C2 Starter

[Richard Hayes]

I'm trying to put back all the right pieces on a 65' 327/350HP. The bellhousing is a 3972444 and the the flywheel is a 3791021. When I bought the car it had an 11" flywheel. Now I'm trying to get the correct starter from NAPA- I've brought one home that was supposedly correct and the nose isn't even close to going in the bellhousing. Since I don't have the correct starter to compare w/, the guys at the parts place haven't a clue. Any ideas?

[Joe R.]

Re: C2 Starter

Richard,

Try John Pirkle. He's listed in the driveline. He has real Corvette starters.

Regards,

JR

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Starter

Richard------

First of all, you've got a mismatched flywheel and bellhousing. The '444' bellhousing is designed for use with a 14", 168 tooth flywheel. The GM casting #3791021 flywheel is a 12-3/4" flywheel and must be used with the appropriate bellhousing. A 12-3/4" flywheel and 10-1/2" clutch were used with ALL 1963-68 Corvettes with small block. For 66-67 the 14" flywheel and '444' and '621' bellhousings were used with 427 applications only. The bellhousing you need is either a GM #3840383 or a GM #3858403. The good news is that the '444' bellhousing is worth a lot more than a '383' or '403'. So, you can sell it and buy the bellhousing you need and have money left over.

The starter that you will require should have an aluminum nose (although some were cast iron, too). The important thing is that it will have "straight-across" starter bolt holes for one "long" and one "short" starter bolts. You can have NAPA cross reference it from a GM #12304044 or Delco #323-236.

[Richard Hayes]

Re: C2 Starter

Thanks so much Joe- I should NEVER assume ANYTHING is correct on these cars. A while back you had told me the 403 bellhousing which I now need was incorrectly replaced on my 71 big block LS-5. So as luck would have it- I now just have to pull it off my other car which is easy to get to since it's engineless at the moment. But the bad news is having to re-pull the engine which I have been carefully replacing parts back on it...or drop the transmission.

Thanks again for the quick response-

Richard

PS- look for a '444" on Ebay soon!!!

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Starter

Richard------

Only EIGHT 1971 Corvettes ever originally received the '403' bellhousing. Those were the 8 ZR-1 optioned cars built that year. ALL other 1971 Corvettes with manual transmission, including ZR-2, received the '621' bellhousing.

[George C.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

Joe,

What is the correct flywheel for the 65 365 HP application? I found a number in the archives that I wrote down as 366860, but that looks like it is short one number.

Thanks,

George

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

George-----

The original PART number for the application was GM #3791022 which was of CASTING #3791021. The current PART number (yes, it's still available for a GM list price of $306.68) for the flywheel is GM #366860 (yes, a 6 digit part number). This flywheel may or may not carry the original casting number of 3791021. In any event, it will SERVICE the application perfectly.

[George C.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

Joe,

Thanks very much, I will check out the local dealer and ask for a discount.

George

[Craig S.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

George, also compare at gmpartsdirect.com and sdpc2000.com.......Craig

[George C.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

Craig,

I checked with the local dealer today who has been good at finding me parts but he was unable to locate the flywheel. I called Volunteer and ordered a "GM" flywheel from them. I should have it tomorrow. Thanks for the note.

George

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

George-----

My information shows the GM #366860 flywheel to still be available from GM. It's possible that it's been very recently discontinued and/or GMSPO inventory has been recently exhausted. If it is still available, then your dealer should be able to order it from GMSPO. If it's discontinued or on national back-order, they will be able to tell him that immediately and he should be able to let you know that.

[George C.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

Joe,

Thanks for that update, I will call him again and get some more details, I don't know if he said it was discontinued or he couldn't locate one. The flywheel I ordered came in today, it isn't even close. It is a 14 inch, mine is the 12 inch. This job just keeps getting worse.

Can you tell me where I can find the minimum thickness of the flywheel? Because everything worked fine before I took it apart the only thing that makes sense is that the flywheel has been surfaced multiple times and that has created my problem.

Thank you,

George
#36908

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

George-----

I don't know of a published spec for flywheel thickness. You might check with a machine shop. Presumably, they have some sort of reference for this.

[George C.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

Joe,
Ok thank you.

George

[George C.]

Re: C2 Starter Flywheel Part Number

Joe,

I may have found one of the last 366860 flywheels in captivity. My local dealer did a dealer search, found one in Tennesee and one in MD. I have ordered it and expect it will be here tomorrow. Thank you for your part number expertise. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again,

George