Starter problem (427 FE)

[brizz]

my starter is a lakewoood bell housing, after the engine starts the starter drive will not disengage the flywheel! Can anyone advise me on how to properly set up or adjust the lakewood bell housing? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[CJ428CJ]

You definitely want to dial in your bellhousing using this procedure:

http://www.ac427.com/html/crc_print_28.shtml

However, with that said, your problem may be something else. Are you using the block plate between the bellhousing and the engine block. If that plate is not being used you could have an alignment problem. Sounds like it might also be a starter problem.

[brizz]

humm. one fun job to under take when im one week from mooving! I just purchased a new mini starter and both the stock old starter and the mini would not pull away from the fly wheel. Are the offset dowles and washers available at speed shops? as you can emagine time is very limited for me. By the way livermore is only 45 minutes away! Got any plans tomorrow? lol..
thanks for the quick response.
Brizz

[CJ428CJ]

I'm sure you could get the dowels at any speed shop that sells Lakewood (Vic Hubbards in Hayward comes to mind). I have a set that I bought with my bellhousing but that I didn't use. You're welcome to them but I mistakenly bought the set that need welded on rather than the offset type.

One bit of advise as your setting up your dial indicator. I spent a good hour trying to figure out how to mount the dial indicator using all the rods and the magnet that come with it. I never could figure out a way to make it work. I finally fabricated a simple L shaped bracket out of some pretty stiff steel. I secured the L bracket under one flywheel mounting bolt and I then bolted the dial indicator (without all the rods and magnet) to the other end. Once I did that, dialing the bellhousing in was a piece of cake.

Chris

[Coloradocobra]

You may also want to check to see how "deep" the starter is engaging. Most parts places sell starter shims to space the starter a little more towards the front of the motor. When I installed my starter I could actually hear the teeth hit the flywheel when I turned the engine over with a wrench. The shim straightened it all out. It was a stock starter on a Lakewood housing with the correct block plate. If you are not having any clutch release or chatter problems it may have nothing to do with the bellhousing dowels unless the housing was newly installed when you installed the starter.

Gary