My remanufactured starter took a crap and I now have to take it out. 72 442 with a 455 4spd. Can I sneak it out or do I need to drop the exhaust. I put the starter in when I had no front clip of exhaust manifolds on the car. The car is now fully assembled.

Any and all stories; comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

Does it have headers? If not, it is no problem at all. Make sure you disconnect the battery. You may have to lossen the flywheel cover. If you have headers, anyway,my 70 4SP, I have to lossen the the headers to get it out.

 

In the service manual, it says to loosen the exhaust on that side. Depending on how your pipes are bent and fabbed will be a determining factor.
I was able to omit that step but clearance was tight. I got the old out and the new in though. The plastic cover over the flywheel must be removed first. Here is my progress in pictures:
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post322110
Hope it helps.
Of course having the suspension off was a big help......

 

Stan,
That's a NAPA starter.I swapped it after I drove it back to my house & loaded in the trailer.You don't have to unhook any exhaust.I was able to unbolt it from the block,and lower it down enough to unbolt the wires.The only other thing you will need to undo is the spring for the clutch fork.

 

And, I believe those 'hi-torque mini-starters' might be worth it, as their much less hassle, in and out!
Being that small, and away from exhaust, may last much longer, too!

 

Thanks guys for your suggestions/comments. It looks real tight with everything assembled. I'll let you know how it turns out. I'll do the swap tomorrow night after work.