I have been having starter issues with my 61 Bird. Ignition turns, but only whirls... doesn't catch. The shop manual said it could be a dirty starter drive. I tried to pull the starter off, but with the shaft, there is just not enough room to pull it all the way clear. Then I did something really stupid and removed the end cap to try to get more room. Little did I know I just un-seated all the brushes inside. Now I have no way of re-seating them, because I can't get my starter off to do it.

Any suggestions on how to the get starter off would be greatly appreciated. I can't afford another trip to the auto repair shop. Thanks!

What is keeping the starter from moving far enough to be removed? Exhaust pipe? What ever it is, remove it and proceed. The starter drive will likely need to be replaced. If the commutator is sound, you may as well replace the brushes while you're at it. They are inexpensive. Be careful if you are thinking of buying a complete rebuilt unit. There is just so much junk out on the market these days. I use a small local stater shop that rebuilds them in house. If that's not an option for you, go to a real parts house and talk with them about a quality rebuild. You don't want to be doing this job over. Check the cables too. Bigger IS better in terms of wire guage although the earlier "Flo-thru" type starters worked pretty well even with stock cables. Good luck.

Thanks. It looks to be an engine brace that is in the way, which doesn't look like the easiest thing to remove... that's for sure. I suspect you are right on the starter drive.