Folks with Pond blocks, which starter?

[Avmaviator]

So yesterday I tried to bolt on my Napa oem starter on our Pond block and it doesn't fit. The block has the original groove in it for the oem style starters, but, there is a freze plug at the end of this "groove" that interfers with the starter... You can see it in this picture.



So what do kind of starters do you guys use? Any fitment issues?

Thank you much for your input,

A

Edit: I found another picture of it. You can see it the top right. The freeze plug is about 1.5 too far towards the rear of the block.

[blykins]

I like to use the gear drive mini starters, such as the CVR starters. They have a smaller body and are "clockable" which means you can put the solenoid in a spot where it doesn't interfere with other parts (such as the block, headers, etc.)

[patrickt]

I don't have a Pond block, but I do have a memory for obscure FE threads, such as this one dealing with starters and Pond blocks... 332-428 Ford FE Engine Forum: What starters will fit on a Pond block?

[Bobcat]

I used the RobbMc mini starter and it fit perfectly with plenty of room to get the mounting bolts in . It replaced a CVR starter that failed after 3 months .... shaft broke . I believe the shaft failure was caused because the CVR starter doesn`t have a pinion shaft support and the loading on it with a big block with lots of compression causes the shaft to want to climb off the starter gear and flex . I ordered the RobbMc unit with the optional outboad pinion support and have had no problems ... fits my Ponds block fine with no clearance issues at all .
As Brent said , you will probably need to clock the starter once it`s mounted , so the solenoid is as far from the headers as possible .