Brise reduction starter

[2cams70]

What often happens is that people use a pinion on the Lucas starter motor with an incorrect number of teeth for a Twin Cam. A Twin Cam should have a 9 tooth pinion and a 110 tooth ring gear for a reduction ratio of 12.1:1. 10 tooth pinions are more common than 9 tooth. If the engine is kicking back a lot when cranking check your static ignition timing! Personally I've found Lotus engines with their Weber carburetors a joy to start compared to a standard crossflow with one piddly FoMoCo carburetor and long unequal length manifold runners!

[69S4]

I've still got both 9 and 10 tooth pinions in the spares box somewhere and swapped them back and forth in the 80's / 90's when there seemed to be some confusion over which was correct. I can't say I noticed a great difference between them. The car always was a good cold starter but when hot would need a few seconds of cranking that the Lucas starter wouldn't give without disengaging.

Over the years I changed the ring gear (wasn't really worn but the engine was out) and played with the static timing (didn't improve things). I remember reading in one of the Elan books (but can't find the reference at the moment) that Stromberg hot starting (and carb icing!) was one of the issues the factory was aware of but never got round to improving. Fitting a modern starter went a good way to fixing it for me.

[Slowtus]

I think we can all agree that had a Japanese starter been available to fit the Twin Cam when it was born, ACBC would have insisted on using one.

Why?

Weight.

[gav]

On the Brise point, I have had no problem with their after sales at all.

It sounds like there may be an issue with their two part starters but the coaxial ones are in my opinion really good. The only issue is the cost.

I bought mine when they had just been developed and they were relatively cheap. They are a lot now.

Gavin

[The Veg]

Some thoughts...

That sound when kicking back- have yet to hear it from my car since it's not been operable, but I can recall what might be something similar with my dad's Sunbeam Alpines, kind of a briefly rising and then falling medium-pitched sound that defies comparison to human sounds like groans, sighs, etc. but I can vocally imitate it.

ACBC and Japanese starters: yes, not because of performance but because anything Japanese was so damned low-priced in those days and we all know how cheep old Chunky was!

I need to dig into my starter. Presumably the original type; It looks OK on the outside but the last time I tried it, it fails to do do any thing but spin the spin the motor.

[alaric]

Hi all.

For those that have the concentric Brise starter, did you connect the starter to the output of the original car solenoid i.e. keep the original solenoid? On my old +2 I connected the starter's concentric solenoid to the high current feed from the car's solenoid. It worked well.

Regards.

Sean.

[gav]

No - I joined both battery leads into and out of the original solenoid to the incoming post of the solenoid (effectively joining them up and bypassing the solenoid) and extended the switch signal cable to the starter motor.

Still no problems with the starter

Gavin

[alaric]

Thanks Gavin. I loved the Brise on my old +2.

Regards.

Sean.