Nope, the electrical connection goes through a wire that is attached to the brushes... the plastic spacer may not be helping but its not interfering with the flow..

The way this wire is attached to the brushes made me think that they are special order? I'll check out the hardware store as suggested.

I have a newer starter that works fine on this battery...

H'mmm, the bannana plugs on the end of the cord are smashed and bent, I'll check those, maybe I'm losing something there?

I'll play with it a bit more before I give up..

Thanks for the tips

steve