Recommend a decent starter motor

A460 block
4.44 bore
4.14 stroke
12.7:1 compression
Manual transmission flywheel
12 volt system

I've had two DB electrical high-torque mini starters die within minutes of installation. No long cranking, no ignition kick backs, the plastic ring gear inside simply disintegrates.

I want something that will spin this engine faster than the 250rpm the first two starters could manage and wont $hit itself after the first 3 seconds.
What can you recommend?

You got something else going on there. I've been running my cheap stock replacement db starter for the last couple of year with no issues on a 14.5:1 compression motor. Motor grounded properly? Are you running a start retard? 12.7:1 will still push back on a starter and kill them early. I also leave the power to the ignition off and get the motor spinning a couple turns then flip the ignition switch on. Fires right off with no issues. And my starter gets covered in mud every weekend...

X2^^^ you have a wiring problem. Either not enough cable size or most likely not grounded good enough.

Both power and ground cables are new AWG 4/0. Cable ID is approx. 0.450", lugs are new and crimps are fresh.
Ground is good at 0.06 ohms from the battery negative terminal to the starter housing.
Power is excellent with a brand new 1100CCA truck battery.
I haven't compression tested it yet (bonus points if you figure out why!   ), but with cam timing at 240/246@0.050" on a 108/108 LSA/LCA it should be well into the 200s. This is a fresh motor.

I can rule out ignition related issues like kick-back. The ignition coils are not even powered and neither are the fuel injectors.
At this stage I'm only checking the crank sensor and cam sync sensor are working and syncing up correctly. This involves a 3-4 second crank and checking sync with a laptop. Check / adjust & repeat. After about 6 times, the planetary gears chew out the plastic ring gear.
Also - the starter IS engaging correctly with the flywheel and has suffered no damage.

I think something else may be going on with the plastic ring gear. The one thing that did catch my eye was your ohms resistance reading, .06 seems kind of high from my experience. I realize your not building corporate jets like I did, but our Engineering Standard was a max of .002 ohms for grounds which is verified and documented by our Inspectors.

Seems to me that if the starter motor is generating enough torque to smash the gears like that then you don't have an issue with current... I would be wondering why it is so damn hard to turn the motor over and or if there is a misalignment issue somehow...

dkp

This is the unit I'm talking about http://dbelectrical.com/p-1290-starter-ford-75l-75-f-truck-92-93-94-95-96-97-e-van-92-96-mt.aspx

Disregard my after-midnight measurement of 0.06 ohms.
I re-measured and got 0.02 0hms i.e 600amps at 12v.

I don't believe there is a mechanical issue with the engine. This motor has run before and cranks over immediately with no grinding, clunking, strange noises or apparent tight spot. Hand cranking it - sure, it's got compression all right, but otherwise it's a dream to turn over.

This will get it done. ... https://www.meziere.com/Products/Starters/Completes-and-Kits/Ford/True-Start-for-Ford-Eccentric-Mount.aspx

Thanks for the suggestion. Pity they don't seem to offer one to suit a 176 tooth flywheel.

I was thinking of something like the Summit Protorque https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/sum-820048-m/
3.1hp and 342 ft.-lbs. of torque vs the 1.9hp and 180 ft-lbs of the DB electrical one.
Are these any good / worth it?

I use the Summit starter, and its been just fine. You can mount / clock them in many different positions for clearance of headers, brackets, etc.
Don't know if they have plastic gears or not, never taken it apart!!

Back in 2008 i had a spendy lil aftermarket one do the exact same thing but after a few months usage. 
I went to the nearest NAPA and got a factory Ford mini starter and havent ever had an issue since.

A bunch of guys on here use the factory Ford mini starter with no issues. If you're using a start retard I'd look into using one of those.

I'm going to use one too since I can't clock my CSR starter enough to fit between the headers and oil pan.

I bought the sum-820048-m and installed it. This starter definitely spins the motor much more easily, that's for sure.

I clocked the cam and crank signals, checked the timing and then hit the ignition switch - it fired straight up. Problem solved.

Have you check voltage drop from the battery to the solenoid and from the solenoid to the starter?

What's the Ford starter part number I need for a powerglige with a jw bell

71f150 wrote:I bought the sum-820048-m and installed it. This starter definitely spins the motor much more easily, that's for sure.

I clocked the cam and crank signals, checked the timing and then hit the ignition switch - it fired straight up. Problem solved.

Keep an eye on the two long threaded rods that bolt the motor to the housing on those summit starters, one of the rods on mine broke and it turned the starter into a 12lb paperweight.

10SHOTS wrote:What's the Ford starter  part number I need for a powerglige with a jw bell

DB electrical SFD0030 just drill out the top threaded hole for the JW Bell and make both through holes.

away wrote:

10SHOTS wrote:What's the Ford starter  part number I need for a powerglige with a jw bell

DB electrical SFD0030 just drill out the top threaded hole for the JW Bell and make both through holes.

Just tell 'em you want a starter for a '96 F350 with the 7.5L gas engine....and get the lifetime warranty so you can buy one and be DONE.

My. DB mini worked fine until I went to crank mine with a low battery and the engine kicked back and broke the ear off. I put the summit mini starter on with14.5cr it doesn't turn over any faster than the DB mini starter did.