Last night I got the positive cable installed and I found out my starter has gone bad. My neighbor who is a mechanic by trade brought over his battery/cable tester. We determined the battery and cables were not the problem. After a lot of work, I got the starter out. I need to buy a stubby 5/8″ wrench.
I took the starter apart. The truck had sat idle for quite a few years. I think the insulation inside the starter deteriorated and got stuck in the wrong place. When the motor spun the insulation caught one of the windings and messed up the starter. It was tricky getting it back together. There are four spring loaded things you have to hold out to get it to go back in. Pat had mentioned they used to use tooth picks on stuff like that to hold them out, then you slip it on, and pull the tooth picks. I needed them pulled a little farther than a tooth pick width so I used screw drives instead. I got it back together.
Searched through the old truck parts I had and found the other starter I had parted out of one of the original trucks. I put it in the vise on my workbench and ran jumper cables from the truck battery to the starter. I pushed the button on the starter, and voila, it spun. Now I have to find some time to install it in my truck.
The exterior of the non-working one was much nicer looking than the working one. Maybe I should paint this one before I reinstall it.