I have a ’70 ’Cuda, 512˝ wedge, that I
drag race about six times a year. It has a
blow-proof scattershield. Twice now, the
flywheel ring gear and the starter teeth,
have gotten chewed up, which is getting
expensive.
What the heck is wrong?
The sad truth is that most, if not all,
aftermarket blow-proof clutch housings
are improperly designed. They omit the
starter nose support, so the starter is
simply cantilevered out from the two
mounting points. Not only does this
allow the starter to flex, which can contribute
to chewed-up teeth, especially
with very high compression, the holes
in the starter are significantly larger than
the mounting hardware, since their original
purpose was only to impart clamping
loads, not resist radial or circumferential
movement.
I have mentioned to manufacturers that
all they’d need is to add is a slice of 1/8˝
cheap steel plate, with a one-inch hole,
properly jig-located and welded in, to end
this issue forever. Yeah, tomorrow, which
never seems to come.
