Flex plate starter problem

[mason72]

My buddy got this 63 waggy about a year and a half ago. It has a full Chevy drivetrain. 350/700r4/208 8 lug 44 semi float 14 Chevy leafs.
I went with him to check it out and buy it. Starter sounded great and about 20-25 starts later the starter starts to grind. Another 10 or 15 starts and it won't even turn the motor over. He dealt with it for a while and and would carry a spare starter and we would swap it out real quick on the side of a trail. The teeth on the flex plate we're pretty chewed up and would eat up a starter pretty quickly. I assumed that somebody just dealt with poorly aligned starters for so long that it damaged the flexplate. A year or so of that I got sick of it and brought it over to my house put a new flex plate and starter in it. I shimmed the starter multiple times to get it as perfect as possible. Everything was great for about 5 or 6 months and then it starts grinding again.
So my question is, is there any difference between any year flex plate and starter between early '70s to late '80s.
Thanks Sean

 

[mason72]

 

[mason72]

You can see the new flex plate next to the old chewed up one

 

[Wes Harden]

So it's sounds like the starter is moving. The correct starter bolts are important to keep the starter from moving. Also in the 70's GM used a brace on the rear of the starter to help keep it in on place. the flex plate for gen 1 sbc is the same except for balance. 700r4 uses the same flexplate as th350

 

[Wes Harden]

this true for the starters. the 153 is smaller in diameter and uses 10 3/4" torque converter. Not what I would expect in an off road truck. 168 is 11.5" torque converter

 

[mason72]

I'll check that stuff out. Thanks.
I never knew about the bolts.

 

[black dawg]

Are you shimming the starter farther away from the flexplate, or shimming the outside bolt to get it closer to the flexplate?

 

[1-ton]

153 tooth count vs 168 tooth count.
153 should use a straight bolt pattern starter.
168 should use an angled bolt pattern starter.

I am using a 168-tooth flex plate on my rig with a mini-high torque starter, which are all straight bolt pattern. Been using it for years with no problem. My truck has a small block 350 with a 4L80E trans wich has the larger 11.5" torque converter. My truck did originally come with an angled bolt pattern starter. Maybe the gear reduction mini high-torque starter is a different deal than the old non-gear reduction stock GM starter.

 

[mason72]

If I remember correctly I shimmed the inner bolt moving it away.

 

[SnackPack]

this true for the starters. the 153 is smaller in diameter and uses 10 3/4" torque converter. Not what I would expect in an off road truck. 168 is 11.5" torque converter

Isn't the TC diameter a function of its stall speed? i.e., higher stall speed = smaller TC

 

[Wes Harden]

I believe so in general. I'm sure there are exceptions to that rule.