But I don't know if thats true. Here is the thread I started.
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...6+auto+starter

 

thanks jr305,
it seems like i will need a new starter, i guess i need one from a 4th gen
thanks again
matt

 

just get one for a 5 speed car, mine worked. and yes there is a difference...dont let the idiot behind the counter tell you any different.

 

or you could, "port" the hole, so the starter will fit, i did this on my t5 bellhousing that i am swapping into my car, i tried several starters, and got sick of running to the store, so i just bought a couple 50grit sanding drums and got out an air drill. it fits now

i know its a shadetree fix, but it works

 

common problem. Just get a starter for a 5-speed car as stated above. The nose piece is smaller, as well as the main body.

 

I'm using the original starter that came with the car. Its a 92 RS with a 305 and it was auto.

 

Do yourself a favor and get a gear-reduction starter (LT1 cars have these, as well as many aftermarket sources) that is about half the size and makes twice the torque over the OEM style GM starters for our cars..... You will thank yourself when you get headers later on......... and relocate the solenoid while you are at it.

 

thanks for the reply,
what do you mean relocate the solenoid?
isnt that attached to the starter as one whole piece?
i have a starter from a 96 trans am, is this the same starter you are referring to? (it is from LT1 car)
thanks again.

 

You are correct. GM starters have the starter solenoid mounted to the starter motor itself. But you can work around the solenoid if it is (or might in the future) give you hot start problems from excessive heat soak (usually headers will cause this but sometimes even stock ones will have problems with the hot soak stuff....). The one you refer to off the LT1 car should be the one you want. It may require different length bolts and possibly connectors, but if you relocate the solenoid you won't have to worry about it anyway. You can use a piece of metal with two holes in it to short out the existing solenoid on the starter and replace it with a F*rd fender-mount style starter solenoid and it will keep the heat from cooking the solenoid portion of the circuit and help hot start performance of the starting system.

There is a tech article on this site about relocating the starter solenoid to prevent/fix hot start problems.....

 

If you use the mini or hi-torque one, the wires just barely reach to the new terminals. One of thes days i will relocate the soliod on mine to releive the wires.

Jim Buckingham

 

i was gonna post that myself,
i got the smaller hi torque 4th gen starter and it was hard to pull the wires over to the starter but i got them on. I also had to bend the bracket that holds the starter on the front end of the car. that was easy enough.
thanks for the help everybody.
matt

 

I used a CSI mini-starter from Jegs. Autozone wants like $240 for a remanufactured LT1 starter. Advance auto wanted $140. For $15 more the CSI has 12 mounting positions (6 clocking and you could flip it upside down) and it fits great with the headers and sounds cool as well and cranks at the same speed no matter how hot I get it. I tried a Tommy Johnson Jr. starter and got about 10 starts from it before it died, and it wasn't adjustable.