65 starter shaft

[fourthgear]

Any one know what the length of the 65 -69 stater shaft is ? The one in my 65 is kinda jury rigged and I'm not sure if its a 65-69 or some one rigged a 70 -84 in there .Notice the use of nylon shims , which I think are used to shorten the throw of the of starter clutch . Another thing I noticed is the use of two thrust washers for the end bearing in the outer primary( could also be because it has a later mod. outer primary cover ).I f some one knows either the length of a 65-69 shaft or a 70- 84 shaft for me to compare , I would be forever in your debt.

Note also that is has a Hitachi starter , which also makes me believe its the wrong shaft in there . I just don't want to spend $ 53.00 for a 65 shaft to find out , at least not yet , I'm about a week away from that point in assembly.

[Panacea]

Does it work?

[fourthgear]

I bought the bike , brought her home( by covered truck , it was raining cats & dogs and a little cold , even for the sun shine state) and Yes it worked ,but the battery was low ( not enough to do a good turn over, so I don't know how it will do under constant starting strain )and I had to kick start her to get her to fire up and promptly disassembled her to the frame after she cooled down . Its a long story. Since I'm rebuilding her , I want it right , to a certain mechanical perspective .The previous owner said it was the only way he could start her . So , I guess the answer is yes , it worked , but what works for some people , doesn't necessarily mean it works right or good, if ya know what I mean .

[Cotten]

I would have to dig deep for a measurement, so I must ask first: Is that a Hitachi starter? Does it have a different gearhousing geometry that would call for a hybrid shaft?

....Cotten

[fourthgear]

Cotten
There's only two shafts listed as far as I can tell and they are listed for 65-69 & 70 -84 ,. all the other parts are interchangeable . The Hitachi starter was used between 73-79 and it has a different housing for the shaft assembly than the Prestolite. 79 to 84 they went back to Prestolite.

This is what I'm going to use for a starter ,mostly because of it being a stroker . This high torque starter should help .Web shall see. I just do not want to go out and buy a shaft and find out I already have a 65 shaft in there . Of course if its a 70 & up in there, I wouldn't feel so bad.

The 65 , is some thing different for sure .

[1964 pan]

Correct me if I am wrong. I thought the 65 thru 69 shaft was shorter than the 70 and up because the latter had a alternator on them. Thus nessitating a longer starter shaft. If everything is stock on your 65 and there is a latter model shaft on it the outer primary cover would not even go on. Make any sense?

[fourthgear]

Well 64pan you are part right , here is what I have uncovered so far . The 65-69 shaft is 6 5/8 " and the 70-84 (FLs&FLHs ) is 7 "( thanks to another sight for the info )
And yes if I had a longer shaft and stock outer primary it would not fit , but I have a 70&up outer primary and this is what they did .
Its a 65 shaft ,but they added a spacer ( which does not belong there )between the starter pinion nut and the shaft to extend it out farther to make up the difference of the 3/8 ' in shafts because of the later outer primary . The problem with that is the nut is only on by about a thread and a half . Which I see as potential problem and a broken shaft possibility.

I plan on ordering a 70&up shaft and make it work. Its strange that they have those nylon washers in there , doesn't the outer shield on the starter clutch act as a stop on the starter ring , why would you need spacers. The shorter shaft also is why they used two thrust washers on the pinion nut . below are some photos of the shaft and what it should look like with the nut all the way on .

The only difference I can see between the two shafts , besides there length is the spacer behind the starter clutch, the 70 & up does not show it .