1976 fiat 124 starter

[FiatSpider1]

What benefit do I get by using a gear reduction starter? What is the cost comparison?

[So Cal Mark]

half the weight of the original starter, smaller so it's much easier to install, spins the engine faster during cranking. Brand new units compared to rebuilt original starters. Rebuilt original starters are less expensive, but generally rebuilt means repaired in today's world.

[FiatSpider1]

Thanks for the quick response. Will be pulling the starter soon, with the warmer wx coming. Looks to me like I will be working from the top and underneath the Spider. Norman

[lglade]

Removing the starter is a bit of a PITA. Get the car up on jack stands or ramps and plan on having a 3/8" ratchet with 24" of extension and a swivel to get at one particularly difficult bolt adjacent to the bell housing. There are some nice write-up on it here in the forums.

[wubie317]

Removing the starter is a bit of a PITA. Get the car up on jack stands or ramps and plan on having a 3/8" ratchet with 24" of extension and a swivel to get at one particularly difficult bolt adjacent to the bell housing. There are some nice write-up on it here in the forums.

I second that emotion! I just put my starter back on yesterday after dropping the transmission. That top bolt is 'reachable' with your hand, as long as your hands aren't too big. Being able to finger tighten it will make your life much easier as will having a swivel (I also added a wobble extension to give me even more flexibility)

[hayesbd]

half the weight of the original starter, smaller so it's much easier to install, spins the engine faster during cranking. Brand new units compared to rebuilt original starters. Rebuilt original starters are less expensive, but generally rebuilt means repaired in today's world.

I seem to remember gasping for breath with a starter on my chest for the umpteenth time, issuing invective upon the worthless engineers who concocted such a piece of #$%@&!, so yes, the weight issue was not trivial, at least not for me!

Brian

[85redpini]

instead of trying a swivel in the tunnel get the longest extension you can find and ratchet from the back of the trans. that's how ive done it for the last 40 years.

[Dawgme85]

I just had a new gear drive starter installed in SHELOB and strongly recommend this swap! The old starter was pretty tired; slow cranking, sometimes wondered if it was going to start the engine, etc. Now, there's no question; it cranks fast and starts quickly. I'm very happy with the Denso (nee Honda/Toyota) starter conversion. Many thanks to Matthew Swineford at Zahntech for the expert installation.