Good point on the availability, Tim; either way, the 12v starter's guts are still fairly simple. I have not broken down a 6v, however, so I do have limited experience.
Have you tried
Action Auto Electric? Lefty? I found out they have pretty much a "$90 to rebuild any starter/generator" pricing policy. There's also another member a little north of you that has quite a handle on these starters (& Stovebolts in general); I may be sneaking my 12v generator up his way so I can have some supervision in putting new parts in it. Maybe he'll chime in with some advice.
I don't know the answer to your "why?" question.
Brad
