Above: No, your eyes aren't...
Above: No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you--the starter at the right is PA's PMGR replacement starter for small-block Fords. The starter on the left is what we yanked from our '68 Mustang. Every PA Performance starter and alternator has a lifetime warranty and is assembled using 100 percent all-new parts that are tested prior to shipping.
Do you dread stopping at the gas station on the way home from a cruise, car show, or outing at the dragstrip for fear of waiting for 20 minutes for your starter to cool down enough to work again? Or perhaps you've gotten into the habit of rubbing your lucky rabbit's-foot keychain before twisting the key on your big-block Ford and saying a little helpful phrase under your breath (something akin to "Come on and start, you piece of junk!"). Whatever current multi-step process you use to start your Ford, you can kiss all that worrying and cursing goodbye by upgrading to the modern cranking powerhouse that is a permanent magnet gear reduction (PMGR) starter assembly from PA Performance.
When you hear the term "gear reduction starter," you might first think of those noisy Chrysler starters from decades ago that seemed to run on for eternity after the key was released, or perhaps some sort of import starter with an adapter bracket to make it work with your transmission.
Well, you'd be dead wrong on both thoughts. The modern PMGR starter is a thing of beauty, able to crank the highest of compression engines, the largest of cubes, and does so in a smaller package that requires less amperage and saves weight off the front of your ride. It even offers more clearance and improved airflow around the engine and headers. The modern PMGR starter bolts directly in place of your huge, old Ford factory unit, making for a quick and easy upgrade. Simply follow the well-written instructions provided by PA Performance for the minor wiring changes at the starter solenoid and you'll be cranking in no time.
We ordered a PMGR starter for this '68 Mustang that was having a hot-start problem due to the proximity of the long-tube headers the owner was using. While under the hood, we also upgraded the battery cables and terminals to PA Performance's line of 1,600-strand electrolytic copper custom-fit cables and solid brass terminals for optimum current flow to our charging system and starter. It dressed up an often overlooked area of the engine compartment as well. Check it out.
Like any electrical project,...
Like any electrical project, the first thing you should do is disconnect the battery. A simple 1⁄2-inch box-end wrench will tackle the job for most cars unless you have the newer-style spring steel terminals, which usually are 5⁄16-inch or 8 mm.
Since we'll be replacing this...
Since we'll be replacing this Mustang's aging battery cables, we went ahead and tackled the other end of the ground wire, which is mounted to a boss on the block at the passenger-side front. If you're not sure where yours is grounded (some Fox Mustangs ground on the timing cover, for instance), simply follow your cable down to its termination point.
At the starter solenoid, there...
At the starter solenoid, there will be some minor wire swapping going on per the PA Performance instruction sheet. For now, we've removed both 9⁄16-inch retaining nuts and disconnected the positive battery cable (and removed it from the battery as well) and the solenoid-to-starter cable. Again, follow the solenoid-to-starter cable down to the starter and remove the cable end from the starter.
Here are the Mustang's three...
Here are the Mustang's three cables removed: battery positive, battery negative, and solenoid-to-starter. Your cable's lengths may differ depending upon battery location, engine size, and model year, but should look similar.
Getting back under the car,...
Getting back under the car, it's time to remove the old starter from our '68 Mustang. The Ford starter is retained by two mounting bolts at roughly 6 and 12 o'clock on the starter body. They are -inch heads and, depending upon exhaust, engine mounts, trans cooler lines, and so on, you may have to use a combination of socket extensions and swivels to reach them. I prefer to remove the top bolt first, as it's usually the tougher one.
Once the two retaining bolts...
Once the two retaining bolts have been removed, the real heft of the old-school Ford starter can be felt, especially when flat-backing the work like we are here. Again, depending upon header design, engine size, and so on, you may have to raise the engine off of its mounts or loosen the header to fully extricate the starter from the engine compartment. We lucked out in that our small-block and long-tube header combo left just enough room to sneak "Bertha" out from its mounting place.
I'm sure the wife will know...
I'm sure the wife will know where the grease marks on her scale came from once she sees this issue, but we had to know just what this beast of a starter weighed (it felt like 50 pounds by the time we got it wrestled out of the engine bay from the bottom). How does 16 pounds grab you?
Then we placed the new PA...
Then we placed the new PA Performance PMGR unit on the same scale. This little powerhouse tips the scales at a scant 8 pounds. That's half the weight delivery, and practically double the cranking power. We're glad to get rid of that chunk of weight right over the front suspension.
A top view of the starters...
A top view of the starters side by side is one of those "a picture is worth a thousand words" situations. PA Performance offers the PMGR starter for just about anything with the Ford script or a blue oval on it, including big- and small-block V-8s, inline-fours or V-6s, with manual or auto trans. We used PN 1806, $135.