At a car show the other night I was speaking with a long time Rivi owner about starters for Nailheads. He told me something like an Olds 455 starter with the "cone" part swapped from my starter would basically bolt right up and what not. Basically pull out a couple bolts, switch them around, tighten and done. I was drinking(and NOT driving) that night so I cant really remember the specifics but I do recall him telling me thats what he currently had on his 425. Anybody heard of this and could you shed some light on it for me? And also, if this is an option, what would be a plus about it other than it being easier and/or cheaper to get than a new Nailhead starter? I still plan to rebuild my unit, but I found this to be really interesting and would like to know more.
Bill,,, that may very well work,,,, I think the basic starter body hasnt changed for years.... but what is critical is that the armature must match the length of the starter nose... and you need a 4 pole starter to have torque enough to turn a big cube engine... Starters are not that hard to rebuild.... i do it all the time.... just disassemble,,, then dump the whole thing into a bucket of mineral spirits and then brush all the dirt and oil out of everything.... and then blow it dry with compressed air.... get a kit from the auto supply that has brushes and bushings in it.... install them... and lube them with a dab of wheel bearing grease...reassemble and install on the engine.....after you ck it out by hooking it up to some jumper cables to see if it will work.....
