Mini Starter not fitting

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Van called Ethyl

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Having a problem finding a Mini Starter that fits my 1967 Dodge A108 Van with slant 6 225 automatic. Original starter has 10 teeth.
As suggested in other threads I picked up a mini starter for a 1991 -93 Dakota 5.2 and the bolt pattern works but the body of all the Denso and the Chinese copies I looked at all have this area for a housing screw that hits the lower 1/2 moon cutout in my block where the starter fits and keeps it from being able to be mounted flush. (See circle in image attached)
I thought about grinding that down on the starter but hadn't heard anyone doing this on all the Slant 6 -Mini Starter threads and didn't want to affect my warranty or risk it not fitting after doing that and then not being able to return it.

Mini Starter 28082019.jpg

Anyone else experience this?
Best solution/suggestions?
 
Mini denso starters are pretty damn durable. More so than the 25 LB biggie they replace. Grind the starter housing and install. You will likely never replace it in your lifetime. Only thing that typically wears out is the solenoid contactor under the triangular cover on the back. You can buy this part as a repair part from rock auto dirt cheap.

Picked up 2 of these mini starters at my local boneyard. Already removed and sitting on a shelf. Both had remained stickers on em, looked fairly recently overhauled. $20 each lol.
 
Do a clean job of cutting and grinding that area away. No one will ever know that you modified it if you have to return it.
 
Funny about forums, some people are helpful and others assume they know so much about what they are commenting about that they fail to understand the question. It's not always that "evident"
I had read all the forums and articles in advance of my posting for input here.
Most said they could bolt in a mini starter from a '88-'03 3.9 V6, 5.2 and 5.9 V8 RWD/4WD Dodge truck or van in 5 - 15 minutes like it was the easiest of OEM installs.
I couldn't find any other mention's of having this fit issue and needing to grind the block or the starter to allow for it to properly mount. I had looked at new and remanufactured china versions and they all had the same issue if I wanted to upgrade to the '88-'93 denso mini starter design.
A few "helpful suggestions" to my post indicated grinding could be the best solution. So I returned the store bought China product that forums said isn't worth your time or money. I then pulled a clean starter from a '90 5.9 Ram at the local salvage yard for $35 which would limit my loss if it didn't work and allow me to keep the original starter w/o core charge. I can now pass that on to any future owners wanting to rebuild and keep this classic van original. I then ground down the area on the starter that was not allowing any of these to fit my block on my 1967 Slant 6 225 automatic Dodge A108 van. Figured better/easier to alter the starter than the block. I also used some JB weld heat rated putty to fill areas on the starter that would allow water and dirt into the bell housing through gaps in the sheet metal spacer created by making the swap. It fit great and works like a dream. I'd say it was worth the hassle to not go back to the earlier Remy design. I thank those that were helpful or at the least trying.

Hoping these pics maybe helpful to someone else having this issue that is "Reading, Studying and Learning" to mount one of these starters.

Image 4.jpg


View attachment 1715389144

IMG_4700.jpg
 
On my 1964 225, the original starter had been replaced by the guy I bought the car from. I think it was sourced from a 73 or 74 /6 Dart. This full size starter was not working when I got the car and needed to be replaced.

All I know is...I bought a used Chrysler/Denso starter at a swap meet for $35 after checking it with a battery while there. Cleaned it up and used it after rebuilding the engine. No problem at all with fit or electrical hookup. IIRC, the elec conn nuts are metric but were included. It worked fine for 2 summers then it became intermittent so I bought new contacts off the internet and it's good again.
 
That must be a different starter then if you had to grind that much of it to make it fit. That's way more then what they ground on the mofarts link, or as much as I had to grind mine for that matter. I'm assuming that all is well and good now with the starter? BTW, your 2nd pic is a dead link.
 
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