Pre-war (up to 1942) 1939 LaSalle 5019 Starter Solenoid

[39LaSalleDriver]

As some may recall, in this thread
http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=148924.msg387537#msg387537  I started back in March, I was having trouble wiring my starter/solenoid setup.

Well, I got it to working fine, but knew it was but a temporary fix. In the last couple of weeks I have started having trouble getting the car to start. Sometimes it will turn over fine, others it is just dead. When it's dead, I can get it to turn over by leaving it in gear and dropping the clutch to start it, but that is a hassle.

My strong suspicion is that it is the solenoid/relay that is causing the problem and I have decided I need to replace that. In the other thread I had started, someone commented that the starter I have is not original to the car. I took that comment at face value and just assumed that was correct without investigating any further.

As it turns out, I DO have the correct starter for my car. It is a Delco 1107912 which according to everything I can find, is the correct starter. However, someone somewhere along the line replaced the solenoid/relay with a round 6v three terminal solenoid.

So...I now have the option of doing a direct replacement of what I have for $40 (which will work for now but likely will go kaput on me again in the future); or I can find a correct solenoid/relay which I am given to understand is hard to find and expensive when I do. I am seriously leaning towards just getting the correct one and calling it a day even though I'd rather not spend a bunch of money on it right now (I've spent WAY too much this month on an exhaust pipe, u-joints, spark plugs and wires, and window channeling). 

I understand that the solenoid # should be 1118102. Are there any other parts I can look at which should be functionally the same, but not necessarily for "Cadillacs"? For example, I see that Bob's has a rebuilt solenoid for Buicks which has a part number of 1542. To me, it looks like the same part. Would that one work for me? Any other crossovers I can look for? I am not so worried about the look of the "earlier" vs. "later" types (re where the terminals hook on the front or side) so that should open my parameters a bit. Thanks.

[Steve Passmore]

There's a complete starter just listed in the 'For sale' section. Cheap enough.

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=151112.0

[harvey b]

I would try Ebay,search with the part number,lots of NOS parts show up on there all the time,you might even be able to get a complete starter too. Harvey

[39LaSalleDriver]

There's a complete starter just listed in the 'For sale' section. Cheap enough.

http://forums.cadillaclasalleclub.org/index.php?topic=151112.0

Whoa! How's that for timing? Sent the seller a message. Thanks.

[39LaSalleDriver]

Well, the last week or so has been a busy one. Did a complete tune up, had a new exhaust pipe run from the manifold to the muffler, installed new U-joints, insulated the exhaust pipe with fake asbestos, and purchased a used starter and solenoid.

I did a quick bench test on the starter/solenoid and found the solenoid to work fine, but the starter probably needs rebuilding. It's not a priority right now as I already have the correct starter for my car which has been rebuilt and works fine. I really needed the solenoid. The "new" one I bought looked pretty cruddy so I took it apart, cleaned it up, and repainted it. Pulled the starter, mounted the new solenoid, and everything is working as it should. Was really glad to get rid of the improvised relay system I had mounted in there. 

While having the starter out, I decided to go ahead and paint it (it had been primered by someone, but not painted), and do the suggested modification of adding a grounding stud to the commutator plate. It can drag somewhat while starting when hot. So far, so good. Added stud with no problem, reinstalled starter. Again, everything works as it should.

What is unclear to me though, is where to attach the grounding strap(s). I get the impression that there should be a grounding strap at point "B" in my illustration (top starter bolt to transmission), but I don't have one there. The ground strap on my car attaches to the frame at point "A" and I have one on the left motor mount to the frame at point "D". Should I be connecting a ground strap from point "A" to point "C" (the new stud on my commutator plate)? Or should I run one from point "A" to point "B" on the top starter bolt, and then another short strap from point "B" to point "C" on the commutator plate?

One issue I see is that the strap from point "A" to point "C" is give or take 40", which strikes me as a pretty long distance. Any suggestions?