Title says it. While I think the change to the Dakota starter is a great idea for lots of reasons, I don't want to change the essesntial sounds that my 66 Barracuda always had. Will this change it a lot?
Mini starter all benefits aside, the original chrysler starter sound, is just like nothing else to me. One of the many little quirks that I love about Ma. I like the character they provide to a vehicle. Just my opinion of course.
The mini starter is nice, but it just loses something when the whine is gone...
"Back in the day", we'd scour the boneyards for 6v starters off of old DeSotos and Chryslers- there was a proper way to mod our 12v starters by using the 6v field windings (yeah, it's been a loooong time...), instant hi-torque starter. Chrysler whine x2! Sounded like you were cranking over a jet turbine... Ah, the old days.
My cars start so fast with them I never hear it unless car has sat for a while. And that only happens on my Barracuda with the Edelbrock carb for some reason . But that’s another topic.
I have the best of both worlds.
My '69 Dart which has Doug's headers on a 340, has a high torque mini starter.
It works fantastic and clears the headers by quite a bit.
Definitely the way to go in this case.
My '69 Valiant which is a 318 with stock manifolds has a high torque regular Chrysler starter.
It spins that engine over fast and has the old school gear reduction sound that Mopars are noted for.
There's lots of clearance.
I love them both, but the application dictates which one I will choose for the build...
Yeah, seven pounds is seven pounds; but I don't drive an ounce-pinching race car, either. I put on seven pounds after Taco Tuesday and a six pack of beer. That ain't gonna change. Seven pounds is less than a gallon of gas, so I can just drive fifteen miles and lose that much.
The big thing I do like about the mini starter is there seems to be a lot fewer instances of heat soak and hot start issues, probably a side benefit of the smaller size and more clearance.
Well 7 lbs isn't much when I replaced the cast crank /6 in my truck with a forged crank version.
There's more than "+7" lbs difference there... And adding factory AC to a truck that was never previously equipped. 7lb don't mean much ...
I thought about changing to a mini starter on my 65 Formula S Barracuda. Since I love the sound of the original type and have no issues with heat soak or clearance I kept it. Just something about that whine that ses Mopar! 65
The old Chrysler starter has a signature sound that mopar fans can hear across the parking lot. I’m a fan of the sound but, I went with the modern one on my car. Small, affordable, and opens up room for activities
Not to mention that the newer style starters almost never go out. Try changing one in the pits, or on your tow vehicle and having to scour the swap meet to find a clean used one and hope it works. I’m as Chrysler crazy as anybody else, but I can do without the sound of it means reliability!