different starter shaft seal is in play - different clutch drum is in play - different transmission case is in play --

pictures will have to happen to iD what you actually have

 

I'll have to post a picture tomorrow, from what the guy told me it's the original parts. What's the difference between the*Hitachi and prestolite? So should I order a prestolite or*Hitachi?

 

Guy don't order anything till you post up a few pics in here and let us identify what you actually have verses what somebody is telling you cause that starter didn't come off a stock 1983 FXR shovelhead.

 

Absolutely
That starter was first used on the '89 FXR
****!! Look at a Prestolite or a Hitachi...Not anything at all like that...

 

this is the starter /trans setup that should be on an 83.

 

So here are some pic of her.

 

^^ Like we been tryin to tell ya...that shovel has had an upgraded Primary [and Starter] put onto it. From a Newer year[s]
May be Stock...But Not for a '83

Edit; Gotta say I never seen no shaft like that thru the starter hole...Guess I never had one of those "mid-production" models ['89 -'90 or whatever]

 

So I have a 1983 Harley fxrs which is what the Vin in the frame says with a different year engine? Is that a bad or good thing it's been upgraded? It has a v thunder 485 lift cam, shorty e carb, dual plug heads, and an aftermarket ignition. I paid $3k for it here in Connecticut. I looked at some pics of an 83, 85, and 89 inner primary cover on ebay as well as Google and it definitely is an 89, but my question is what the hell starter should I buy lol?

 

The bikes a Frankenstein meaning it's got all kinda stuff that's not stock for that year or model so there no telling what all you have there, not a bad thing just somebody personalized it their way. Snap a shot of the other side of the small tranny cover by the pipes, it'll help narrow down what year the trans actually is. Also look at the engine numbers and the frame numbers to see if they match the title. It's easy to change just the trans, primaries and the clutch setup and it looks like that's whats been done that's all later model stuff I'm seeing.

 

So the Vin number on casing matches the Vin number, I can tell that it's aftermarket transmission to, the heads says jegs racing on them.