That’s next on list. I was waiting to be flamed for it and I don’t mind. Honestly, I haven’t worked on the car much to amount to anything over the last ten years. Stupid stuff I did as a teen and in my early 20s which there is no excuse for. I do recall that the bolts that came with the starter were cheap and actually stripped their threads when torqued to the spec that the starter installation instructions indicated and in a time crunch back then to put it back together, I used the only starter bolts I could from the parts store. Now that I have my own shop instead of working out of my parents single car garage, I’m able to leave it and come back if I don’t the parts I need to put it back together correctly.

I will say though, in the time it’s been on there, I haven’t had a single issue with it.

@L72Chevelle, I got the throw out bearing orientation fixed this afternoon. Sucked taking it apart but glad you pointed it out and it’s fixed correctly now.

I was wondering what the story was about that bolt, seeing as how meticulous you have been with this transmission venture. Gotta admit, I've been there and done that too. Might be time to upgrade to the mid 90's GM mini starter with the offset bolt pattern. They are one of the best starters out there for clearance and avoiding heat soak.

Yeah, my car has the 153 tooth flywheel & 10.5" clutch so I have to use the inline bolt pattern. Maybe I will have better luck sourcing bolts for the mini-starter that's currently on it now. If not, it looks like the 90s LT1 Corvettes used a 153 tooth setup and bolts for those should be readily available.

I would recommend checking your drive shaft angles when you are finished with the transmission installation. That transmission mount is thicker than a stock mount and can cause problems with the drive shaft angle. You might have to adjust the pinion angle to compensate.

Thanks for the suggestion. However, I've been running this mount for about 15 years or so now and I have no vibration issues. I checked the pinion angle when I first converted the car to a four speed and had to use some shims from competition engineering to get the angle correct.

I got the car running again last night but I haven't taken it off of the lift yet. The clutch needs adjusting some more due to the tires still wanting to turn when the pedal is still fully depressed, but I have reverse and 4 forward gears so I consider that a win! I got a inspection plate cover ordered today for the bellhousing and the correct length starter bolts should be arriving any day now. Should be ready to drive soon!

Actually it isn't unusual for the tires to turn in this situation. I would drop it on the floor and see if you feel/sense any drag from rpm change. That will give you a feel for if it is difficult to get in gear and where the clutch starts to engage for further adjustment.

X-2 Give it an 1" of free play and if everything is good, you should be good to go. Bill

Good deal, thanks for the input gentlemen. I've learned a lot through this project!

I'm tackling the starter bolt situation now and I've read that the GM 12338064/Dorman 678-107 bolt is the solution for "mini" starters since the bolt has a 10mm shank and knurl for the starter, and a smaller 3/8" knurl for the block so that it locates correctly. I will say that the knurling on the new bolt definitely provides a much tighter fit on the starter but, it appears that the bolt is sticking too far out of the starter, especially the larger knurling that engages the starter. I ran one of the bolts up by hand through the starter, into the block, and it stopped about 1/4"-5/16" before the machined face of the starter would contact the block. I do not want to damage the block by using the wrong bolt. I took some pictures of the bolt as it is installed in the starter and various other dimensions. Have any of you guys ran into this? Ideas? Should I junk this starter and get a GM type mini starter for a early 90s Corvette? It had a 153 tooth flywheel like my car does.

*under head bolt length- 4.31"
*knurl diameter on bolt for starter- .398"
*knurl diameter on bolt for block- .371"
*distance from machined face of starter to end of knurl for block engagement- .378"
*thickness of starter flange- 3.110"