[ihc] Re: Starter help 74/75 4wd TA

["Dennis Bernth" <scoutdude@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

  Joel-
  That's what I was gonna do, but there are several different starters that
were used on IH's and to buy the drives and all, they want the numbers off
of the starter. Heck, as rusty as my starters are by the time I get them, I
can't read the numbers anymore, I'd have to send them off to the ATF lab to
have them 'raised' like they do obliterated serial numbers on guns<g>.
  Back in the early 70's  I worked as a mechanic at a small, non-stocking
GMC truck dealer in Southern Alabama (Atmore, for Mike T. who lives down
that way). Although there was a NAPA about a hundred yards away across a
field, we never got a rebuilt Delco starter, we always did em ourselves.
Bushings, brushes, starter drive and solenoid on every one. Kind of a
'shotgun' approach, but it worked, and I can't recall ever having one that
didn't work after being gone through that way. The shop had all the parts in
stock, in multiples, so you just went and got the parts you needed and
rocked, and we kept a battery laying there for 'bench testing' before we
re-installed.
  For IH specific content, the absolute WORST starter I ever did was on a
late 60's Loadstar cut down mobile home toter. I imagine it was a 345, but
that thing was all but inaccessible. I got it off fine and went through the
starter, and was fighting the top bolt for quite a while trying to put it
back on when one of the bosses came over and kicked the creeper I was on and
asked if I was gonna make a career out of that starter. I rolled out and
handed him the wrench in my hand and told him to show me how to do it. He
rolled under, few minutes and I heard some mumbling (his hands were a lot
bigger and fatter than mine), then all of a sudden my wrench went sailing
across the garage floor and he rolled out from underneath. He said 'take as
long as it needs' and walked off. He never questioned how I did my job
again<g>. I grew to hate that truck, I was the highest paid guy so I got
saddled with the worst jobs. I learned about the two bolts from the 'inside'
of the bellhousing on the IH five speeds doing a clutch on that bugger, I
still have the ground down 3/4" socket that I 'modified' to get the inner
bolts out without wearing out my arm with a standard wrench.
  Guess maybe I'll clean up this starter and see if I can find a number,
maybe I'll see how much I remember from 30 some years ago.
  Dennis
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Joel M Brodsky" <jmbrodsky@domain.elided>
  To: "Dennis Bernth" <scoutdude@domain.elided>
  Cc: <ihc@domain.elided>
  Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 11:23 PM
  Subject: Re: Starter help 74/75 4wd TA


  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > Dennis,
  >       How's this sound?  I'm going to put the perfectly functioning old
  > unit BACK into the truck when I figure out how to get the Autozone one
out.
  > I figured with a new engine, put new everything.  I might as well go
back
  > to rebuilding my own starters and alternators.
  > Never had a problem with my own units. I've still (somehwere) got a bag
of
  > discrete-diode trios and a bag of the copper starter buttons.
  > It's just so time intensive doing them myself.  And, for me it's not
cost
  > effective to pay $55 to have a starter rebuilt when I can do it in about
an
  > hour.
  > I have so many cores now that parts and everything should be a piece of
  > cake.  The buttons are reversible anyway.  The contacts come in the kit.
  >
  > -JoelB