i have 68'dodge coronet with 440, headers and a stock starter, i have been restoring the car for over 2.5years, i had replaced the started 2years ago with a rebuilt auto zone oem unit, i have not had the car on the road driving yet, i have only crank the car in my garage and drove around the block couple of times probaly once a month, i have noticed now, once the car has run for several mins, when i turn off the car and try to crank the car, all i get is a click, click, then the 4 or 5th time, the car cranks, however today, i ran the car to normal temp, shut it off only got a click, click, click, it wld not start, i got under the hood and put a screw driver to arc on the starter with the key on, the car cranked, my question is, does this mean my starter is going bad? i am thinking the heat from the headers have fried the new starter? do i go back with a new stock starter and try to wrap with some type of heat wrap or go with the mini starter? i have a life time warranty on this starter and can get a new one with no charge

Many on this site will recommend the mini starter and for good reasons. It has more cranking power than most stock full size starters and they offer more clearance for headers. The added clearance helps to minimize cooking the starter. Some 88-89 Diplomat/Gran Fury/5th Ave cars had heat shields on their starters. Good idea.

If you can arc it with the screw driver and it cranks, it's probably everything in between. Solenoid? Main cables? Solenoid wiring? These cars operated for 40 years with the same old starter.
But the wiring is getting tired(internal corrosion)
I usually bump up main cables to 1 gauge, solenoid wiring to 10 gauge, and usually buy a new solenoid(if it's mounted elsewhere). This seems to be a very common and occuring problem nowadays it seems.

sounds like the relay is bad...I had same problem


If you cross the relay and it starts/cranks...the starter must be good as power is getting there by jumping the relay

The starter is getting hot which causes it to draw more current. Your relay or wires are just not up to it.

update, i crank the car today, got it to normal temp, when i cut the car off, i tried to crank again, just click, click, i got screwdriver again out, i tried at the relay, just a click,
i tried at the starter just a click, click, i waited about 5mins, then i try screw driver on the relay, the car crank right up, so does this sound like the headers have fried my starter? i just need to change to a mini-starter?

This shows that after a run, everything is heat soaked to the point of failure. The test after cooldown showed you that the starter needed more time to cool off. At least install some sort of heat deflector.

go mini starter all the way,dont waste time with stock starter,get a good mini starter and b done with it,a also if you do go with a stock starter,stay clear from the rebuilt junk from auto zoo!!!there nothing but headaches.buy new,never rebuilt.

does anybody make a heat sheild for a 440 in a 68 coronet?

Yeah.......YOU DO.

I dont understand the last post. The problem is obviously a matter of heat soak. Even a car with overadvanced timing will crank slowly. A Click..Click..Click isn't a symptom of timing/starter kickback.

True, but I also remember the posts he had in Jan. What one types is not always what is happening.

I have a heat sheild off a old style stock starter that came on my 440 out of a motor home

I went mini starter and dont need it now

it was a real pain with the center dump manny and head pipe as far as R&R goes with the sheild and old style starter

IMO,mini starter and mini alt are the best thing I done putting the 440 in the 88 truck