Words and Photos Cam Benty

Exhaust headers are the devil. I mean, really.

In position and ready for wiring hook up, the starter looks great and should handle anything the LS3 engine requires.

Any performance engine these days is usually equipped with headers to extract the highest amount of horsepower possible. But in most cases, they come with a huge number of headaches, since they snake their way through the engine compartment, wrapping around the steering column and flowing between the frame rail and the fender well to their final exit. So, when it comes to starters, getting one to fit can be hugely problematic.

Enter the PerTronix Contour Starters that are, at the very least, the coolest looking starters to come along in a very long time. But in addition to striking good looks, they feature powerful Nippondenso electrics with a 4.4:1 gear ratio and more than 200 lb-ft of torque (your Prius should be jealous). What this means is if you have a high compression engine, these starters are more than up to the task of spinning them, regardless of heat soak or external temps.

Equally impressive is the starter mount technology. Each starter is fitted with a mounting plate that can be adjusted to allow rotation of the starter to avoid such things as — you guessed it — header tubing. In addition, you can angle the starter to increase the degree of ease for wiring harness hook up, another super nice feature.

Standard starter bolts were used to bolt the starter to our LS3 engine. PerTronix includes instructions on how to check for proper starter gear engagement during installation. Our starter fit perfectly on the first check.

In our testing, we rotated the starter for our engine in every angle possible, the starter’s adjustable mounting block attached to the starter with a pair of Allen screws that can be easily removed and re-inserted at the requested mounting plate angle. At first, we tried pulling out the Allen screws by pulling on the block, but the starter comes apart if you do. No worries, just place the check ball in the right place and you are back in business. We suggest using a magnet to remove the screws, rather than our more involved technique.

The PerTronix starter is available in a wide range of fitments, including small- and big-block Chevy, GM LS engines, Ford 221-302/5.0, 351W and 351C, Mopar small and big blocks, L6, 318 poly, and Olds/Pontiac engines. While our starter was high polished, they are also available in black powder coat finish.

Source: PerTronix, Pertronix.com