Starter request


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Posted by Joe Cimoch on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 20:29:54 :

Received this email, maybe someone here can help Paul, thanks:

Paul Tucker wrote:
Joe:
Hello from Canada. I'm writing to you for some parts advice. Our hunting camp has owned since 1961 a 1956 dodge 1 ton power wagon. We are only the second owner of this vehicle as it was previously owned by a construction company as an "oiler" to service their equipment in the field. It did not have the original box but was a custom made raised flat bed style with side boards. The wood portion was made from British Columbia fir and essentially was still in quite good condition up to the mid to late 90's. Pretty amazing for what we have put this vehicle through. We have replaced the wood structure with pressure treated lumber and I expect it to last longer then me now.
Our camp is located in central Ontario and is only 4 miles from the farm we leave from. However, the terrain is so tough being that your crawling over rock ridges and through swamps it takes a minimum of 2 hours to go the 4 miles without scheduled or unscheduled stops. Needless to say its low/low all the way. The body metal does not look like the beautifully restored vehicles I see in the classified section of your site. There are no front fenders or running boards. There is no door glass left although there is still front and rear window glass. The doors have to be "wired" shut and we don't use and engine cowl. The reason for this is that back in the mid seventies the 230 cu in engine was replaced with a 251 cu in engine. The rad support and shell were moved ahead 2 inches for fan blade clearance so now the gull wing cowl doesn't fit any more. At this time the 6 volt generator was replaced with a Delco 12 volt alternator. We use a 12 volt coil but go through a ballast so as not to burn out the points. The starter is still a 6 volt starter.
This leads me to my question. When the engine was replaced the starter was changed from the foot stab starter to a key switch which turned on a remote solenoid and then a push button on the dash started the starter. The camp member that did the engine replacement has since passed on and his son can only remember that the engine came from a mid fifties dodge car. This starter has now failed. The starter teeth all shattered into 9 individual teeth and the cast starter cone broke in two pieces. I have had no success in finding a replacement starter from any where here in Ontario and "Vintage Power Wagons" only had the foot stab style. We did find one old foot stab style starter at a local "junk" yard but was in very poor condition both mechanically and electrically. The last time we used this starter it took 24 volts to turn it over. Needless to say we did not shut the engine off until we were safely home with it. I would like to know if you can give me a name of a place in the US that I can get a 6 volt or 12 volt starter that uses the key switch, remote solenoid and starter push button for a mid fifties 251 cu in flat head dodge engine. The starter we had used 9 teeth on the Bendix and the fly wheel has 146 teeth. I do not know if this fly wheel was changed when the engine was changed from 230 cu in to 251 cu in. Should the fly wheel be 172 teeth?
My brother lives in eastern PA so if there was a source in the US the starter could be shipped to him to avoid exporting the part to me here in Canada. Look forward to your advice. Our ole girl doesn't look much like those $25,000.00 restorations but I wouldn't trade her for anything off the show room floor today.
No matter who has seen our power wagon on our trail they are simply amazed at the power and the ability to do what she does. All our members have ATV's but its still the Power Wagon that is loaded with all their gear, groceries, gas, propane tanks, and what ever else is needed at our camp for a week in the woods.
Thanks again

Paul Tucker
Apsley, On.
K0L1A0
Canada
1-705-656-2088 or
chinook@nexicom.net




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