Anyone who’s ventured into the Lincoln Mark III/Ford Thunderbird realm knows that everything about these cars is big and heavy. Including the starter. At nearly 20 lbs (17.2 specifically) it quickly becomes a cumbersome one-armed workout. Not only that, but it isn’t terribly efficient. Whether you have finished a fresh rebuild and are looking to modernize your system, or are replacing your tired boat anchor, follow this guide and the swap is fairly straight forward.
Ford Truck Starter
As you already know, the Lincoln Mark III aftermarket is nearly non-existent. The Big Block Ford camp is getting better, but it’s nothing like the Small Block Fords or Chevy’s. So between model and engine, we’re often the odd man out. We must be a little creative with our research and find commonality in unusual places. In this case, enter the big Ford truck guys.
Ford was putting 460’s in their F-250’s and F-350’s up until 1977-1997. The 90’s starter is what we’re interested in. You will see it referred to as a PGMR for Permanent-Magnet, Gear-Reduction Starter. Do a Google search for “1997 Ford F-250 starter” and you’ll come up with plenty of options. Technically, you can chose different years from the 90’s…I think you can go back to ’92 if I remember right, but it’s all the same. You can also search for full-sized Ford vans and Broncos. The big thing to watch out for is that you get a starter for an AUTOMATIC not the manual. I’m told that the pinion gear extends to a different length which will give you problems. Seeing as your Lincoln has a C6 auto trans (unless you did a cool manual swap) try and make everything as close to the same when you search for truck compatibility.
Buying
One thing you will immediately notice is there is a range of prices. At the the time of the writing, the 1997 F-250 unit Duralast Starter DL3223S from Autozone will set you back anywhere from $130-170. Or you can also find it at DB-Electric for half the price ($70.94) with free shipping. Again, make sure you get the starter for an automatic transmission: Ford Mini Starter Truck Van Mercury 460 Engine 3226 SFD0030. I believe I picked up a Motorcraft version, so I can’t speak to the quality of the others.
Differences
Visually you can immediately tell the difference. The new starter has the same mounting surface, but the original 60’s version is about the size of an old Folger’s coffee can, and the new “mini” starter is about the size of a pop can (OK, it’s not quite that bad). The new PGMR starter will weigh half as much as the old, at 8.4 pounds. You won’t notice the weight savings when driving, but you definitely will when installing it! And if you are trying to put your Lincoln on a diet, this is an easy way to cut 10 pounds without sacrificing any functionality.
Wiring
There are a ton of in-depth walkthroughs on installing PMGR starters online. It doesn’t matter if it is for a Big Block or Small Block, the function is the same. Chances are you already have the relay (although you might want to install a new one) so it’s just a matter of connecting the cables to the right places.
Grounds are a MUST
The biggest thing I would recommend, is make sure you run a separate ground cable directly to the case of the starter. Technically the starter should ground off the flex plate and the two mounting bolts into the transmission, but if you are anything like me, I painted my transmission and flex plate, leaving only the contact with the threads for my ground. It’s just not worth wondering if you are getting a good ground through the transmission. If you have to buy a longer cable, do it. Go with a thick 2 gauge wire (basically the same size as your battery cables). My grounding setup flows like this: 1. battery negative post to frame, 2. from frame wire continues to starter, but also uses the same junction for a really thick strap to ground the engine block. Grounds are too often overlooked and can cause overworked current draws.
Stranded
I’m just going to save you a lot of time and headache by addressing a second issue while we are here, the dreaded Heat Soak. The internet is abundant with stories of Hot Rodders going out for a cruise, only to find themselves stranded at a gas station at the end of their fun. Click-click-click. It sounds like a dead battery. Or worse, a dead starter! Which wasn’t supposed to happen, because the thing is brand new and just installed! How did it go bad already?
I remember the first time it happened to me. My pride and joy left me embarrassed and scratching my head at the gas station only five minutes away from my house. A good Samaritan tried jumping my battery, but no go. Here I was thinking I’d have to do a starter swap in the Safeway parking lot. Not quite as awful as doing a radiator swap on the Montana State University campus in December, but still not great.
