MTFCA Forum

Hello, I have a 1927 Model T coupe. I have been through all the part companies web sites and a complete Bendix starter drive seems to be no longer available. If this the fact, I need to change the gear myself and cannot figure out how to remove it from the shaft. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Joe

You'll probly have to buy it piece by piece. Some assembly required!
Or go on the parts forum and see if someone either has a good complete used one or NOS

Check out this thread...

https://www.mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic. ... ar#p286689

Get a service manual, it will tell you anything you want to know.

Rebuilt Bendix assemblies sometimes show up on eBay, especially soon after someone on the forum says they want one. Coincidence?

Joe, to remove the gear you first remove the round collar which runs in the babbit bearing in the starter snout. The collar is threaded onto the assembly, and the threads are staked so it cannot wind itself off. Look in the end and you will see the upset thread.
Find two bullet head nails of a diameter small enough to go into the two holes in the collar, and cut them off short under the heads. Put the nail pieces in the holes and put the assembly in a vice between two soft jaws. Then rotate the whole until the nail heads prevent it from turning, and tighten the vice.
Now the spiral is held, screw in an old Bendix bolt on the other end. I then use a large crescent wrench to screw the spiral out of the collar. Adjust the wrench to suit the end. The bolt head acts as a stop on the wrench end, and the nails as a stop on the collar end. It takes some force to overcome the upsets on the thread, but it will screw off.
Re-assembling the parts is just a reversal of the above. However, if the upsets are in the same place when tightened, I often have to grind a little off the back end of the collar so it threads on in a slightly different position for re staking the thread.

Hope this helps. If not, I have rebuilt original assemblies available.

Allan from down under.

eBay item number:155977731914

I'm also overtaking my two Bendix. I see that the gear is mounted in a different position on both. There are three options. Should the counterbalance be opposite the screws or does it not matter? What do I need to know?

Thanks for the help

Vonau wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 31, 2023 1:15 pm

I'm also overtaking my two Bendix. I see that the gear is mounted in a different position on both. There are three options. Should the counterbalance be opposite the screws or does it not matter? What do I need to know?

Thanks for the help

Interesting question! All but 1 of my spares have the weight away from the bolt holes when the gear is fully retracted. Of the 3 positioning options, 2 of them keep the weight away from the bolts. In my spares, either of the 2 "away" positions are what I find, (with the exception of the 1 that is aligned with the bolts). Some of my spares have been previously disassembled/reassembled, and some have not been touched.

Doesnt matter. The only important consideration is the counterweight position on the gear if moved/removed.
The spring loaded pin must ride on the top of one of the threads.