Electrical: R1 starter bendix

[Kdancy]

Is the starter bendix on the R1 starters the same as all 12v V8 starters?
Had to pull the starter off the Cursed Purple Hawk and this is the second time that the bendix spring has broken.

[bezhawk]

It depends.....Delco starters use a totally different bendix . Prestolite are all the same.

[StudeRich]

A real R Series Starter would be a 4 brush H.D. Prestolite if it is correct, and there are no Delco Bendix units that PROPERLY fit.

[N8N]

all Prestolite 8-cyl. bendixes are the same. see here for identification:

https://www.georgiastudebaker.com/Interchange.pdf

Now if you have a Delco starter that is not a poor reflection on whoever put the car together. The Delcos have about the same torque as a four-pole Prestolite and are a perfectly acceptable replacement so long as you're not concerned about originality.