I was going through my '78 shovel, just bought it and noticed that the long mounting bolts were loose, they actually just slid straight out. so I removed the "Hitachi 31507-73" starter and it appears that where they bolt into is stripped out any suggestions on how to fix?

 

The two long bolts could have nuts on the end,I know they do on the Prestolite
starter.Maybe a service manual might be a good investment now that you have the bike! Good Luck!

 

I think that you may be right!
Thanks for your reply.

 

You mean the 2 long thin bolts ( about 6" long ) on the end of the starter itself ? Or the 1/4" ones ? If it's the thin one it could have snapped off , pulled out the threads or just be misaligned and your not hitting the hole . The support bracket works loose or has been removed starter will shake apart too . Good luck

If it's bummed threads in the offset housing a heli coil kit runs around $25 those are 10-24 thread , I've turned the starter a bit and drilled & tapped new ones before if you have the tools . A housing is $65+ aftermarket last resort .

 

Thanks, I assume that you have to pull the housing off to drill and tap... is it a pain in the neck to pull the housing off??

 

No too bad really if your handy with tools . It's tight under the oil tank but can be done . Dropping the battery box & oil bag isn't as bad it looks , gives you more room to work and you'll probably find the rubber iso mounts & oil lines need replacing anyway . The housing may be mounted to 2 studs coming out of the pri. case or one side could be a through bolt into the primary , cover comes off then .
good luck

Check the starter bolt length it should be a fat 5 7/8"+ long inside the head to end , with 7/8" of threads on the end , they do break .

 

ok, now I' am trying to get the housing off...I removed the nut on the left stud, but the one on the is a pain, it appears that the stud is turning hence the nut isn't coming off and thinking that the stud would pull out ..it doesn't. any ideas??

 

ps the service manual is on the way.

 

You've got the model with the the through bolt , drop the primary cover and look in you'll see the nut , when you put it back together, us a bit sealer behind the flat washer it will stop a little oil leakage . Good luck .

 

Finaly got the time to remove the housing and the threads are 1/4-20, it seams that maybe they were taped to that size for the heli coils that aren't there. so maybe i should start fresh with a new housing? except that the oem number (31467-65) dosen't match up with any of the new housings that are for sale, they do look the same and the numbers are:

31465-65 Housing 1965-E79 FL

Prestolite 1971-72 FX

31465-79 L1979-84 FLH Prestolite

also the motor that came off of it is a Hitachi oem 317570-73 is this the right motor for one of these housing? or even the hold housing?

sorry to be such a pain!
Jim C.