New w/some dumb questions

I'm new here but not to cars. I started this perverse hobby w/ a 72 Nova moved on to a 68 Camaro but both were WAY TOO rotted to do anything with.
I've just inhereted a 84 Z28 with power nothing.
It has a bad starter. I have a few SBC starters lying around. All have a staggered bolt pattern. The car is a 5 speed but the starters are for an auto trans. Now to make this car really free i have to put a free starter in it. Can i just swap the nose over or are the internals different?


Just to let you all know it has a 305 with a 383 in the works. Has anyone else ever considered building an engine in an apartment living room and swapping it in the lot of said apartment?


Thanks in adavnce and since i've never built a stroker i'll be asking a bunch of dumb questions about that too. If any of you have any usefull links i'm always lookin for new stuff to add to my favorites.
-Steve

To start. there are not special or different starter for auto and stick. There are just different starter for different combinations. Mostly different flywheel/flexplate diameters.
In most cases you should be able to change the nose piece to get the right bolt patern.

I am using a GMPP high torque starter because I have higher compression and it works fine. No heat soak yet and I run headers. Also with the starter, it is dumb and could care less if it was behind a stick or an auto. Also, the starter gear is good for both flexplate patterns.

There are no dumb questions, Speedo. That's why this forum exists, so don't feel sheepish--folks here really do like to help others out :)

Also, try www.thirdgen.org which is the very best site on the web for 3rd gens.

Conradulations you just made me realize what an idiot I am. The starter in my car was going so I bought a new one. I just remembered that there was a new one sitting in the garage that I got for free when I bought the parts for an auto-manual swap. Damnit.

I got the 400 engine today in the pouring ass rain. I'm disassembling it tommorrow. It's a 4 bolt block. What are the chances of having a forged crank? Does anyone have a list of casting numbers to look for/avoid?

Thanks again

Stock 400's were cast.