-
Hi Guest!
If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Who has best price for gear reduction starter?
- Thread starter sammyb
- Start date
Share this page
Kurtis
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Sammy,
That's probably about the best price you'll find. I bought one from British Parts Northwest about a year ago for $180 (I believe). Theirs are priced around $190 now I believe.
Now, from the "for what it's worth" department...
There was recently a discussion regarding gear reduction starters on the Triumph e-mail list. There are apparently two producers modifying these starters for British car use. The starter sold by BPNW (and most likely those available on eBay) are not produced by the same group that produces the starters for Moss and Victoria British. I received an e-mail from the producer of the Moss/VB unit detailing the differences, and after reading it, I'm inclined to believe that it may be a better unit for some applications. However, my starter has performed flawlessly. The exact same unit available through Moss/VB is also available directly from the producer for $200 here:
https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com/starter0.html
There... I've exhausted my knowledge of gear reduction starters for Triumph applications. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I will repeat my earlier statement I made regarding this issue in another thread... I feel like the replacement of my original starter with a gear reduction model was one of the single best improvements I've made to the car.
I hope this info helps!
That's probably about the best price you'll find. I bought one from British Parts Northwest about a year ago for $180 (I believe). Theirs are priced around $190 now I believe.
Now, from the "for what it's worth" department...
There was recently a discussion regarding gear reduction starters on the Triumph e-mail list. There are apparently two producers modifying these starters for British car use. The starter sold by BPNW (and most likely those available on eBay) are not produced by the same group that produces the starters for Moss and Victoria British. I received an e-mail from the producer of the Moss/VB unit detailing the differences, and after reading it, I'm inclined to believe that it may be a better unit for some applications. However, my starter has performed flawlessly. The exact same unit available through Moss/VB is also available directly from the producer for $200 here:
https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com/starter0.html
There... I've exhausted my knowledge of gear reduction starters for Triumph applications. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I will repeat my earlier statement I made regarding this issue in another thread... I feel like the replacement of my original starter with a gear reduction model was one of the single best improvements I've made to the car.
I hope this info helps!
Kurtis,
What was the gist of the differences between the two starters?
I'm not sure if my engine is slightly uprated or built to factory specs. (I've done a couple 10.5 second 0-60 dashes, and it idles a little rough, so I'd be inlined to think it's just a wee bit hotted.) I drive my car a couple times per week May-Sept, and then sporadically during the colder times.
I don't want to be penny-wise and pound foolish, but I don't want to waste money either.
What was the gist of the differences between the two starters?
I'm not sure if my engine is slightly uprated or built to factory specs. (I've done a couple 10.5 second 0-60 dashes, and it idles a little rough, so I'd be inlined to think it's just a wee bit hotted.) I drive my car a couple times per week May-Sept, and then sporadically during the colder times.
I don't want to be penny-wise and pound foolish, but I don't want to waste money either.
Kurtis
Jedi Warrior
Offline
The biggest difference mentioned was the use of the correct sized gears. The TR3/4 application was not specifically mentioned, but there were issues mentioned regarding the TR8, TR6 and MGB applications. I'd suggest you contact:
Ted Schumacher
tedtsimx@bright.net
https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com
And get the spill from him. He's the one that produces the Moss/VB units.
Then, you might want to contact Gustafson Machine. I believe they're the other producer. Here's their website:
https://www.gustafsonmachine.com/pages/1/index.htm
Personally, I don't think there's a major difference between the two units for the TR3/4 application. I've put about 3000 miles on my TR4 since I installed the starter, and haven't had any problems with the starter itself. I did manage to fry my starter solenoid shortly after installing the starter. The contacts welded together, and the starter motor sat there and turned the engine for about 30 or 40 seconds until I managed to disconnect the battery. I had bypassed the onboard solenoid on the starter and was using the original starter solenoid. After that little incident, I replaced the TR4 starter solenoid and use it only to power the onboard solenoid on the starter. I was told (and it certainly makes sense) that the gear reduction draws a significant amount more current than the original starter - perhaps to much for the original starter solenoid to handle.
Ted Schumacher
tedtsimx@bright.net
https://www.tsimportedautomotive.com
And get the spill from him. He's the one that produces the Moss/VB units.
Then, you might want to contact Gustafson Machine. I believe they're the other producer. Here's their website:
https://www.gustafsonmachine.com/pages/1/index.htm
Personally, I don't think there's a major difference between the two units for the TR3/4 application. I've put about 3000 miles on my TR4 since I installed the starter, and haven't had any problems with the starter itself. I did manage to fry my starter solenoid shortly after installing the starter. The contacts welded together, and the starter motor sat there and turned the engine for about 30 or 40 seconds until I managed to disconnect the battery. I had bypassed the onboard solenoid on the starter and was using the original starter solenoid. After that little incident, I replaced the TR4 starter solenoid and use it only to power the onboard solenoid on the starter. I was told (and it certainly makes sense) that the gear reduction draws a significant amount more current than the original starter - perhaps to much for the original starter solenoid to handle.
71tr
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I ran a recent post regarding replacement starters, here is my conclusion.
Since my posting I've done some research and found an interesting option. As you all know new gear reduction starters aren't cheap, costing about $180 plus depending upon vendor. Well, turns out that most of these are Nippondenso units that have been modified to fit the TR with their prices jacked accordingly.
If my research is correct it would seem that the after-market starter for a 1989 Isuzu Trooper II ($65 at Autozone)is a close if not exact match for the higher priced models found on ebay and at the big-three. All that is needed is to modify the mounting plate/shim for depth engagement and to add a longer battery-to-starter power cable. I've confirmed that this starter is still available through Autozone, part #16878.
Check out this write-up for all the details:
https://www.teglerizer.com/triumphstuff/73gt6br_tropperstarter.htm
Since my posting I've done some research and found an interesting option. As you all know new gear reduction starters aren't cheap, costing about $180 plus depending upon vendor. Well, turns out that most of these are Nippondenso units that have been modified to fit the TR with their prices jacked accordingly.
If my research is correct it would seem that the after-market starter for a 1989 Isuzu Trooper II ($65 at Autozone)is a close if not exact match for the higher priced models found on ebay and at the big-three. All that is needed is to modify the mounting plate/shim for depth engagement and to add a longer battery-to-starter power cable. I've confirmed that this starter is still available through Autozone, part #16878.
Check out this write-up for all the details:
https://www.teglerizer.com/triumphstuff/73gt6br_tropperstarter.htm
Kurtis
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I saw this the other day when you posted it. I believe the starter motor is very similar if not identicle to the two different available units that I mentioned. However, in addition to the mounting plate, the drive gear is also a custom piece for most TR applications. I don't know about the GT6.
Offline
I don't know if it is of interest, but some of the starters only have a few alternate nose mounting bolt hole patterns. Others allow 30 degree indexing all the way around. This may be important if you have find a position where the starter body with it's solenoid will fit into the available space.
D
D
71tr
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I am no expert on the production and design of lucas starters, but given the basic logic that car designers use off the shelf or existing parts across model lines it is highly likely that the trooper starter application may work on many different english cars. The article linked above applies to a GT6, the same basic engine design as the TR6. The true variables being ring gear, pinion gear and engagement depth. At half the cost of typical gear reduction applications its a no brainer for my six rebuild. If it doesn't work then I'll return the starter to Autozone or else sell it on ebay.
Not only that, but according to my Victoria British catalogs the GT6 and the TR6 use the exact same ring gear (their part number 4-416), so if it works on the GT6 there shouldn't be a gear problem with the TR6. The autozone starter also has a limited lifetime warranty.