[Thomas Sargent]

Now starter bendix is clear of ring gear when relaxed. Now when starting the starter is noisy but quiet when the engine starts. Pulled the starter and observed no sign of contact anywhere on bendix or on pan or the round can extension. Drilled observation hole in pan. I can see clearly that the pinion is behind the ring gear, Will do more troubleshooting when we get the engine running again. We are waiting on a EFI throttlebody from Autotrend in CA and have the carb off.