I use a 00 starter cable on my car but that's probably not your problem.  I'd say your bearings have been set up too tight (not enough clearance).  After dropping the pan, I'd loosen all the rod bearings, then try the starter.  If still too tight, loosen the mains one at a time until it'll spin.  I'd then adjust the mains, once those are good I'd do the rods, one at a time. There are many ways suggested to adjust the bearings so you kinda gotta figure it out, look at other posts and figure what works for you.  If it's this tight cold, as soon as you warm it up it would be even tighter.  When building an engine, I like to set the crankshaft on end on the floor and adjust the rod bearings before assembly.  You can get all 6 equally set up equally because you have no drag from pistons the other rods or the mains to interfere with your "feel".  Be patient, take your time, you'll get it.

It sounds like a flywheel problem also.   Are you sure it is not missing a few teeth?   I had that problem on a 27 a long time ago.

Had the same issue with my 51 235 that was rebuilt three years and just started this week. The 6 volts would not turn it. I did use a two foot pipe over my ratchet with an adapter for the c/s pulley to manually turn it. Turned it a few revolutions with the plugs out almost daily for about a month. Also squirted some light oil into the plug holes. I could tell it was getting easier to turn but opted to use a 12 volt battery (no ignition) and it turned with the battery. With a gravity feed gas supply and resistor on the distributor it fired up quickly. I did have a problem with a stuck float on the carb but managed to run it for 10-15 minutes. I have not yet tried it with 6 volts but will after changing the carb and perhaps running it a little longer using the 12 volt start set-up. I should add no other electrical is hooked up as the car is not yet wired. If you do use 12 volts all circuits other than the starter need to be disconnected. 

@thomas-fowler Thomas, Your description does not tell us if the starter continues to spin when the drive kicks into the flywheel. If so, one would have to assume  a ring gear problem. If not, a tightness problem in the bore or at the crankshaft, or both.

You can address the end play issue on your starter with shims at the nose or at the opposite end. You should find a ring at the nose end, and a flat washer style shim at the commutator end. These are shown in the parts catalog as washers in group 2.063. You can add additional spacers to eliminate end play as needed. If both of these washers are present in your starter, I would recommend adding the extra shimming at the nose.

Mike

Hello Thomas Fowler,

Before deciding to travel in other directions, I think that I would remain focused on the Delco Remy 714-L starter. Reading your post carefully, with starter installed, you say 'when applying voltage, you can hear the starter spin but does not rotate flywheel'. Are you saying that as long as you are applying voltage you hear the starter spin continuously? OR, Are you saying you hear the starter spin momentarily then silence? Why did you install a new bendix? Are the new and old bendix identical with same amount of travel and same extended positions? 1/8" end-to-end armature play needs to be researched. I can only go by what I read that that measurement is maybe four times the recommended play. If so, shims should be available. You also say, 'From below the car through the flywheel access panel I can just see the Bendix pinion after the starter has come to a stop. It seems to be extended and engaged with the flywheel'. Extended and engaged with the flywheel seems like a stuck bendix gear not releasing. Also, saying 'after the starter has come to a stop', it gives the impression that the starter continues to spin regardless of the bendix gear being engaged and not spinning/rotating. Something about the starter doesn't seen right to me, my opinion. Is there a shear pin associated with the bendix gear? Again reading, battery voltage is good and battery cable diameter 2 gauge is acceptable. To rule out voltage drop within the system, do a load test on battery to verify status and if able, try 0 gauge cable with clean/bare connections on all cables. To help with engine rotation, lube the cylinders with a light oil and rotate a few revolutions by hand. Good Luck. Harry 

@thomas-fowler

Hi Thomas

Two thoughts on your problem...

First...

If a 1931 engine has had the rod bearings adjusted as they should be, and then the engine is allowed to sit for a long time before starting, the engine will be very tight to turn over as the oil will have squeezed out of the tightest areas of the bearings.

There is no harm in that, and as soon as the engine is started a film of oil will be re-established.

It does mean however that the starter may not have enough torque to turn the engine over without some help... such as someone "helping" with the hand crank, which I have actually done myself.

Second...

If I am reading this right and you are saying that the bendix is configured like the original AND engaging with the gear on the flywheel, AND the starter is actually spinning but the engine is not... your new bendix is defective.

There is an over-running roller clutch in the bendix and your new one may not be locking up like it should.

When you find the problem, let us know what it was.  🙂

Thanks to all for sharing your expertise.  I have done some further testing over the weekend and now believe  that the source of my problem was the Bendix assembly.  I rigged up my cell phone underneath the car and recorded a video of the flywheel  and Bendix pinion through the access panel.  It showed the pinion operating properly and the flywheel spinning  with ease.  The pinion did remain engaged after the starter stopped spinning but I think that is normal since the engine never actually started.  So the new Bendix assembly seems to be working just fine. Previously  I could not see the flywheel directly nor the front engine pulley while operating the starter switch and was relying on the sounds the starter made to tell if the flywheel was moving. My error.  I hope I did not inconvenience anyone who responded to my inquiry. Incidentally,  I noticed that one of the bolts that held the old Bendix assembly to the starter armature had the “Ford”  script cast into it.  Would someone in the past have used a Ford Bendix on a Chevy starter? 

@thomas-fowler Thomas, bendix bolts are pretty universal. Most of them are of two sizes and two styles so four different ones cover almost everything. I have plenty of them if you need some.

Maybe your car is just Mad at you for using a Ford bolt.

Mike