65 318 Poly Mini Starter?

[mopar_4life]

Good Morning! I know that the big blocks can run a mini starter out of the 90 Dakotas. My question is my father has a 65 Satellite with the 318 Poly in it and he was wondering if you can do the same conversion with it. I don't know if it's just the later small blocks that use that starter. I figured I would ask the group.

 

[Chrome58]

No, the early Polys have a different starter mount and distance to flywheel, so it won't work.

There is a converted modern starter that can be mounted on early Polys, you can find it for sale on eBay from time to time. But it's expensive ($250), and not easy to find a correct position for it, because of interference of the steering links and the exhaust. I know, I've been there with my '58 Plymouth. In the end, I gave up and went back to the OEM starter.

 

[PH27L7]

I'm positive at least in 65 that the standard starter is interchangeable between all V8's including polys. It's likely the mini starter would also work although I haven't tried that. Apparently in the 1950's poly engines that's not the case but I'm unfamiliar with those.

 

[twostick]

If it came factory with a gear reduction starter, the mini starter will swap ok.

The confusion is because some truck applications and cars 61 and earlier used a direct drive starter.

Kevin

 

[57fury440]

The earlier Poly motors used the cast iron torqueflites ( or powerflites ) with an extended crankshaft. 1962 and up came with the modern style aluminum torqueflites. I would think it would work on a 1965 Poly.