[marks73ta]

I'm going to adapt a vertical starter pattern, same as the late starters. I'm using a length of 1 inch angle iron. It is cut the length of the starter base but it is mounted with the angle up. The angle iron will set on top of the starter base where it touches the block. Because I'm using two 1/8 inch plates to take up the difference between the depth of the early bell housing face and the late bell housing face, the angle iron will turn up and behind the first plate and be even with the second plate. The second plate will be cut out around the angle iron. That way, I'll locate the starter where it needs to be, the angle iron will be on top of the starter and will get bolted to the block at the same location that late blocks are located. The boss is of course too short to locate the second bolt so the angle iron will extend past the block. The inside starter bolt can be drilled and tapped in the block, a second location will be drilled and tapped about half way between the starter bolt holes where there is much more meat up in the block casting, and a countersunk bolt inserted there with the head flush with the surface of the angle iron/starter surface. The outside bolt hole of course is now out in the open air so once the starter is located exactly I'll use a nut on top of the starter bolt (thru the angle iron) and weld the nut to the angle iron.
With the angle iron turned up and behind the block and the first adaptor plate, the face of the angle iron depth is now exactly the same as the face of the second adaptor plate once it is cut to clearance the angle iron. This combined surface is the same depth as a late block so any late bell housing or automatic can bolt to it and the starter will be in place. I also plan to make a front starter bracket to help keep the starter from moving in and out from the block. I started to do all this on the '59 block and the 389 crank but I stopped thinking that if anything is different with the dimensions between the '59 block and 389 crank versus the '60 block and the aftermarket crank, I better wait untill I have all the actually players in place. I hope I described all of that well enough to see what I'm doing. Mark L