Hi everybody My stock bellhousing was ground down to allow the use of a larger flywheel to fit the rear main seal of the older block.I want to put the right size flywheel in and replace the bellhousing ,I assume the 10.4 inch flywheel is correct size for the stock bellhousing.Im wondering if mini gear reduction starter im using now will fit a smaller flywheel.Do most older blocks have the right bolt pattern for the starter?I m wondering if anyone out there has run across this situation,the car is an 87iroc with a pre 86 355 and 5 speed tranny.Thank you for any feedback.

Some mini starters will work. If it has 4 bolt holes across the nose piece, then it will; if it has only 2, then it will not.

Use the flywheel for a 83-85 305 V8 Camaro/Firebird.

You may have to drill & tap the inner hole in the block. Most blocks that old will not have that hole, unless someone has drilled it already. Contact your local machine shop about doing that.

There is no such thing as a starter that will work with the old-style bolt hole pattern and the new-style starter. Don't even bother to ask, and don't believe it if anybody tells you that such-and-such starter "ought" to fit; they're wrong. The reason is so simple that it's easy to outsmart yourself: the flywheel is 1¼" smaller, so the outer edge is moved over half that (5/8"), so the starter shaft and drive has to move over with it; with the shaft located there, a bolt in the eary-style bolt hole would go RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE of the starter drive. There is no alternative whatsoever to having the correct bolt hole.

Yes I have run across this situation; I ran a 73 model 400 block in my car for about 12 years. Like I said, don't believe somebody that hasn't done it, even if they tell you what you want to hear. This may sound painful, but it sure beats laying on the ground under the car with a transmission fully installed onto a motor you can't bolt a starter to, wondering what you're going to do now.

Thanks for the reply RB ,thats exactly what I was concerned about not having the right bolt pattern on the block for the starter.Ive been reading your posts for some time now and they are always interesting and informative.Thanks again.

80 and up alot of 305 used the 153 tooth plate/wheels and used the straight across bolt holes noses, and the old stuff moslty used the 168 tooth wheel/plates and used the staggered bolt pattern, also the old iron bellhousing for manual trans vehicles back in the 60s and older used the 168 tooth wheel/plates and had three bolt pattern iron nose alot like ford pattern, if i had a digicam i could show you two of them right now

good luck

Thank you for the reply fast 68,I got my old bellhousing off today my starter has four holes straight across I figure it will fit the smaller flywheel,just move one set of holes over.thanks again

The old 3-hole pattern won't work.... the inner hole is too far outward, about ¾" or so.... ya gotta drill the right one.... no alternatives

Some mini starters will work. If it has 4 bolt holes across the nose piece, then it will; if it has only 2, then it will not. My starter has four holes across the nose piece rb,moving to the next set of holes moves the starter closer to the flywheel by about 5/8 inch.I still need to drill the inner hole?

If your block doesn't have it, yes. Otherwise there won't be an inner hole that lines up with the one in the starter nose piece.

You can look at the block and tell which inner hole you have, if any. There will be one hole at the outer end of the starter pad, along the bell housing flange, which is always in the same place; and one near the oil pan, about an inch in from the rear face of the blocks, which also is always there. Your block may or may not have one or 2 more holes across the rear edge of the block. If there's one that's directly in line with the offset one, it will NOT work; if there's one about ½" nearer to the crank centerline than the offset one, it's the right one, and you're good to go. Some blocks have no inner hole there, some have one, some the other, and a few (from the late 70s & early 80s mostly) have both.

Starter bolt holes are special. The bolts have a knurled shank right behind the threads, that's larger than the rest of the bolt. This place acts as a dowel pin to positively locate the starter. The holes in the block have a larger diameter part, about 3/8" deep or so, before the threads begin, to accept this feature of the bolt. You can't use regular bolts. And the exact location of the starter is critical.

I have a 73 block in an 86. This is interesting. Somebody must have drilled it before I got it. I have to two bolts that go up into the bottom of the block.

holes drilled up into lock from underneath is stock correct

Just finished installing new smaller flywheel,new stock bellhousing and a new centerforce dual friction clutch.Feels like driving a new car I cant believe how light the pedal is now,all my rpm vibration issues have been solved.Centerforce says to break in the clutch carefully for 500 miles of stop and go driving,this is the clutch I should have bought in the first place.I love my new centerforce clutch!!