The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop change flywheel from 6v to 12v - pull engine or lower tranny?

Being a Police Officer I have been out of the site for a while since all the hurricanes have hit our great nation and I've visited many states. Now Im back and ready to get greasy again. Question! I need to change my flywheel from 6v to 12v, would it be easier to pull the engine or lower the tranny. The drive train bar(I think it's called this)is incased in a tube. Is it easy to remove? Special tools? Thanks in advance. Jorge :rolleyes:

Why do you need to change the flywheel? IF you are converting to 12V a 6V starter will still work....

It's not a VW

A six volt starter will work just fine on 12V. Why change anything?

Everyone keeps telling me that but it won't 3 starters to boot. It grinds for the first couple of starts then bam! nothing. I rebuilt the 1955 235 and can't start it. The starter makes a horrible noise then dies. Im about ready to sell the truck I drive it 2 weeks in between starters. I have to push start it now!

As long as your engine starts quickly there is no problem, but if you have to crank for even a few extra seconds it will eventualy burn up the windings. That is when you convert to 12 volt.

I counted the teeth and was told it was a 6v flywheel. I have converted it to key start. When I get the starter I sometimes have to move the fan a couple turns for it to fall into gear then it starts. if not it grinds, spins, ???? Im frustrated.

It has never started quickly! Is it a VW thats funny!!lol

were can i find a 6v starter with a selenoid?

I have been running a 6V starter on 12V for 25 years or better. I think you must have another problem. I recently switched to solenoid start and put a 12V solenoid on my 6V starter and I believe that to be sound advice. A 6V solenoid I am told will hit flywheel too hard on 12V and damage ring gear teeth. Usually, with a 6V starter on 12V the engine turns over fast enough that it is running before starter has to turn much at all. Could you have bad battery/starter cables causing too much current?

I know for a fact I have a 6v flywheel, and 12v starter with seleniod. I installed new cables, battery and it grinds everytime I was told that I needed to install a 12v flywheel which has more teeth. or get a 6v starter.

What should I do! Change the flywheel to a 12v or search for a 6v starter with a seleniod, since I do not have foot start mechanism I need a seleniod to key start correct!

That is correct! Prolly easier to change the starter. A lot easier! Good luck

what I just buy a six volt starter with a seleniod? Any suggestions were to get one? thanks Jorge

Oh, don't know bout the 6 volt selenoid. Sorry. I have all the mechanicals if you want to make it a foot start though.

this isn't a situation of converting to 12V guys - what Jorge is saying is he put a later 12V solenoid actuated starter on a 6V 'flywheeled' engine, not the 6V foot stomp, so yes, a later ring gear is needed on the flywheel, or a complete later flywheel needs to be found - try a post in the parts wanted, Jorge, for a 56+ 235 flywheel

to pull the flywheel you'll have to drop the "bar" [torque tube style drive shaft] and pull the trans, which will be much easier than pulling the engine w/ the trans left behind

Bill
edit: you won't find a 6V solenoid actuated starter

Wow' thanks, sorry I wasn't explaining myself correctly. Thanks guys!! Going to the wanted ads right now!

Next question: will a 6V starter drive fit in his 12V starter? The number of teeth are determined at the starter drive.

This seems to be a mismatch with a 12v starter, six volt flywheel , both with different pitch on the teeth. My first question would be is the ring gear badly damaged? After that you would then know if there is any chance of correcting it without pulling the tranny.

It seems a 49-54 car starter would be 6 volt with a selenoid.

I have a 55.1 which would have been made with a 6 volt. It has a solenoid starter. It may just be a matter of switching the gear on the starter with a gear from a 6 volt starter and installing the 12 volt. I think my starter came from a 12 volt 6 cyl car. Change the little gear. It seems foolish to go to the trouble of changing the flywheel. - Scott

The older 6v engines had a 6v starter with lets say 32 teeth (maybe it was 28?) The later 12v engines and starters used a ring gear with more teeth, lets say 40. Both used the same bellhousing. A later 12v starter will bolt right up to an older engine but will not work right 'cause it won't mesh and will eventually chip the teeth on your ring gear. Same works the other way, 6 volt starter on 12 volt engine causes problems.

The right thing to do is to count the teeth on your ring gear, figure out which starter you must use, 12v or 6v, and then order one. NOW... there are 6v starters converted to 12v. Yup... they have the right number of teeth but run on 12v! Check with all the different parts houses-ie chevy duty, jim carters, chev's of the 40s, LMC, Patrick's, Langodon's, and others.

The 6v starter will work with 12v of juice but eventually will burn up. So, lots of people who convert their trucks to 12v use the 6v starter til it goes and then buy the right 12v replacement.

If you've used the wrong starter, chances are the teeth on the ring gear are ground up/chipped and the ring gear needs to be replaced. That means, pull the transmission, pull the pressure plate and clutch, pull the flywheel and put on a new ring gear before putting the flywheel, clutch assembly and transmission back in. Replacing the ring gear isn't too hard once you've got the flywheel infront of you, just knock off the old one, heat up the new one to make it expand a little and put it onto the flywheel.

If you've got to replace the ring gear, you might as well check the run out on the flywheel clutch surface and turn/re-face as necessary, check the pressure plate, clutch disc, pilot bushing/bearing, throw-out bearing, clutch arm pivot ball, gaskets and fluid in the transmission, and the universal joint of your torque tube (where it bolts to the back of the tranny).

If your ring gear is messed up, you might be in for a big project!

PS-

If you've got a good starter that doesn't match a messed up ring gear, no reason not to match the ring gear to the existing starter.

Post on the swap meet parts wanted for a 6 volt car starter/w selinoid. Someone surely has one laying around. That would be a lot easier than changing flywheels. 6 volt starters last longer on 12 volts than 6.