428CJ Starter, FE hot start real or?

[Bob Gaines]

When one says ALL, it precludes the possibility of anything else.  I got my '68 on April 4, 1971. 11am.

Nothing on the engine had been touched.

The first time it was at a Shelby Convention I was told it wasn't a real Shelby because it had chrome reflectors sitting in flush in the quarter panels and 68's didn't come that way.

So I am used to doubters.


I always wanted to see -01106 and -01108, the other two Hertz cars in the group to compare "irregularities".

You can understand my apprehension in associating with Concours Judges I'm sure. It isn't a pretty sight. So far Kopec has never had to call for police assistance but there is always a first time.


As far as Desantis being the best Governor in the Universe, that doesn't say much for the Universe now does it? The Aliens aren't going to be happy with impugning the Universe. 

I wouldn't make public statements like that but then again I wouldn't perform the Cranberries "Zombie" either. Too many gun happy people out there.

I said "all" in this case because the evidence overwhelmingly supports a replacement starter regardless of it being on your car 3 years after it was built. Painted blue is out of the ordinary given the case was typically painted black on big block ,small block, 65-70 Shelby and regular Mustang. The yellow ink stamp is something else that is out of the ordinary given the ink stamps were typically white . Last but not least 68 production most typically was metal stamped and not ink stamped. Any one of these out of the ordinary things in this 68 context could signify a anomaly but all 3 on the same 68 starter is very hard to believe. Extra ordinary claims require extra ordinary proof.  That proof is not why I am repeating my point. I know better then to try and convince you once your mind is made up . Of course you do what is best for you .  I am trying to make a point here because others reading your post may get the idea that blue with yellow ink stamp is the way to go for a historical correct look on a 1968 Shelby GT350. The general conscience for the Shelby judging community and I dare say it is reasonable to conclude the same for the 68 regular Mustang community is that it would not be a good thing for others to copy that blue starter yellow ink stamp information for their 68 if they are concerned about the typical historical assemblyline look.   

[shelbydoug]

I'm fine with a black starter. I agree that my original starter is the only blue starter that I have ever seen. I don't look at a lot of starters though. I guess now I can safely save the blue paint for another purpose.

Here's the thing. The color of the starter isn't going to make it easier to start a heat soaked engine. There are other things that you need to do to reduce this tendency.


As far as proof of the starter color, I'll repeat what Pete once said to me like a Pentecostal Minister from the pulpit, "YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING. YOU WEREN'T THERE ON THE DAY YOUR CAR WAS BUILT TO DOCUMENT IT!"   

I can't disagree with the absolute logic of that. I try to deal in probabilities. I don't want him to throw lightening bolts at me. The FACT that it was as described I will now keep to myself...maybe. 

It's just difficult for me to conceive of even now that Hertz NY, NY service department (Gotham Ford) to have been possibly so intentionally Satanically devious?

So all considered, I plead nolo contendere.


...and incidentally, it isn't Ford blue that I painted my house. It is called "Corporate Blue". It is just coincidental that they are similar! The roof shingles are called "Deep Space Universe Blue", sparkle a bit like stars in the Cosmos and just fit the color palate. So there. 

[66S285]

First of all that is not an original cobra jet starter. Cobra jet starter should have a C8 AF. Second of all that's just for a point of authenticity having the right starter. The problem with the starters is the people that rebuild them don't really know what they're doing. The guy I use can make a high powered starter out of any case it's all about the windings and setting it up and building it correctly. We've probably got 40 or 50 big block rebuilds and I've never had an issue

2375 starter original rebuilt a few years ago

[shelbydoug]

I agree with Tlea, that if you rewind the coil field in a rebuild, in many cases you can improve the torque output of the original starter.

I've been involved with this for 50 years or so and I can't think of ANY rebuilders that would even offer that. If they do, then I see that as a new option.

At most, they would turn the armature and put new brushes in them but mostly just a new Bendix and clean it up.


What was suggested to me that proved to be true was that on a heat soaked engine, the starter requires maximum voltage and it tends to reduce the voltage to the coil and causes the ignition not to fire.

The way to fix that is to use larger gauge cables from the battery and to the starter.



The first time my son saw the solenoid smoking trying to restart the car, he went running for the fire extinguisher and tried to disconnect the battery thinking that there was a big dead short.

He's smarter now but still he starts trembling if the engine doesn't kick right up. 

I told him you just need to keep flamable liquids away from the solenoid. 

[Poor Ron]

Maybe the shop was Precision Power in downtown Lansing?

[Shelby68GT500]

I dealt with a very slow hot cranking 428PI in my GT500 for a couple of years. Even bought a heat shield for the starter, and it didn't help.  It wasn't until I had to replace the battery (completely dead) that the problem disappeared.  Turns out that I had a bad cell in the battery, and once the engine got hot, it would only slowly crank.  Once I had a brand new battery in it, problem has never happened again, and I even removed the heat shield