Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I need to replace my 10-tooth starter, Lucas 35G1! Irreparable despite many attempts
What do you recommend, without spending a fortune and receiving back that of the rising sun?

Go to the rising sun my son! It is the only way

Bin der - Did dat!! Long long ago!

I have yet to find an old dynamo/starter that the local guy here can't fix. He just found the three parts of three old alternators in order to rebuild my DB5 one so I would give him a go. Clwyd Auto Electrics. It's worth a try.

Irrepairable - why? Do you have any pictures?. The Lucas M35 starter is very common. Used on many British cars throughout the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

Think I?ve got a few old starter motors in the garage!

Even if your starter is not repairable, it may be useful as a core to a rebuilder. You may be able to exchange it for a remanufactured one from a Lucas authorized rebuilder. I found the genuine Lucas rebuilt starters to be superior to many local rebuilders because they had the original specifications and dimensional tolerances to make them like new. Consider contacting Sue Miller or Kelvedon for help.

Best regards,
Dan Wise

Get closer to its engraved reference? Or can it be replaced by another, but whose fixing spacing is identical to 114mm knowing that the rest is similar (except these numbers LUCAS)
geni

Paul matty were selling them on an exchange basis, when I thought my old one was on the way out.

9 tooth for me though.

geni wrote:Or can it be replaced by another, but whose fixing spacing is identical to 114mm knowing that the rest is similar (except these numbers LUCAS)

The Lucas M35 2 bolt mounting type end cover is the same across Morris Mini, Ford Cortina and Lotus Elan. There's probably other makes and models that used it as well. Standard (non sporting variants of) Ford Escorts and Capri's also used the M35 starter but with an upgraded 3 bolt type end cover. You can swap the two bolt type starter with a later 3 bolt type in which case the 3rd bolt mounting position is unused.

Although it's become popular to be derogatory toward Lucas electrics (Lucas "Prince of Darkness" jokes, etc.) the reputation is largely underserved. Most Lucas problems were due to the poor design of the car manufacturer - eg. wiring connectors undersized, poorly designed and poorly water proofed, inadequate guage wiring, poor earthing, wiring not sufficiently protected against abrasion, inadequate fuse protection, not using relays to switch high current loads ..... the list goes on.

2cams70 wrote:

geni wrote:Or can it be replaced by another, but whose fixing spacing is identical to 114mm knowing that the rest is similar (except these numbers LUCAS)

The Lucas M35 2 bolt mounting type end cover is the same across Morris Mini, Ford Cortina and Lotus Elan. There's probably other makes and models that used it as well. Standard (non sporting variants of) Ford Escorts and Capri's also used the M35 starter but with an upgraded 3 bolt type end cover. You can swap the two bolt type starter with a later 3 bolt type in which case the 3rd bolt mounting position is unused.

Although it's become popular to be derogatory toward Lucas electrics (Lucas "Prince of Darkness" jokes, etc.) the reputation is largely underserved. Most Lucas problems were due to the poor design of the car manufacturer - eg. wiring connectors undersized, poorly designed and poorly water proofed, inadequate guage wiring, poor earthing, wiring not sufficiently protected against abrasion, inadequate fuse protection, not using relays to switch high current loads ..... the list goes on.

I (too often) defend Lucas products wherever and whenever I see the abysmal stupidity which blurts forth from the ignorati, often accompanied by even more ignorant references to the "Prince of...

But...those starter objects are massively heavy and can/will cause problems if incorrectly or carelessly installed.

Long story short, take the time needed to source a JAPANESE device which does the job - you will need some fabrication of a sandwich piece and some electrickery but you will never again be left muttering and fulminating, roadside.

Plus, you will save mass.

I was able to find an original (Lucas) near my home, but the speech about the choice, model and the others remaining open
All this is fine but we must not forget to indicate the brand and these specific references that would help us a lot for us users

Thank you for sharing