SBC Starter. 153/168?

[Carnut]

Just broke the hi torque gear drive mini starter on my 350 chev. in my 40 Ford.

Old age and negligence on my part hitting start while engine was running seems to have broke the starter..

I'm thinking of going for a Delco mini starter but don't know which to get.

How do I tell if I have a 153 tooth or 168 tooth ring gear without actually counting?

[wayne petty]

mark the tips of the teeth with a tire marking crayon..  every 10 teeth..

if you end up with 8 teeth.. its a 168.. if you end up with 3.. its a 153..

this saves you from needing to go around again..

what broke on the mini starter???  do you have a local starter rebuilder..

many of the components are available right off their shelves..  except for the housing..

[kb426]

George, I found sellers on ebay that were very inexpensive on gear drive starters. Once you figure out which one you need, this could be less painful than expected.

[Carnut]

Well, I searched around think I've found the info I was looking for.

It seems that most all SBC's came with 153 tooth ring gears

and most all BBC's came with 168 tooth ring gears.

Also most 153 tooth starters have bolts straight across while

most 168 tooth starters have the staggered bolts.

So, since I'm pretty sure I didn't put a BBC ring gear flex plate on my SBC when I built it I've ordered a 153 tooth starter with straight across bolts.

Guess I'll see if I have guessed correctly.

[Carnut]

Spent the afternoon replacing the starter on my 40 Ford, got a bit warm out there. I'm too old for this kind of stuff.

New starter on the left, old on the right. Hope the new one lasts awhile.

[sirstude]

New one has a front support bushing, should last longer.

[kb426]

Does the car and the owner start right up???