OK, last time I replaced my starter I put in a cheap compact one off eBay.  From what I can remember, I picked that one because I didn't need to find out how many teeth on the flexplate.

As you all know, shortcuts and cheap parts mean you'll have to do it again.  I've never been able to get the starter adjusted so it doesn't scream at starting.

I'm going to replace it with the recommended starter for a ZZ4.  In order to do that, I need to count the teeth on the flexplate.  I presume I can do that from the dust cover at the bottom the the housing.  Any better way to do it?

Now the old starter I had was numbered :107247.  I'm guessing again that the first : was actually 1.  Giving me a 1107247 with a date code of 4 j 17 which I decode to 1964/October 17th.  Why 1964?  Because this starter was used on 283's in full size chevys from 1964, not '74 or '84. 

I can get a proper rebuilt starter for a few of our suppliers, but I need determine the number of teeth on the flex plate to get the right one this time.

Any comments?

And Thanks,
Jim

If it is the flex plate that came with the ZZ4 it is a 153 tooth flex plate. 

I got the car with the ZZ4 already there, that's my problem (well, one of them that is Corvette related anyway)
I checked further on my old starter and found the missing one very light and next to the : here's a pic



|UPDATED|2/3/2016 3:32:40 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Is the bolt pattern on the starter straight across or staggered?