Dakota mini starter

[scott_s]

I'm sure I'm overlooking it, but the search function isn't giving me the answer.

Tell me about using the Dodge Dakota "mini starter". By mini, so they mean the stock starter? Is it a direct bolt in? Any wiring changes needed? What year(s) starter works, etc.

 

[Badvert65]

On my 65 slant six/auto Belvedere, I used a starter from a 92 Dakota. It bolted right up, no changes needed. Works great.

 

[George Jets]

One like this, want to get the ones with the bolt on wiring connection extensions for different wiring connections.

Sometimes you need to unbolt that wiring extension to get it to fit.

 

[70duste]

yep they work and fit , i used 92 Dakota starter on my 68 dart 383 and 70 duster 340 and 78 warlock 383

 

[Kendog 170]

I've used them from full size V8 pickups as well.

 

[volaredon]

I put one from a 91dakota on my 85 d150 w/a slant in it just because it's what I had laying around. The old school one I took out needed a new Bendix drive. as it would kick out "just" too soon before the engine fires. I definitely miss the sound of the original style starter.
My son has had a few old school ones redone by the local starter and alternator guy, who says we're starting to become harder to get for them even a couple of years ago. I may scout eBay and see what odds and ends I can find there for them. Just to have.

 

[BillGrissom]

A Magnum starter is a great idea for a small-block or big-block since the OE starter is a heavy beast and hard to work up from underneath thru the steering linkage. I would hate to have to tackle that on the side of the road. A slant starter is a trivial swap from above with plenty of room to swing wrenches, so use a Magnum there only to save weight, or perhaps because less finicky about what wrenches are needed. With the half-weight, you could carry a spare starter in the trunk. Another advantage of the Magnum is that you can carry a little bag of replacement solenoid contacts ($10), which is the main part to fail and could be swapped on the road. In my 383, the Magnum starter terminals come scary close to the block, so insulate them so a dropped socket doesn't make a welding torch. I recall having to remove the terminal extenders. Don't recall which model Magnum starter I used since I have/had several on the shelf.

 

[Badvert65]

Most of the mini starter installs on the slant do not require any of the extensions. On most V8 installs, it is easier to connect the wires if you use the extensions that relocate the terminals towards the end of the starter.

 

[valiantpatrol]

I use these on my cars almost exclusively. Agree with George Jets about them having both bolt on terminals. At some point the smaller terminal becomes a spade connector instead of the threaded stud. Exactly what year I'm not sure. If I had to venture a guess it would be '92 or '93 but don't quote me on that. The later spade terminal style doesn't make them unuseable but you have to adapt/modify it to your wiring.

 

[volaredon]

I think that different terminal thing was much newer, like late 90s. I think there is 3 different terminal configurations in these terminals throughout the years they made that style of starter.

 

[KosmicKuda]

Found this at a swap meet for $30 about 6 yrs ago. Don't know what it came out of other than Dodge truck. Used it for 2 yrs before the contacts burned out. Bought new contacts for $10 and still working. No wiring changes required at all. Large and small nuts are metric though.

 

[volaredon]

Yeah. I wish I knew why they had to bastardize everything by going metric. SAE served just fine FOR HOW long????

 

[mad dog]

One like this, want to get the ones with the bolt on wiring connection extensions for different wiring connections.

Sometimes you need to unbolt that wiring extension to get it to fit.

View attachment 1716006062

View attachment 1716006064

would you guys recommend this exact starter for my stockish 340, auto, manual steering Duster?

 

[BillGrissom]

Yeah. I wish I knew why they had to bastardize everything by going metric. SAE served just fine FOR HOW long????

Even the English no longer use English ('merican) units. Would be nice if more things were standardized. A $10B Mars probe was lost due to a misunderstanding between metric and English units.

 

[mad dog]

thanks George, i will order it right now

 

[67Dart273]

Even the English no longer use English ('merican) units. Would be nice if more things were standardized. A $10B Mars probe was lost due to a misunderstanding between metric and English units.

None of that makes metric "better." People like to claim "standardization." Well, even that is not really. Bolts, nuts, fasteners. The French have their favorite go to metric thread pitches, the Japanese have theirs, and so on.

I look with a sideways eye at just about ANY tube / hose fitting nowadays, because many times the blasted wrench size is not the common SAE standard size. In fact I've had a few were neither metric nor imperial wrenches actually fit

 

[BillGrissom]

None of that makes metric "better." People like to claim "standardization." Well, even that is not really. Bolts, nuts, fasteners. The French have their favorite go to metric thread pitches, the Japanese have theirs, and so on.

