1976 Camaro LT 383 stroker 1991-1994 truck block

Needed a min-starter to clear the long tube headers.

The summit mini-starter barely engaged the flex plate - the pinion didn't go out far enough.

It was suggested I buy a starter that works on later model chevy trucks.

I got the Delco 6449N starter. No clearance issues at all, and the pinion engages the flex plate nicely - much further than the summit mini-starter.

Problem is, no matter how it is mounted - using no shims all the way to shimming it a quarter inch and everywhere in between, the pinion engages the flex plate fully, but does not retract all the way when testing it with a starter switch. With the starter off the car, it engages and fully disengages fine.

I have a 168 tooth flex plate and noticed the summit mini-starter has 10 teeth but the Delco 6449N has 11 teeth.

Could the Delco starter be made for a 153 tooth flex plate? Or is the Delco starter perhaps defective. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

All starters use the same teeth, regardless of number of teeth or which flexplate they are made for. That's why some mini starters are dual use for 168 or 153.
It sounds like an alignment issue, and it might be that your starter is canted slightly, which is causing it to not drop out. Remember the starter is powered into the flywheel, but only spring tension to return it when power is off. Need to make sure you've got the correct bolts, and not just any 3/8" bolt that's long enough, or they'll allow misalignment. Also be sure the clearances are proper when you checking engagement, and setting the shims. A 1/16" allen wrench should fit between the flexplate and starter gears when engaged, so you need to pull the solenoid and manually engage the starter teeth to check this clearance, and get a feel for how it pulls in and drops out. You should be able to easily pull the plunger in and when released it should drop freely out.