Best Starter for high compression Big Block

Have been using a good old Mopar mini starter for years in a 13 to1 compression 440 with locked dist. Starts great cold but when hot sometimes takes a couple tries cranking over with the starter then hitting the ign.Tried start retard in the 7AL3 and it kicked back badly. Never got around to phasing the rotor. Building a 493 with 14.5 to 1 comp this year.Wondering if the Powermaster XS Denso, Ultra Torque Hitachi or MSD starters would be a big improvement over the old Mopar mini starter.

I run the powermaster ultra in my 604" 16.5to 1 predator motor with 0 issues would highly recomend, the mopar (hitachi) starter will def.turn your motor over faster than the ultra (denzo )style, a 16 v battery will cure this.. your feeling rich Meziere builds from what im told is the best starter for mopar combos

MSD is junk , I have one and it's no better than a stock mini starter.. Just my 2Cents

Powermaster 9523 works very good. It's "clockable", and if you put a 16v battery in, it will turn a large (552 ci), high compression engine (14:1) over like it doesn't have spark plugs in it. I did have to trim a small corner of the aluminum clockable portion off
of the starter to clear on a mega block.

Brian

Just use an ignition run switch.
My 13.0:1 SB, locked @ 36, uses a stock Mopar starter & that works fine.

I have been using just a stock chrysler mini starter for many years no issues, current engine is a 540 with 13 to 1 compression, locked distributor, I have a 16 volt battery. But if you retarded the timing with an MSD box and it kicked back something is wrong. If you have a crank trigger, the rotor phase needs to be done just to make sure it runs right, if the box retarded the timing and it kicked back due to improper rotor phase, then you must be very close to being off just to run the engine. One thing on rotor phasing the shorter the gap has to jump in the distributor, the more voltage is left for the spark plugs to fire, if the phase is off you may be losing voltage at the plugs.
I use the MSD digital 6 box, it retards the timing 20 degrees for starting, hot or cold it always starts, no kick back, unless the battery is low, I don't run an alternator on my car.

Meziere.....

I agree. My Meziere would spin my Hemi over as if the plugs were out.

1989 dodge dakota mini starter in mine for 20 yrs 600 cuin hemi !!!!

In a yard what is the best yr/make mini to ask for?

Factory mini starter with one XS 16 volt. 15-1, 572, 34 degrees crank trigger, ignition on, no retard. The key is 16 volt. Previously ran two 12 volt. The single 16 volt is WAY BETTER. Same starter 8 years, 700+ passes.
Doug

Well in the last 20 years I have not killed one....Always kept a spare,,,,This year, I went thru two of them.....So I bought one of these high torque race units....I can let you know in a week or two

https://www.manciniracing.com/poxschstwica.html

This is the one I've been using for the last 4 years after 7-8 mini starters finally stepped up couldn't be happier.
Powermaster 9413 - Powermaster Ultra Torque Starters

https://www.summitracing.com/search?SortBy=BestKeywordMatch&SortOrder=Ascending&keyword=9413

I have a Powermaster on the 605 and a Meziere on the 655. Dont buy MSD its just offshore junk since the Holley takeover.

The problem with Meziere is its longer and you will need custom headers.
And if you don't locate the little 5mm Allen works, the 2 pieces come apart and it's a bear to get out and back in.
And off the shelf headers such as hooked and this won't work.

I've had the MP mini starters on 2 cars for years w/ no issues. One is a 10:1 440 and the other is my 11:1 575" hemi.
I have a standard stock replacement mini starter off a '90 something model truck on a 14:1 440 for a long time w/ no trouble either.

My TTI headers are extremely tight fit in starter area , I had to buy a clock able one , gained just a tiny amount to make it fit


https://www.jegs.com/i/Powermaster/...uj-7I7gIVqvLACh2bxgcfEAQYBCABEgLDxfD_BwE

I was just looking into this same thing. I have read some decent things about the RobbMC starters as they have clockable solenoid as well. Don't have any experience with it though sorry. I will be making the same decision soon, so will be following this thread.

Stock V-8 Dakota starter....

