I had problems with the battery not turning over the engine, the battery was a low cranking amps for the motor, its a 454. so i just bought a 1000 cranking amp battery, and when i put it in it turned right over. i drove it around for half an hour and then parked it. i then tried to start it up again right after and it clicked the first time, then nothing afterward. any ideas, or places i should test for the battery shorting?

soundsl ike the alternator

the starter isnt getting heat soak and becoming hard to start is it?

I know it was very common because the solenoid gets hot by the headers and will make it pull a ton of juice from the battery, making it not crank.
make sure this isn't happening.

Matt

Get it fired up and enusre test for approx 13-13.5 volts at idle and at least 13.8-14volts at approx 2300-2500rpms at the battery with volt meter to ensure alt is ok.

If alt that tests bad replace it ,fully recharge your new battery,ensure all battery/starter & charging system/grounds are all clean-tight-and in good cond,then retry the hot start.

If it works a few times in a row after that your likely good to go but if its still no good then its likely an issue with a tired /worn/heat soaked solenoid and or starter esp if not running a proper heat shield.

You could have the stratewr load tested when its hot/heat soaked a local garage.

But more times then not in that case you need to replace starter with a rebuilt hi trq gm starter from maybe NAPA . Ensure it has a hi perf hi temp solenoid & HD solenoid spring too along with a proper starter heat shield to protect starter & solenoid for excessive ex/header heat ,use a starter brace to the block too.

Then you should be good to go.

But if the alt tested ok then check all wiring as suggested above,fully recharge the battery,and then go for a new starter as sugested above too.

Then you should be good to go.

You have to remember these cars are 40 yrs old and even though many are resotred some if not all of the charging/starting/wiring systems atre overlooked and not always restored and that often results in hot start issues like your having . Like for example with either the R R R click click click or nothing at all when the stater heat soaks for a few mins right after you hut if off hot then try tp restart 5mins later and have a problem. That's a very common issue with a tired-defective and or low trq starter /tired -defective or low output alt/and weak-tired battery but not in this case as its a new battery thats currently seeming to be low too so dont forget to fully recharge it somyou dont end up chasing your tail later on.

Scott

get a mini high torque starter summit brand works good and affordable.

sounds like the starter is overheating

...you need to replace starter with a rebuilt hi trq gm starter from maybe NAPA . Ensure it has a hi perf hi temp solenoid & HD solenoid spring too along with a proper starter heat shield to protect starter & solenoid for excessive ex/header heat ,use a starter brace to the block too.
...Scott

Scott, do you know what part # that would be?

I am using a re-man part#3510M starter and am having similar issues which I wont go into for fear of hijacking the thread. Is this the high torque starter?

Also, to maybe help the OP (and myself), what size wire would you typically run from the ignition switch to the solenoid?

Kevin,i dont have Napa pt# off the top of my head but got to napa online sidte,eneter your cars/motors yr for application and then go to elctriacl/starters to see what napa lists for you motors.

BTW,a hi trq gm starter has copper tube /spacer thats approx 1.5" that slips over a skinny 2" long bolt that connetcs the starter fld to lower portion of solenoid .

The std low perf starters dont have that 2" spacer boly and just use a .5-1" long bolt to make that same connection .

So you can just look at your starter to see if its a hi trq unit.

But there another fly in that oinment,some shaddy rblr's have been knowng to run std low perf internal starter parts in a hi trq case so it looks to be a hi trq hi output starter whne in fact its not.

I have never tried to install low perf starter parts in a hi trq case so i dont know if its possible that all the low perf parts are interchangeable into a hi trq case,i know some are but dont know if all are.

But if it turns out you have a hi trq starter hopefully its a true one post rbld. In that case look to other issues like low poutput alt/low output battery/ensure all grnds/connetctions are clean of rust-corrosion-paint in the entire starting-charging systems and go from there.

Could also have a local garage to a load test on starter when it hot/heat soaked and also test alt too for volts & amp ouput.

BTW,are you running a starter heat shield becasue if not that cpuld have already cooked the starter damaging it making it weaker for hot starts.

I run 18-20 deg base timing with my bbc with just under 10.0 comp and it always starts fin hot or cold with a less then adequate Repop R59 battery i am running with considerably less CCA then i would normally like to run with a bbc for more reliable hot starts.

Scott

Sort of restating the obvious, but make sure you have clean tight cable connections, at both ends of the pos and neg cables etc.

My 66 would like to have this problem. It had what looked to be the original pos cable still on the car, but cut off too short several times. I kept tightening the cable in the cheapo post clamp at the battery, then put on a new 2 ga cable from the zone.

It still rebelled against cranking when hot, although it has yet to not start. Low and behold, my neg cable connection to the alt bracket was rusted over, where I cleaned it to bare metal just a couple months ago!

If good connections, ground straps, etc, don't fix it, then, yes, I recommend the high torque starter. Got one on another car and it is much better at starting anytime, headers and all.

Scott,
I have the tube you speak of. So apparently I have the high torque unit...I have another starter, for a smaller flywheel, and staggered bolt pattern, which does not have the copper tube.

What about the wire guage to the solenoid?

btw: my old starter works, but the nose cone broke. Two new (re-man) starters I bought will not engage when I turn the key. The solenoid draws excessive current when mounted to these units as well (I have it rigged up on the floor with a wire straight from the ignition, and ground to the frame). My old starter, and my spare both engage just fine with the same solenoid. With the solenoid removed, the bendix moves freely back and forth so I dont know what the deal is....

Feel free to PM me as I do not want to detract from the original poster's thread.

it turned out to be the starter, thanks for the help.