Starter and generator rebuilding has been done that way during the 60+ years I've been in the business, and long before that, I'm sure. I'm the middle guy of 5 generations or auto mechanics, from my grandfather to my grandson. That's why a "core" item is required by rebuilders when they sell a part, so they can have another one to rebuild and resell. The main housings, armature, generator pulley, and other major parts are retained and refurbished, and peripheral parts like brushes, bushings or bearings, and other small parts are replaced. A starter usually gets a new drive gear and possibly a solenoid, also. It's just the way things are done in the auto parts rebuilding business. Would you scrap the body of a Stradivarius violin and make another one from new parts?
Early Land Cruiser engine were virtual clones of the 235 Chevy, under some sort of licensing arrangement by GM (or maybe just Japanese thievery) so it's possible the starters were also duplicated by Toyota.
In the late 1960's, a cylinder head for an MGA 1500 CC 4 cylinder was a bolt-on swap for an engine produced by Nissan/Datsun, also.
Jerry
