Dino DIY - Replacing the starter with a Gear Reduction unit

Thank you again Rob! We enjoyed having you Annetta and Dino come up! I really enjoyed being a passenger and having you give me your impressions!

 

So does this mean that you've put a gear reduction starter in your Dino? Obviously, you could easily pop in the original if you were to show your pristine Dino, but that's not an option for many of us.

 

I've had one on the shelf for a while and it is going in this spring as part of a general maintenance the car has. I really should have put it in sooner because I have never been comfortable with how marginal the stock starter was.

As far as showing goes, those days are behind me now. I'll take the Dino and park it on the lawn but it is retired from showing for points. The fun is now to drive and experience the car. Regardless I doubt any judge would catch the starter as it is totally invisible when installed and you would have to be intentionally looking for a difference of sound to ever suspect it was installed.

 

I bet that is sweet music to a lot of people who wouldnt stand a chance against your car at a show!
Best
tony

 

Been there, done that (at Ferrari Nationals in Monterey). The biggest compliment I've had on my Dino is when Rob started walking to my car thinking it was his!

Rob, I'm in the same boat...retired from judging my Dino. So whose gear reduction starter will you put in?

 

In that situation i would be pleased to come 2nd!

 

I bought mine from Rob a few years ago as he had an extra one. The one he sold me is a Gustafson unit: http://gustafsonspecialty.com/

 

I found nothing on that site (except for V12 Ferraris), but very indirectly came across this...though it doesn't state if it's a Gustafson starter.

https://www.classiccarperformance.com/collections/ferraristarters-com/products/ferrari-dino-high-torque-starter

 

Ferrari starters dot com is made and supplied by Gustafson. They are the same.

 

Engineering problems with some (older?) gear reduction starters.


The gear reduction starter in my car started to fail intermittently after only 50 or 60 starts. Pretty dismal. I don’t know where or when it was purchased, but it had not been used before.

As I investigated the problem, I found an engineering problem with this design. This was not the cause of the failure, but it probably contributed to it.

The design problem I found was this: The pinion was sitting a bit too far away (7 - 8 mm) from the flywheel ring gear during rest. As a result, the pinion did not go far enough into the ring gear when fully extended. It contacted only the outer half (or less) of the teeth in the ring gear. Alternatively, you could say that the stroke was not long enough. That can not be altered, of course, so the positioning of the pinion is critical.

I purchased a new gear reduction starter from Wosp Engineering in the UK. I chose that one because it was reasonably priced and offered a three year guarantee. When I received it, I saw that Wosp Engineering had addressed this exact problem by installing a longer pinion. The edge of the pinion is now only 3 mm away from the ring gear. Fully extended, it contacts the entire teeth of the ring gear - just as it should be. The problem with the mounting bracket holes that TonyL reported above had also been solved (they must have listened to your complaints, Tony!). It was a perfect fit with no interference problems.

This new starter has performed flawlessly so far. It engages instantly with a click instead of a bang. Very happy with it.


In the photos, you can see the difference between the new and old pinion. You can also see marks in the old pinion where it had made contact with the ring gear. Only 5 or 6 mm! Not very reassuring.
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I am sure that the Gustafson unit and other quality suppliers also have addressed these problems. But please check the gear engagement whenever you install any gear reduction starter. Just to be sure.

I purchased the Wosp starter here (no affiliation, etc.):

https://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/785/category/219

 

Wow! That's way cheaper ($292) than the $425 I just paid for the Gustafson unit.