got the pin in! put it in my big vice and cranked down on it harder than in previous trys and exposed the hole completley. i though for sure i would break the thing before i'd get the pin in.

stay tuned for starter installation.

thanks for the input, Dan

"if the bendix becomes extended I can hold it up against a spinning wire wheel on a bench grinder and when the bendix reaches the appropriate speed it will jump back to the retracted position" previous quote.ABSOLUTELY..then it is a lot easier to install....John in CT

at least on my f100, it was no problem installing the starter with the drive extended. the only issue was getting that top bolt started.

I have ram horns and don't see any added difficulty. But the exhaust isn't installed yet; just the manifolds. What about the idea of just leaving a stud in the top hole and putting a locking (kep) nut on with a wobbly extension?

Short stud works well, just use normal nut and use long 3/8" drive socket extension with pivoty end.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

I didn't have a stud handy so I ran a bolt in from the back and then replaced it with a regular bolt from the front after securing the other two bolts. Having a stud in the upper hole to hang the starter on at the start helps a lot.

Mark

1956 Mercury M100
1955 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan
Delta, British Columbia

i did it the hard way and held the starter in position while i started the first bolt. after it was done i realized i could've just threaded a bolt in from the back. oh well.