I decided to replace my starter this weekend since I was getting the one click syndrome and it was getting worse and worse.

The teardown was a beast, but i got it in ok. I used every every piece of advice i saw on this board about mounting the starter.
I cleaned the mating surfaces to a brilliant shine.
I supported the starter a bit so it would be straight.
I tightened the bolts, tapped the starter with a mallet, tightened again.

When i finish putting everything back together and go to start it, i get a terrible zip noise which I assume means the starter isn't seated properly.


I tried tightening the 2 mounting bolts, but it does the same thing.
Are there any people out there who were able to correct this? Is there anything I can do to fix this without having to take the whole ****ing engine apart again?
Thanks for any help in advance.