Starter Removal - 61 Electra

[JohnO]

The two bolts holding the starter to the block are not accessable with a socket, an open-end wrench, or a crows feet. The housing will not allow a straight shot and an open-end wrench hits the housing because it is to big - same with the crows feet. The only option looks like a 12 pt closed wrench. However, I am so reluctant to use a 12 pt. for the fear of rounding the nuts. If there are any other options please let me know.   Thanks.

[Beemon]

You gotta find yourself the closed end wrench that bent at a 45 degree and 90 degree angle. I struggled for 2 hours at a junkyard trying to remove a starter with straight wrenches in an open engine bay (no heads, no exhaust, etc). When I got home, it was a 30 minute affair with the 90 degree close ended wrench.

[EmTee]

13 hours ago, Beemon said:

You gotta find yourself the closed end wrench that bent at a 45 degree and 90 degree angle.

 

If you or a friend have access to an oxy-acetylene torch, I have been known to buy an inexpensive wrench and 'customize' it to suit my needs... 

[Bill Stoneberg]

Your talking about the 2 5/8 " starter bolts ?  I have always had no issue with open end wrenches from below.

 

Btw in my 1960 Electra, it looks like you have to loosen the header to get the starter off.

[JohnO]

Thanks for the responses. Since the car is sitting outside there is a sense of urgency for me to get this done. Sears does not stock the obstruction wrench so there is a lead time for delivery and the same applies for those selling on ebay. I tried bending a 5/8 Craftsman straight combination wrench in a manner similar to the obstruction wrench, but this is not working as the MAPP torch is probably not hot enough even though it will turn the section of the wrench cherry red. Although, it did bend a little. The next step is to grind some of the closed end wrench away on the side that is closed to the starter housing. Hopefully, it will allow like a 1/16 inch of a turn to start.

 

On this 61 there is no way an open end wrench will get in there. At least I got one bolt loosened. According to Tom Telesco, there were three different block castings that were used in 1961. So even within 1961, access can be slightly different and starters are not interchangeable.

 

[KongaMan]

You might look for a distributor wrench to see if that fits the bill.  As mentioned earlier you can also make one from a cheap wrench.

 

Complete tangent: I was in Sears once when a customer came in to exchange a DIY distributor wrench that he had obviously made by heating and bending a standard wrench.  Perhaps not surprisingly, it broke.  So he brought it back to exchange under the Craftsman lifetime warranty.  They gave him new wrench, no questions asked.

[Beemon]

Isn't it a shame Sears is going away?

[NTX5467]

The Craftsman "brand" has been or will be sold off by the Sears organization.  I think I saw Craftsman tools advertised by a local True Value Hardware store?  IF the purchaser of the brand keeps things as they have been (quality, metallurgy, etc.), the "Lifetime Warranty" can be a very small cost, by observation.

 

Might a thin wall socket possibly work?  The same size closed-end wrench can have different thickness of metal surrounding the 6 or 12-pt end between different brands.  What about a tubing wrench "end"?  The distributor wrench variation might work if the correct size "end" can be found?

 

Three different block castings and related starters?  Good heavens!

 

Please advise of your progress.

 

NTX5467

[Guest]

There is a reason this is called a starter wrench.

[JohnO]

It's finally off. A straight 16 mm Snap On wrench did the trick. It is the same size as a 5/8 and was about the right length. I'm fortunate to know a retired GM Service Manager who has a good assortment of tools.  It is too bad that you cannot just go out and buy a quality half moon (known as an obstruction wrench) when you need it. Instead, you have to wait for a delivery while your car sits outside.

 

The exhaust had to be cut. The "candle wax" procedure worked just fine as the nuts to the manifold would not budge even after giving it the heat only. I removed the pipe to the manifold and cut the exhaust under the drivers door. The fix is to find a sleeve to clamp on.

 

For anybody taking their nailhead Buicks on long trips without knowing the complete history, it may not be a bad idea to familiarize yourself on what to do should the starter fail. I think your fine from 1967 forward as standardization prevailed.

[avgwarhawk]

If I'm not mistaken the engine can be push started with the Dynaflow.  Push to 15 mph to get the rear trans pump working.      Thanks for the tip on the wrench.   Sometimes I use a metric tool on my Buicks as the standard will not work.