Jegs mini starter question

[Chevy nutcase]

I'm in the last stages of a 350 taking the place of my 250 in my 66 c10 and it's come to the starter. I was considering the bellhousing mounted one from my 250 as it never gave me any trouble but at this point everything else is new and header clearance is always a concern. I'm getting the jegs mini starter and in the description it says that vehicles originally equipped with points need a diode to use this starter. Im no electrical wizard who's wondering why this is necessary or if it's necessary as Jegs says "MAY REQUIRE" . It's only 10 bucks so no biggie there. Love to hear insight on the matter

[dmjlambert]

Well if your truck is equipped requiring the R terminal you could use that diode kit. That may apply if you have a points distributor. You don't need to attach a wire at the R terminal if you have an HEI distributor that has been wired with a regular wire instead of the resistor wire that was going to the external coil back when your truck had a points distributor. Or you don't need to attach a wire at the R terminal if you have a points distributor with a coil that has been wired with a regular wire instead of the resistor wire because you have changed your coil to one that runs on the full 12V such as the one dmb mentioned in this other thread. https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...83#post9285783
So, do you use the R terminal, or do you need to use the R terminal on that new engine?
I think the way they said the diode is for "GM vehicles originally equipped with breaker point ignitions" might be better worded something like "GM vehicles currently equipped with breaker point ignitions and that use the R terminal on the starter to bypass the resistor wire leading to the coil".

[dmb]

Will that starter work with the cast iron bellhousing??

[Chevy nutcase]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

Well if your truck is equipped requiring the R terminal you could use that diode kit. That may apply if you have a points distributor. You don't need to attach a wire at the R terminal if you have an HEI distributor that has been wired with a regular wire instead of the resistor wire that was going to the external coil back when your truck had a points distributor. Or you don't need to attach a wire at the R terminal if you have a points distributor with a coil that has been wired with a regular wire instead of the resistor wire because you have changed your coil to one that runs on the full 12V such as the one dmb mentioned in this other thread. https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...83#post9285783
So, do you use the R terminal, or do you need to use the R terminal on that new engine?
I think the way they said the diode is for "GM vehicles originally equipped with breaker point ignitions" might be better worded something like "GM vehicles currently equipped with breaker point ignitions and that use the R terminal on the starter to bypass the resistor wire leading to the coil".

the truck did originally come with points ignition but removing it for a modern HEI was one of the first things I did. the dizzy swap was quick and easy and i didn't have any starting problems afterwards, so id imagine I fall in the category of the points never having a resistor and wouldn't need the additional diode for this new starter? correct?

As for it fitting the cast bell I Don't see why it wouldn't. it's a block mounted starter with only the starter gear occasionally visiting the inside of the bellhousing. what I know wont fit is the very common starters from the 70s and 80s. the nose cone on them absolutely wont fit in there.

[dmjlambert]

Originally Posted by Chevy nutcase

the truck did originally come with points ignition but removing it for a modern HEI was one of the first things I did. the dizzy swap was quick and easy and i didn't have any starting problems afterwards, so id imagine I fall in the category of the points never having a resistor and wouldn't need the additional diode for this new starter? correct?

The truck had a resistor wire going to the coil when it left the Chevy factory, so it depends on whether when you installed the HEI distributor did you wire it fresh from a key-on 12V source, or did you just move the wire you had from the coil to the HEI distributor. If you have proper HEI power wired up, then you don't need the R terminal nor the diode.

[Chevy nutcase]

Originally Posted by dmjlambert

The truck had a resistor wire going to the coil when it left the Chevy factory, so it depends on whether when you installed the HEI distributor did you wire it fresh from a key-on 12V source, or did you just move the wire you had from the coil to the HEI distributor. If you have proper HEI power wired up, then you don't need the R terminal nor the diode.

I just moved the coil wire on the points system to the hei and it worked fine. Thank you for clearing this up ��. Out of curiosity where was the original resistor/diode located? Outside under the hood or in the cab?

[dmjlambert]

I'm sorry I may have been mistaken because I do not find resistor wire or ballast resistor mentioned on most of the 60-66 wiring diagrams I find. So please take what I say with a grain of salt. This diagram does appear to have a resistor wire, it is marked 20 W/OR/PPL, it would be a cloth covered wire and most likely faded to white after all these years:
https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...75#post2958975

If you think you have a white cloth covered wire going to your HEI that is most likely the resistor wire and should be replaced with a 14 or 12 gauge wire and you would not need the yellow wire going to the starter R terminal. Follow the wire and see what color it is and where it goes. There are some setups where it is common to go through a ballast resistor and may be a pink wire. For HEI you don't need a ballast resistor or resistor wire. You may get better answers from folks that know more than me by posting in the electrical section of the forum.

[cwcarpenter98]

Since you're running an HEI in a 60-66 truck, you should definitely replace that resistor wire. It's only on the engine side.

What I did was remove the resistor wire from the under hood harness, remove the terminal end, attach terminal to new power wire that doesn't have any resistors, then reinstalled to the engine harness and ran the full 12 volts to the HEI.

Since you have the HEI already in place, no need to buy that resistor thing for that mini starter because you won't need the stock wire to the R terminal. I pulled that wire when I pulled the points out, but I did keep it intact if I ever had a need to swap back to the points dizzy

[MikeN]

The ACDelco PMGR starters are better and cheaper than the mini starters that have that big old chunk of aluminum attached to them. Don't know if they nor the Jegs mini starter will work with the factory cast iron bellhousing though.

[Southcity]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

Since you're running an HEI in a 60-66 truck, you should definitely replace that resistor wire. It's only on the engine side.

What I did was remove the resistor wire from the under hood harness, remove the terminal end, attach terminal to new power wire that doesn't have any resistors, then reinstalled to the engine harness and ran the full 12 volts to the HEI.

Since you have the HEI already in place, no need to buy that resistor thing for that mini starter because you won't need the stock wire to the R terminal. I pulled that wire when I pulled the points out, but I did keep it intact if I ever had a need to swap back to the points dizzy

Sound advice from cwcarpenter! I did same on my 66 K10. Ensuring that your HEI is getting the full 12V's and utilizing new wire with proper gauge (12g recommended) is key. I ran brand new wire with integrated blade fuse from unfused IGN source to original harness, then new wire from there (in engine bay) to HEI.

[Chevy nutcase]

Originally Posted by Southcity

Sound advice from cwcarpenter! I did same on my 66 K10. Ensuring that your HEI is getting the full 12V's and utilizing new wire with proper gauge (12g recommended) is key. I ran brand new wire with integrated blade fuse from unfused IGN source to original harness, then new wire from there (in engine bay) to HEI.

Thanks. I shall definitely be adding a new ignition wire to the to do list as I button this project up. And to anyone wondering if this style starter will work with an old cast iron bellhousing that origionally had the bell mounted starter, the answer is yes. It was an absolute cinch bolting it in. It's so tiny and light I may take it off a few times because it's a breeze. If it needs shims I guess I'll find out when start day comes.