[rcazwillis]

Have you ever had one of those weekends where nothing you do is correct? Saturday the plan was state inspection. Couple of minor things to address such as license plate light. Truck has been having a problem with starter/flex plate, you know the old grind grind, catch and start. Put a new starter on it, but did not fix the problem. Guessing flex plate, but will fix later...

Truck started at house, drove to gas station. 10 gallons. Nothing I do will get it to engage the starter. Maiden voyage resulted in a tow to the house.

Guess I will swap a flex plate. Took about 3 hours in the street cause I can't get it up the drive. Turn the key, same issue. What the *(&#(^(Q#&$?

Now is when I get stupid and desperate and tired. Looking at the starter, the starter gear is engaged with the flex plate sitting on top of the teeth. Is the starter too far from the flex plate? Only way to move the starter closer is to mill some material off the starter. Off to the mill. Took .05" off the surface. If I am wrong, I can shim it. Truck starts, but still sounds bad. Something is still not right.

Have Zane try to start it with me on my back under the truck. The starter is jumping all over the place. Threads are shot in the block. I new one was iffy, but longer bolt tightened down with torque wrench. Other seemed fine. Truck starts and goes back in garage.

Sunday morning. Helicoil both holes. Holes are deep, so I put two in each hole. Still plenty of room for knurl to go into block. Research to locate proper starter bolts. Nobody shows the "proper bolt." Summit has ARP that seems to have the correct lengths. Summit is 32 miles one way. Off we go to summit. $15 later, I have two killer bolts...that don't fit. Knurl hits the helicoil...you know the 2nd one I put in each hole.

Using the wrong, not starter bolts and the killer washers that came with the ARP bolts, I shim the starter back to the position before I machined it. Truck starts without issue...sort of.

After the starter disengages, the flex plate is tapping something 2 or 3 times. Then quiet. Thinking the starter is too close to the flexplate. Going to shim it a bit unless someone else has a better idea.

Drove truck to inspection station. Won't shift out of first. I know the problem is no vacuum line to TH400. Passes inspection. Lot's of complements from the lady that did the inspection. Her dream truck!

Spend 2 hours trying to get the factory vacuum tube in place. Take it for a drive...it shifts and runs good.

Unresolved issues:
Park won't hold truck. Obviously have the bracket in the trans pan wrong.
Common issue.
Something is ticking towards the back of trans. Increases with frequency as speed increases. Not dependent on engine RPM. Sounds like something bouncing off drive shaft. Nothing there at all. Thinking it might be the parking prawl (the thing that holds the car stopped when in park). Bracket is wrong, maybe the spring that holds back the prawl is wrong. Any ideas? Going to take pan off and fix bracket and inspect for other issues.