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MG TD TF 1500 - Hi-Torque Starter Question

Got a question for any of you who may have installed a Hi-Torque starter. This will take several photos so please bear with me.

First photo is the starter. Note the black object right in front of the starter gear...that is an allen head bolt that allows you to adjust the flange of the starter to match the bolt holes on the block.


Gene Gillam

This is the end view of the starter, looking down at the allen head adjusting screws.


Gene Gillam

Okay...of course I don't have a photo of the block where this bolts BUT the round area of the starter will fit into the starter hole...EXCEPT that the heads of the adjusting bolts hit the inside of the block and hold it out their height.

Crap...forgot to add the photo...see next.
Gene Gillam

Here's the photo


Gene Gillam

And lastly a view from the flywheel side showing one of the allen head screws hitting the unrelieved block.

Okay...has anyone installed one of these starters and is it as simple as relieving the block casting in that area OR am I doing something wrong (other than using a non-original starter...grin)?

Thanks for any advice/prior installation knowledge.

Gene


Gene Gillam

I'd say something is amiss Gene. The flange on the starter should fit into the opening on the block. Even without the allen heads, it looks like you have a fit issue to me.
L E D LaVerne

LaVerne,

Went back out for more photos...here's what it's hitting. The neck of the starter fits into this opening but the screws are hitting the rough area inside the flange. There' one place at the top right of the opening I may be able to get one to fit in but then that leaves a lot of grinding at the bottom left.

Gene


Gene Gillam

Here is just the flange bolted in place...it does fit.


Gene Gillam

Pardon my inquisitiveness, but why do you feel the need for a hi-torque starter in one of our engines? And, will it spin the engine as fast as an an original, not that that'll make much difference, since we can start them with a crank, which has gotta be awful slow.
IIRC, I bought an original, rebuilt, starter from Rock Auto about 3 yrs ago for a very reasonable price, incl. the core to be sent back. I think the core charge was about $15, and it would have been cheap still, to keep my old (which I may have done).
Al
Emma, 54 TF
A W Parker

Al,

Race engine, high compression...and the hi-torque starters turn the engines much faster.

Gene
Gene Gillam

OK, good reason. Guess you gotta break out the die grinder.
Al
A W Parker

That's what it's looking like...just was never mentioned in the instructions.

Gene
Gene Gillam

How about turning the bolt heads down?

I do that all the time. You can remove about 1/2 the depth of the allen key well.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Jim, that might work...I'll see if there's enough room with one turned down.
Gene Gillam

I see said the blind man. I think my castings are a lot cleaner than your's Gene but I don't have any good pictures to confirm that.


L E D LaVerne

Hi Gene, I think this basically the same problem I had years ago fitting the late midget replacement type starter to an early TD. I think the starter through- bolts are on the flywheel side rather than the outer end like on the originals. I believe we had to grind at least one bolt head down to get it to seat. George
George Butz

LaVerne, is that engine out of the Green Hornet?
Tom Maine

Thanks George...just more piece of mind!
Gene Gillam

Yep Tom..bout 7 or 8 years ago.
L E D LaVerne

Glad to hear that LaVerne, thought maybe you had hatched it somewhere along the line..
Tom Maine

Gene,

I had the exact same problem when my original hi torque starter failed, again on a race engine. The replacement I purchased had the allen bolts proud of the flange and it could not be seated. I was ready to return it when I decided to see if the flange from my broken starter would fit the new one. It had the bolt heads recessed in the flange. It fit perfectly and problem was solved. It is possible to make the flange correctly and I don't understand why the seller of these units can't get it right. If I remember right, there is enough thickness in the flange to counter bore for the bolt heads or a combo of grinding the heads and boring. That would be a better thing to do than grind away the block. Good luck.

Frank
F Filangeri

Frank,

Best idea yet! Got a machinist friend (or two) that can do that for me in a second.

Gene
Gene Gillam

This thread was discussed between 16/08/2013 and 17/08/2013

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