Addressing cooked Starters

by David Place

Having trouble with your starter overheating? If you look in the J.C. Whitney Catalogue, they list a heat blanket for the G.M. starters. It is an aluminum covered blanket that goes over the starter to protect it from manifold heat. GM had the same problem we have with the starter too close to the down pipe. I had the same problem we all suffer from trying to replace the starter in a IIA without taking out the exhaust. I had the muffler shop put a joint in the pipe so I could take just the down pipe out to remove the starter. If you look at the original Land Rover exhaust system, this is what they do with a four bolt flange just under the driver's floor area. You split the exhaust there and remove it from the manifold and then you can take out the starter. I would think that with the right hand drive vehicles there may have been a little more room without the steering and foot pedals to contend with. Dave VE4PN