Alright, I pulled the starter off many moons ago and I started messing with it since I've never dealt with a starter without a solenoid attached to it. In my finagling I got the starter stuck in the ingaged position. How do I release it?

 

You Broke it! Way to go... It's junk now. ! (ha ha)

No.. It doesn't matter, when you install it, either way, it will work fine. If you feel you must, can spin the starter drive against a wire wheel or something like that very fast (300+ RPM) and get it to unlatch that way with centrifugal force. There's also a method involving breaking off a pencil lead in one of the grooves or somesuch, but I can't remember how that works exactly. Google would help with that I bet. Don't worry though like I said, it will work fine.

 

Well the problem is, I hooked he starter up last night and i couldn't get it to turn over the engine
FYI: the ignition/ignition solenoid is not hooked up so I was just bumping the starter

 

It should work when installed. You can try spinning the bendix against a wire wheel or something like that if you have to get it backed off, it has to be fast though. Make sure engine is turning over OK, use a breaker bar on the damper bolt to be sure.

 

Yeah the motor rotates fine. And the starter worked when I had everything together.

 

What is this style of starter called?

 

Regardless of the solenoid style......it is still a "starter motor".
Once installed, it should work fine given the revolutions required to dis-engage it.....its all good.
Most folks are used to the starter with the integral solenoid. High revolutions will dis-engage it. It may be some work but.....after it is disengaged, remove the starter and check for gear wear/damage, then re-install if no damage is detected.
If there is damage to the gear then that is another issue such as alignment,etc.

 

For that matter do we know for a fact the starter is good?

So long as it's already de-installed rebuilding is a good idea anyway, the parts to do it are pretty cheap, and it's about as easy as it gets. Then you'll know the starter is good to go. With a commercially "rebuilt" starter it may have only received a paint job and little else.

A good healthy Ford starter is a thing of beauty. No sense putting a used starter back on. Pair it with a good solenoid too - NOS, fresh cables, etc and it's likely to last a long time and give good service.

 

Another little tidbit of information I was talking to my dad about it last night and he said that the jump pack that I was using is probably not putting out enough voltage so I'm going to hook a car battery up to it and see if that works L

 

You used a Jump Pack to start it....just asking

 

It was a battery charger with a jump mode one it. I assumed it would have worked the same

 

Starter works Haha. Put an actual battery on it with real battery leads and she spun right over