To make matters worse, the nearest parts store wanted too much, so I called for a tow and placed an order online. The truck wasn’t going to arrive for a few hours, so I walked home and waited. Then the truck said it couldn’t make it to me until tomorrow. Can this get worse?
I didn’t exactly have a plan, but I decided to walk back to my Lincoln and just for shits-and-giggles, I tried the key. Low and behold it fired right up and I drove home!
What is Heat Soak?
Heat soak occurs when the starter gets too hot. There’s a lot of science behind it, but basically the internals don’t like it. Let’s start with the two main culprits that contribute to heat soak: big iron blocks, and headers. Both generate a lot of heat and I happen to have both. Sidenote: There aren’t a lot of options for headers for Mark III’s, but I can tell you that Ford Powertrain Applications is one of the few. I’ll try and do a writeup on them later. But in the short term, the T-bird headers will fit, but if you installed a new-style steering gear box, you will have to ding one of the tubes ever so slightly to get it to fit. Otherwise, they are amazing!
So my stroked 545 BBF is creating too much heat, and nestled into this little pocket of warmth is the starter. I’d experienced some hard starts before, but never a complete failure to start. Why did this occur at the gas station and none of the other places I’d driven? Well time is the big factor here. Namely, that it didn’t have enough time to cool down. If I drove my car to work or out to eat, it would sit for at least an hour before I tried to start it again and I never knew it was a problem. When in doubt, let it sit (instead of ordering another starter right away like I did), it should cool off. Don’t keep cranking it, or you’ll just introduce more heat into the starter, plus drain your battery.
Solving Heat Soak
Many people will suggest wrapping your starter in a heat blanket like this one.
This will not solve your problem. Trust me, I had a deja vu at the gas station a couple of weeks after I’d wrapped it. Yes a heat blanket will deflect a lot of heat from the block and headers. It will also trap any existing heat inside, just like aluminum foil and a baked potato. Once that starter gets hot, it is going to stay hot for longer than if it didn’t have a blanket on. What we must do is create an air-gap between the shield and the starter. If you wrap it tight, there’s no ventilation.
Building a Shield
Here’s how I went about this process. I decided to build a shield using some spare 16 gauge steel. It isn’t the prettiest solution, because I mostly wanted to see if it would work. But I can attest to the fact that so far, it has.
Note: It’s not clear in the pictures, but I painted the shield with a high-temp engine block paint so it won’t rust out on me.
There’s a lot of different ways to go about this. In the end, find a way to block the direct heat from the block and exhaust, but remember to maintain an air gap so the heat that the starter generates has somewhere to escape.
Battery
I want to tell you that my heat shield solved all my problems. It may have, but I wasn’t willing to take any chances. I decided I should address my battery deficiency at the same time.
When it comes to old cars, parts stores aren’t what they used to be. I remember being able to buy off the shelf many items that are now special order. A few years ago when I walked into my local store and asked for a battery for a 1969 Lincoln, they sold me one–and it might have worked on a stock 460, but it definitely didn’t on this high compression 545 stroker. If you are rolling around with a 700 CCA (or less) battery, change it out. Insist on 1000 CCA or higher. As big as you can get your hands on!
Yes, it will probably be a tractor battery, and yes it will weigh more than the gangly part’s store teenager can carry, but get it. Lincoln’s have a ton of real-estate under that massive hood. Most of it isn’t helpful. The section for the battery tray-is. And it will fit without modification. Trust me, these big engines are beasts to get moving and your starter will thank you.
Conclusion
If you have a hot rod Lincoln (or anything with a BBF) I recommend switching to the PGMR starter. Make sure that you have good grounds and power going to it, otherwise there’s no reason to upgrade. If you are running a performance engine or have headers, shield that puppy. And while you’re at it, make sure your battery is up for the task. I’ve taken multiple short trips and have yet to experience another demoralizing hot soak. Cruising is way more fun.