mopowers
Well-Known Member
For those of you who run midplates, do you trim them around the starter mount to achieve full starter gear engagement Does .090" even matter? Also, do you shim the converter with washers, or a crank shim?? Thanks!
Mid Plate Questions
- Thread starter mopowers
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4mopwr
Well-Known Member
No need to shim the converter, there is enough engagement with only the mid plate.
famous bob
mopar misfit
Ona hot 406 sbc I built , a GM trans man ad vised me to just shim it w/ washers close to the same thickness .
Never ran one on a mopar-------motor plate , fore/aft limiters , and a stock trans mount.
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Is there enough starter gear engagement as well, or must the midplate be trimmed to allow the starter to mate up to the trans? After measuring, turns out my midplate is .120", not .090" like I thought.
I’ve never ran 1 but .120 is almost 1/8 inch. I am Leary of that much. Kim
My mid plate is trimmed for clearance, but with my compression I don't want to take a chance of it kicking back & shearing the nose of the starter.
Matts440
Well-Known Member
I know when I ordered my TC they asked about a mid plate and the thickness and made the mounts to compensate with their bolts too.
I had my converter before I installed the mid plate & the combination of the engine & converter works so well that I don't want to change it.
mopowers
Well-Known Member
When I put the 512 in, I'll have a convertor built for it. In the meantime, I plan on running a stock 400 with stock converter just to get the car back on the road. I think I can just get away with using washers at the converter mounts.
As far as the starter, I'll probably just clearance the plate. I'd hate to shear one of the gears from lack of engagement.
Thanks guys.
How did everything work out mopowers? Got her bolted up and running?
I hate to hijack but I have some similar questions so I hope you don’t mind if I ask them here.
My car came with a mid plate that seems to be drilled for either 727 or a powerglide. I’d like to use it if possible because 1. I already have it so it’s free ha. And 2. I know that it fits the car.
It is pretty thick (1/4 inch) so of course I am concerned about everything lining up. I could use a spacer behind the flex plate I suppose to move the TC back. Also the starter is another issue, I want to make sure it engages as it should. Is your midplate completely cut out for the starter or does it go through it? When used with the midplate I’m worried that it will be a problem that the nose cone of the starter no longer goes into the pilot hole in the transmission.
I hate to hijack but I have some similar questions so I hope you don’t mind if I ask them here.
My car came with a mid plate that seems to be drilled for either 727 or a powerglide. I’d like to use it if possible because 1. I already have it so it’s free ha. And 2. I know that it fits the car.
It is pretty thick (1/4 inch) so of course I am concerned about everything lining up. I could use a spacer behind the flex plate I suppose to move the TC back. Also the starter is another issue, I want to make sure it engages as it should. Is your midplate completely cut out for the starter or does it go through it? When used with the midplate I’m worried that it will be a problem that the nose cone of the starter no longer goes into the pilot hole in the transmission.
MiradaMegaCab
Well-Known Member
Hmm, perhaps mill the starters mounting face (mating surface) the same thickness as your midplate? This will position the nose properly.
I don’t know if that will leave enough meat on the starter for retention.
I don’t know if that will leave enough meat on the starter for retention.
mopowers
Well-Known Member
I haven't had a chance to finish mine up. I intend to just shim the convertor slightly with washers, then trim the midplate to allow the starter to bolt directly to the transmission. When I get a new convertor, I'll just have it made with thicker pads. I think that'll work fine with my .120" midplate.
Since yours is 1/4", I'd definitely make sure (a) the convertor fully engages the pump with a spacer like you said, and (b) the starter gear fully engages the ring gear on the convertor. Maybe do what my plan is and just trim away the starter mounting area of the midplate, so it mounts directly to the transmission?
Thanks for the reply. Sounds like you’re on the right track with yours!
I do like your idea about trimming for starter clearance as I do like the idea of it booting directly to the transmission and fully seating in the pilot for the nose cone.
Just so I’m clear, you’re meaning to trim even the starter bolt holes in the midplate for complete clearance? Like the yellow areas I added to my picture here?
As far as the spacing, are we talking like 1/4 washers behind the flex plate which would push the converter toward the trans? Sorry. It’s just hard to visualize all this spacing and clearance and what not. To that end, not sure if it matters but I measured and the tabs on my TC are 7/16 of an inch. And also I will use the solid flex plate which is .15 thick instead of .10 like the stock one.
Thanks!
mopowers
Well-Known Member
Yep, you can even see the outline of the starter mounting face on the midplate. I would (and plan on with mine) just bolts up the starter to the plate with bolts and nuts, and trace around the mounting flange. Bingo - there's your cut line.
On the spacer, with your 1/4" plate, I'd probably choose to run an actual flexplate spacer on the crank than use 1/4" washers between the flexplate and converter, but that might be just me. I've seen some thick midplates come with those spacers.
I like your idea to get the cut line around the starter mounting. I checked and you were right- mine is pretty much the faded part of the midplate so should be easy to see!
I guess I could get some of these and see how close they get me to where I need to be and then look into some washers. Thanks again!
sst3193
Well-Known Member
The Friends dragster has a spacer for the crank because, the mid plate is 1/4. That spacer has a shoulder to duplicate the flange so, the starter ring is registered. His starter is a Tilton, without the nose cone and it is bolted to the mid plate. This same set has been on the car since 1993. Only piece we have changed was the front plate, due to the water, or additives, eating that plate.
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