Mini starter engagement depth

[Frankenchevy]

Checking starter engagement on flex plate. It’s an oem type mini starter. Read on the inter webs you want about 60% engagement depth. I get full depth. The videos I’ve seen show adding shims behind the clocking ring of a clockable starter. Should I worry?

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When my wife gets home, I was going to check my static timing with the fuel pump relay pulled and that includes cranking with the starter. It’ll be the first time cranking.

 

[bucket]

With the drive gear retracted, you want around 1/8th inch clearance between the shaft and the flexplate. If it's too tight, just use starter shims to get it where it needs to be.

 

[Frankenchevy]

With the drive gear retracted, you want around 1/8th inch clearance between the shaft and the flexplate. If it's too tight, just use starter shims to get it where it needs to be.

Fully retracted is around 1/8”...maybe 5/32”

It goes flush with the adjacent cutout part of the nose:

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[bucket]

I mean 1/8" clearance at the tip of the flexplate teeth. The amount that the drive gear slides out really doesn't matter at all, so long as it engages a sufficient amount of the teeth, and it retracts far enough that it doesn't drag when the engine is running on it's own.

 

[Frankenchevy]

I mean 1/8" clearance at the tip of the flexplate teeth. The amount that the drive gear slides out really doesn't matter at all, so long as it engages a sufficient amount of the teeth, and it retracts far enough that it doesn't drag when the engine is running on it's own.

I think I get what you’re saying. I keep finding videos of random mini starter/sbc combinations. I’m hoping since my starter is specifically for a 97ish l31-r equipped truck I’m hoping I’ll be pretty good to go.

It’s definitely good on the paper clip test.

 

[bucket]

The last few of those starters that I've installed on older blocks didn't need any shims either.