Good to see that cyclone hasn't slowed down your progress.

I think Demacoz is using an EXA FWD starter on his and it's working fine. They are a little bit smaller and don't have threads in there locating holes so need a nut on the end of the two bolts that hold the starter to the block.

When I kicked mine over for the first few times all went well, but then the starter started making some concerning noises like it wasn't correctly engaging its gear with the flywheel. I luckily had a spare and put that in...which solved the issue.

Have a quick look on youtube and search on testing starter. With starter out of car there are several quick and easy tests you can perform with a screwdriver, battery cables and a battery.

Oh, make sure your battery has a good charge too, as the starter does put quite a load on it.

Great to hear the new power plant is coming to life!