Not to try and hack this post , but I hear about the 16Volt batteries. How would that voltage effect 12 Volt wiring and lights ?? I have always stayed away from 16 volt stuff from lack of knowledge about it..

do you have a pic of your starter/header area dad ?
i have a set of TTI's i'm planning of using, and you may be able to give me an idea what i'm in for. they are the 2" to 2 1/8" step, but i don't know the part number.
TIA if you [or any other member] have a pic you can post.

If you are going to run on the street you need a 16 volt alternator. My old dodge has stock lights and it just made the headlights a little brighter. Factory 12 volt system alternators operate about 14.5 volts anyway, so you are not really increasing the voltage that much. The only issue I would worry about again on a street vehicle, would be any electronics on the car like a radio. I know MSD does not have a problem with 16 volts.

16 volt systems on the street will kill stock bulbs very quickly.
I burn up stock dome light bulbs regularly. I keep 6 spares in the glove box.

Unless I'm missing something, I never heard anyone using a 16 volt alternator with a 12 volt battery. I don't think they mix well together.

The only two things I changed were the voltage regulator to allow aprox 18.5 volt charging rate. And definitely had to lower the fuel pressure at the regulator. No need for a fancy starter that I can see.
Doug

Boy does this post sound familiar. This was me a year ago. Add a starter saver to you msd system and problem solved. I'm at 572" @ 15:1 with a factory mini starter. That thing would not crank once it got hot. I added the starter saver and now it cranks like a worn out 318. Thanks to the advice from this forum

I was wondering about too. & what is a starter saver?

Wire has 2 main properties to consider, how much voltage potential versus wire insulation and how much current can the conductor handle. Most low voltage wire has no issue with 12-24 Volt. Next is current. Well Power =Volts times Amps. SO when you run at a higher voltage, you actually have lower current through wires for the same load. So your better off. As stated, the loads need to be ok with the new higher voltage. Alternator needs to charge the higher battery voltage.

So bulbs, coil relays, electronics like pumps, radio, motors would all need to be good with the higher voltage. Not an issue with a race car, but may have issues with accessories on a street car. But the wires will like it. Less current.

Thanks for the replies guys , I think I will stick with a 12 volt setup.. Has anybody had the problem like this ?? My car spins over just fine with big tub headers and exhaust on it. 11.5 to one small block . But once I take the pipes off it really hesitates to spin over even cold. Bucks like the timing is really high with the pipes off. Again sorry , not trying to hyjack this post..

Here you go Robert. Also, as others are saying. You must have good heavy wire and good connections. I fixed all of that too.

https://www.holley.com/products/ignition/rpm_and_timing_controls/timing_controls/parts/8984

I used to go to junkyards and buy them for 15.00 but now just ask for one that fits a 1995 V8 truck. You can tell the higher for lower horsepower starters just by looking at them. I used to know the measurement but like I said once you know what to look for you can tell

Will a stock starter work, in most cases yes. But if you read the title it says BEST starter not what will work/

Trouble is 9 times out of 10 the starter isn’t the issue, the wiring is. And the best starter in the world won’t fix that. Some of the grounding I see out there is pathetic. And small azz power leads too.

i have to agree with the wiring issue. from the key or button to the starter, don't skimp ! just going up one wire gauge size can sometimes make a HUGE difference.
also, have as few connections as possible, and make sure those connections are clean and tight.

RobbMc starter


https://www.robbmcperformance.com/products/mopar_starter.html

I just put the Powermaster Ultra Torque on my car this evening. Had the Master Torque on it. 14:1 alky engine with bushed rockers and lifters so its hard to turn over. Videos of the difference.

Master Torque. Video

Ultra Torque Video

What part number Ultra Torque did you use, the 9413 or 9463?

I always ran Powermaster or Tilton starters with 16v charging system to easily crank over 14-15.1 motors. I had a contact at Powermaster who gave me great deals. Quality stuff.

I'm sure all these high end starters are nice. But the factory starters have given me zero trouble. 15-1 ignition on is no problem what so ever. So what does spending $300 gain?
Doug

My car hard starts since I bumped it to 14:1. Its alky injected too which doesnt help....Those videos I posted were with a 12volt battery. Will go to a 16 volt if the problem persists in the spring.

thank you brother

Other than the clockable feature, I didn't notice much of a difference from the NAPA Dakota starter.

Untitled by Greg Ault, on Flickr

Thanks for sharing the videos. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a starter comparo before.