Chris craft catalina starter help

I have a 1976 25 catalina that

I have a 1976 25 catalina that is eating starters. It is a GM bock. I thought it was a 350 but may be a 305 after searching online. It has a bottom mount starter (I have 3 different ones now) that I can't get to engage the flywheel with shimming. Even the one that worked originally. the teeth on the flywheel are good and the bendix is good too. I have decided to try and put a stern mount starter in instead. The problem is that all the starters I have tried are not lining up. It seems the nose cone just doesn't quite fit right. It goes in but wont line up with the bolt holes and stay flush. Any help is appreciated. I assume that I have a marine power ccw rotation engine. It is all original from what I can tell.

"Will:

Your bottom mount

"Will:

Your bottom mount starter is simply (easy for me to say!) not shimmed properly.

Try this: Take the solenoid off completely, engage the starter into the teeth of the flywheel manually and see what clearance you have. As I recall, there should be about .020 inches between the tooth peak and root (but ask around or look it up in a manual).

Also, the starter needs to be held in place by the right bolts, which have a larger body to them. If someone slipped a set of ordinary bolts in there it'll never work right.

Jeff"

"Thanks Jeff. I'll try th

"Thanks Jeff. I'll try that, but... Each starter I have has the 2 correct bolts for that starter. I have tried shimming it for 2 full days using 2 different starters.
I'm really over the problems of the bottom mount starter. I have the spot to mount the stern starter but think I need a very specific cone on the starter or something to make it fit right. Any help there? I have seen this boats with the starter there."

"Will,
I have had problems wi

"Will,
I have had problems with a starter on our COHO.
After pulling it out putting back. Having a starter shop remake the starter.????
I replaced all of the heave wire.
And yes I always had trouble getting the starter to fit back right. And the shop miss made the starter twice. The midsection area behind the cone determines how far the bendix extends into the housing.
All learned personal because I would not accept the cables could work one day and not the next."

Any info on top mount starters

Any info on top mount starters for this model out there????