i have a 76 maverick im currently installing a 68 302 the car was originally a 250 cid with c4 automatic the 68 motor was out of a truck that had the bigger flex plate 164 tooth i went and got a 157 tooth flex plate and that solved that issue how ever i didint even think about the spacer plate being off where the starter bolts in ...i ordered a 157 tooth automatic spacer plate from cj pony parts i held it up to the transmission first all looks good but when attemptng to put it on the block the dowel holes were to small to slide onto the pins once i enlargedthe holes a little it fit but i noticed all the bell housing holes were slightly off as well ...this peice was made in tawain go figure ...now the plate fits but im wondering will this effect how my starter lines up ?
I sure won't be the one to tell you it won't matter. You'd think if all you did was enlarge the holes slightly it won't affect the starter mesh. You've already established the quality is iffy, so it's a coin flip. Please let us know how it turns out.
The bolt holes in bell is what aligns the starter, unless there is a problem with snout opening, it'll be fine.
well i got motor and transmission in and sure enough where the stater goes thru the blockplate (snout opening) it is slightly off wich doesnt allow the bolts to line up ....i got this plate from cjpony parts made in tiwain i should have known better can the plate be filed out or does that snout opening need to be right on the money?
Filing it should be able to make it work as long as there isn't a visible gap where you can see into the bell. The less dirt in there the better. You could chose not to but then the starter wouldn't fit and you have to buy a new plate. If you do chose to file it the worst that can happen is it gets messed up and you have to buy a new plate. Might as well try it, right?
