some of the mini starters have a plastic wire adaptor/extention piece that you remove and hook the wire to the other 2 studs from the starter
this helps clearance problems at the block/starter
the newer starters are a fairly common upgrade now days
i have it on a sb 318 and one on the 440 engine,I also use the mini alt on the 440 with stock alt brackets from the non a/c 440 engine
the mini starter usally has a lot of header room and can be R&R with out to much hassles of R&R the header
what exactly did not work for you on the mini starter??
that extention piece is the only thing I have ever seen that needed removed...then its a bolt on deal
some of the later ones have a diff hook up on the small wire but a plug from a JY truck can be spliced..have that on the 318 truck