Ok so it took me a little longer than expected to get to this but...
I removed the starter today & sure enough it does look very new, a remanufactured Champion unit. There is a starter & alternator place just a stones throw away from me so I'll ask them to check that it works as it should & that it is the correct unit.
Now that I can see the ring gear I can tell that the teeth are in good order but.........and it's a big but.........I can turn the ring gear by hand, very easily.
I had a friend turn the motor by hand whilst I looked in through the starter opening - the ring gear does not turn with the motor!! There is a small amount of play in the fore & aft movement of the ring gear piece as well.
My friend & I think that the pressure plate / ring gear piece has somehow come loose from the crankshaft (either the bolts have sheared or fallen out) meaning that the starter spins the tranny but not the motor.
I'm going to move the car to another friends place with more equipment on hand & we'll pull the tranny away from the motor to see what we can see but any thoughts on this folks?
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