Originally Posted by nasdstang
is there a spayed terminal above the starter? if so run a jumper wire from the terminal where the cable is connected to the spayed terminal and it will complete the circuit
I didn't see anything but one ring terminal on top of the starter with a big 4ga wire from the starter relay on the fender.
Originally Posted by Just Dave
If the battery is good, then it sounds as if the starter is dead. If you ran a jumper cable from the battery to the post on the starter then the starter should engage.
Typically, the solenoid is between the battery and starter. There's a small wire coming from the key switch. When the key is turned, that wire gets hot, closes the contacts on the solenoid, and completes the circuit between battery and starter.
Its pretty simple and you bypassed that so it sounds like weak battery or dead starter.
The battery was only at 8.5 volts, but I had a jumper set run from my Caddy with 2 12v batteries fully charged. I could hear the relay click when I turned the key, and like I said, I checked both sides while the key was engaged for continuity and it was there. I think the relay is fine. The previous owner said the starter used to act up, so it's probably just time for a starter. I even tried whacking it with a hammer a few times just in case it was siezed up.
There any tricks to installing a Ford starter on a 351C? I'm used to Chevy starters. Two bolts, two wires, done.