I look with a sideways eye at just about ANY tube / hose fitting nowadays, because many times the blasted wrench size is not the common SAE standard size. In fact I've had a few were neither metric nor imperial wrenches actually fit

True that there are many more variations than just SAE and metric, especially in pipe/tube fittings. Wheeler Dealers did an episode on a Lamborghini where they had to source a new tube. Took it to a specialist (many such small engineering shops in England) who had trouble identifying the fitting. He related that the Lambo factory didn't have internal standards, like exact parts lists. They would buy a lot of tubing parts for cars assembled that month, then buy something different the next month, so little documentation of what they had used. I've seen much confusion over tube fittings. The most common is to see people apply teflon tape to straight threads (not tapered), such as flare or compression fittings. Those seal at the metal faces or ferrules, not at the threads, which just apply a clamping force.

 

[67Dart273]

We got into a big mess way back at the big parts store. We made and sold LOTS of hydraulic hoses, and there was LOTS of slang. Loggers and mechanics loved the "swivel." But hoses commonly have "pipe" swivels, as well as JIC/AN, BUT some of them are SAE, not AN, and SOME are "others."

So one of the local highway districts called in, wanted a 3/4" double braid hose *** long with "female swivels." Well hell even if they were AN/ JIC, they could have been 5/8 (no. 10 to 1" (no 16) on the same size hose. So whoever took the call MADE the hose as the outfit "did not want to bring in the hose

It didn't fit. Another phone call, a DIFFERENT parts guy, and a 2nd hose gets made and IT does not fit.

The 3rd call and 3rd parts guy is a guy more like ME. He told them to bring it in. Turns out it was some machinery, had BRITISH STANDARD FLARE. Neither we nor the Spokane hydraulics "House of Hose" stocked BS flare, they had to ORDER a couple.

The other story was actually funny. When the multi process logging machines first got coming out, such as "feller bunchers" some locals had some imported from Poland. At some point of course they had hose failures. Turns out the hoses were metric. So one of the guys, worked in the back, would saw off the old original metric fittings, braze them to an JIC adapter, and then make an "American" hose to fit that. Everything was "fine." Eventually someone brought in a CYLINDER that needed work and here it turns out the adapters into the cylinder ports were from the metric / Polish hoses to AMERICAN O ring boss!!!!! If we had known that, we could have replaced those adapters and just screwed it all together!!!

 

[BillGrissom]

We got into a big mess way back at the big parts store. We made and sold LOTS of hydraulic hoses, and there was LOTS of slang. Loggers and mechanics loved the "swivel." But hoses commonly have "pipe" swivels, as well as JIC/AN, BUT some of them are SAE, not AN, and SOME are "others."

So one of the local highway districts called in, wanted a 3/4" double braid hose *** long with "female swivels." Well hell even if they were AN/ JIC, they could have been 5/8 (no. 10 to 1" (no 16) on the same size hose. So whoever took the call MADE the hose as the outfit "did not want to bring in the hose

It didn't fit. Another phone call, a DIFFERENT parts guy, and a 2nd hose gets made and IT does not fit.

The 3rd call and 3rd parts guy is a guy more like ME. He told them to bring it in. Turns out it was some machinery, had BRITISH STANDARD FLARE. Neither we nor the Spokane hydraulics "House of Hose" stocked BS flare, they had to ORDER a couple.

The other story was actually funny. When the multi process logging machines first got coming out, such as "feller bunchers" some locals had some imported from Poland. At some point of course they had hose failures. Turns out the hoses were metric. So one of the guys, worked in the back, would saw off the old original metric fittings, braze them to an JIC adapter, and then make an "American" hose to fit that. Everything was "fine." Eventually someone brought in a CYLINDER that needed work and here it turns out the adapters into the cylinder ports were from the metric / Polish hoses to AMERICAN O ring boss!!!!! If we had known that, we could have replaced those adapters and just screwed it all together!!!

Even closer to home, many people are confused about copper tubing for water vs HVAC, so you see many fusses in product reviews of "wrong size, didn't fit". A "3/8 tube" (or fitting) for HVAC is "1/4 tube" in water plumbing (most are termed 1 size smaller in plumbing). The reason is HVAC tubes are denoted by actual OD, while plumbing is by nominal ID though not actual since all have the same OD, regardless of wall thickness. Even the later isn't always true. Large pipe is usually denoted by ID, but I dealt with large SS valves termed 10" w/ 4500 psig rating (for temperature of condensed steam at that pressure), but the ID was 9" (something like that, decades ago in nuclear power work). Another quirk is that many fittings in plumbing and electrical are denoted by "trade size" (inches) but usually isn't the actual size.

Re automotive, I don't know if approved, but I've repurposed "5 mm" brake tubing from the salvage yard in my 1960's Mopars, making a 3/16" inv-flare on the far end. Fit tight in my flaring tool even though 3/16" = 4.763 mm and the inv-flare fit well against the car's fitting. I also found via youtubes that you needn't buy a new flaring tool for bubble-flare brake connections ca 2000+ in U.S. cars. You flip the vise over so the tube end is against the flat side (instead of tapered hole). But can't do that with an eccentric-cone flaring tool.