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Starter Recommendation for 351C?

1K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  cougarshaman 
#1 ·
Hello...first of all, thanks to all who replied to my previous post regarding my overheating 351C in my 73 convertible. I learned a lot in just a couple of days! And I will say that I had great success using the restrictor plate from West Coast Classic Cougars along with a 351W thermostat, and the 351C seems to be running well within acceptable ranges, even idling in my driveway at 102F today in southern Louisiana. However, I think I have a separate issue that I'd like to tackle. The car is quite difficult to start once it has run for a while, which in looking at other posts, sounds like it wouldn't hurt to switch to a high-torque starter along with some type of heat shield, then maybe change the cable to the starter and possibly look at the battery to make sure it has enough CCA's. My questions are 1) Any recommendations on a specific high-torque starter and where to purchase it? 2) Any recommendations on a heat shield for the starter and where to purchase it? Thanks again for all the help!
 
#2 ·
I used a stock rebuild from Advance and a foil heat shield blanket from DEI (available from many places, just search DEI). Here, like this.

I am sure many people like the newer compact, high torque whiz-bangers, guess I truly am old-school. Always ran the stock type (and full-length headers) and never had a problem.

Regards,

Bob
 
#5 · (Edited)
I'm running 11:1 compression, full length headers, and 23 degrees of initial timing. I drove my Cougar daily in the San Joaquin Valley, where +100F is normal and the stock starter has never given me problems. In addition to being the cheapest thing you can get, most parts shops offer lifetime warranties on their re-manufactured starters.
 
#7 ·
However, I think I have a separate issue that I'd like to tackle. The car is quite difficult to start once it has run for a while, which in looking at other posts, sounds like it wouldn't hurt to switch to a high-torque starter along with some type of heat shield,
Fix what is broken.
Have the starter and the battery checked first.
 
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