Starter chewed up 428 flex plate

[428Marauder]

Title pretty much says it all. 428 w C6. Hired a mechanic to put in a starter, got maybe 200 starts before it died and now I see there are some teeth on the flexplate that are pretty messed up. So, how do I get a replacement? I need one balanced exactly the same, right? Does that mean the old one needs to be removed so the new one can be balanced first? That’s what I’m assuming from other post I have read. Mechanic (different guy, never going back to old guy) wants me to find out for him, maybe get replacement before he takes the car. Photo of plate:

https://ibb.co/j3zFjRc

Potential replacement: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hay-12-050?rrec=true

[Tunnelwedge]

You need a 428 Flex Plate.
Summit is a good source.
Get a good quality starter also.
The cheap replacement starters have very weak castings for the noise.
The chewed up teeth of the old flex plate which is a real 428 flex plate will go for a long
time. Using a real Ford starter casing.
I would have better look at the flex plate in the picture. Might not be that bad.

[428Marauder]

You need a 428 Flex Plate.
Summit is a good source.
Get a good quality starter also.
The cheap replacement starters have very weak castings for the noise.
The chewed up teeth of the old flex plate which is a real 428 flex plate will go for a long
time. Using a real Ford starter casing.
I would have better look at the flex plate in the picture. Might not be that bad.

Note that the picture of the flex plate is before it was damaged. i already bought a Ultima - Remanufactured - R713143A starter which I am hoping will be a good starter and also not super expensive (recommended by guy at parts store). This is all a completely unexpected issue and something I already spent quite a bit of money (I thought) to fix, so I have to watch my budget.

I would return to the mechanic that did job previously but I just don’t want to ever have to deal with him again.

[428Marauder]

This looks like the “correct” flex plate and is more affordable than the one I posted. The mechanic I am taking the car to is not a Ford expert so if I bring him a bad starter/plate combo, that’s what he is going to put in.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/atp-z242

Do I need to get this balanced at a machine shop first? Do I need the plate that is still in the car to match them?

[428Marauder]

Another option would be to throw a car cover on this car and forget about it until I can afford to have an entirely new motor built for it. This one is fine but I’d like one that has more power.

[GerryP]

That flywheel is correct for a 428 or 410.  You don't need to have it balanced unless your broken flywheel was balanced --weight removed or added to the flywheel-- with your existing engine if you had the crank balanced.

[428Marauder]

That flywheel is correct for a 428 or 410.  You don't need to have it balanced unless your broken flywheel was balanced --weight removed or added to the flywheel-- with your existing engine if you had the crank balanced.

Thanks Gerry. Any thoughts on the Ultima R713143A starter? Any other parts I should provide to mechanic? Does it make sense to do the rear main seal too if it leaks?

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/ultima/alternators---starters/starter/dad3c6651e74/ultima-starter-remanufactured/ost0/r713143a

[GerryP]

I don't know anything about that reman starter.  They can always be a crap shoot.  I would be okay with it since if you need a factory starter, you don't have a lot of options.  I use a Powermaster mini starter and it works fine for me.  I have some original factory starters too and never had a Ford starter fail, but that's probably a bit unusual.