What a fun first post this is for me.


Idiot mechanic who wrenched on my baby before I got her did some damage. Used longer than required bolts on the shifter cover plate.. cracked the transmission case by driving them on down through. RTV'd it all together again. held for a few years, finally had the crack grow enough to dump fluid a few weeks ago. (also had apparently broken off one of the bell-housing bolts.. and left it that way. Some point I really outta fix that...)


Ok, great. New transmission.. its a reman, done by a racing shop. Fairest price I could find relatively local to me. Get the thing in, and the starter fails to engage the fly wheel.

After two days of muttering and looking, I finally spot the replacement bell housing has one of the starter bolt holes mostly stripped out. What fun! Idiot previously working on the car had replaced the original bolts (they aren't flanged like the factory ones) and only put two back in. I had put it back together that way too. Unforunately one of those went into the mostly stripped hole.


The bendex has about 2-3 mm ground off the top of the gearing. Is it still useable or is it trash? Is having the bottom bolt not hold sufficent to let the starter torque out of position, or do I need to look for another cause still? The fly wheel has some light surface scarring but its just in the one spot. Nothing nearly as deep as the grind on the bendex and it doesnt look like it should interfer with any of the teeth.


Advice would be greatly appreciated! Looks like I'm hunting up some more, longer, fresher bolts. Nuts too just to make sure nothing wanders off... but got to make up my mind on replacing the starter.