jasonZ Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 Hi everyone, I've been looking around the forum for over a year now but have not had to post a question due to the wealth of info on this site! I finaly bought a z late this fall (a straight 76 280) and am just about ready to dive into the build. The only problem is my dad's camaro is filling up the garage. The last problem to solve to get the camaro out is the starter. We just finished a 383 build and slid it in last weekend. I slid under to bolt on the starter and found that the mounting pad was not drilled for the 153 tooth flywheel starter. Only the angled bolt pattern is there (can't believe I didnt trial fit on the stand). Do you guys think I would be better off pulling the engine to drill and tap or leave it in and eat metal shavings while I lie on my back. Thanks for any advice, I look forward to posting info on my z project. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
280zwitha383 Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 Have you heard of people doing that?! The thought of it makes me cringe but I don't know everything by any means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullbound Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I recently ran into the same problem with my latest 377 build. I forgot to check the block for the starter bolt pattern before putting the engine in the car. It's not at all recommended to drill it out for the inline mounting pattern with the engine in the car. There are too many ways this can go wrong. If you have to drill it, pull the motor. Otherwise, you can do what I did and spring for a new starter that has a mounting block which allows you to run a starter with a 153 tooth flywheel/flex plate in the staggered bolt pattern. I got this one and it works well for this application: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CSI%2D100SBP&N=700+4294839066+4294908216+4294840135+4294883170+4294851352+115&autoview=sku Kind of hard to describe how it works, but you can see in the pic that it includes a spacer block that has three bolt holes. This fits between the engine block and the starter when using a 153-tooth flex plate. There's a short bolt that bolts the spacer block to your engine block using the staggered bolt hole on the engine block. The other bolts go through the inline holes on your starter. One bolt goes through the starter bolt hole, through the block spacer, and screws into the engine block. The other bolts the starter to this spacer block, which is threaded on that particular hole (this is the hole that's missing on the engine block). I hope that's clear. I tried to find the spacer block by itself, but was unable to. You might try to contact CSR directly to see if you can buy it, depending on whether or not you're already using a mini starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbk240z Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 How about getting a junkyard starter with the right nose on it, then combine parts from the starters. Alot less risky then drilling/tapping the block. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oatmilk Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 Get the correct starter and be done with it. CSR starters are very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnjdragracing Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I ran into that problem also. I ended up drilling and tapping the hole. It worked for a while, we were running a higi compression engine at the time and about a year later had some issues with the drilled and tapped hole. If I was going to do it agian I would buy another starter. Just my 2 cents worth. John Hi everyone, I've been looking around the forum for over a year now but have not had to post a question due to the wealth of info on this site! I finaly bought a z late this fall (a straight 76 280) and am just about ready to dive into the build. The only problem is my dad's camaro is filling up the garage. The last problem to solve to get the camaro out is the starter. We just finished a 383 build and slid it in last weekend. I slid under to bolt on the starter and found that the mounting pad was not drilled for the 153 tooth flywheel starter. Only the angled bolt pattern is there (can't believe I didnt trial fit on the stand). Do you guys think I would be better off pulling the engine to drill and tap or leave it in and eat metal shavings while I lie on my back.Thanks for any advice, I look forward to posting info on my z project. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boodlefoof Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I agree with those above who recommend buying a new starter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeshoe Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 It would be WAY easier to just buy an aftermarket style starter as suggested. Drilling the hole requires perfect alignment, which requires a fixture. If you look at ther existing holes you will also notice they have a counterbored area before the threads start. This is for the knurled portion of the bolt to engage and help prevent flexing. This isn't a simple drill and tap ordeal even with the motor out on a stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonZ Posted December 28, 2006 Author Share Posted December 28, 2006 Thanks for all the info. I already have the CSR starter pictured and will get with them to see about the adapter plate. I was nervous about drilling, I have the proper equipment to drill, counterbore, and tap but the alignment would have been the tough part. Adapter is by far the best solution. Thanks again for great info, i'll keep everyone posted when the Z project takes off. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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