Engines with Magnetos

[louisb]

Anyone got some good pics of engines with Magnetos? I know Dave Mason runs/ran one.

Thanks,

--louis

[speedwell]

here's the dark lord engine in 97 at bernie's house

[JSL]

My little one?

Cheers

J

[louisb]

That is sweet looking.

--louis

[Jim Ratto]

I'll see if I can dig up my old pic from 1992 when I had my Super Flow 2276 motor with my ex-boss' Vertex in it.

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

Heres Mine

[Cheesepanzer]

IMO, next to seeing a set of IDA's stuffed into a VW engine compartment, there's nothing else that makes such a dramatic difference to the "look" of a high performance VW engine.  I've considered running one for years, but with today's electronic ignitions, it seems there's nothing to be gained by running one....

Still, they look awesome sitting on top of our engines!

It used to be that you needed a special tach to read a magneto.  Will today's tachs read a mag or do you need some extra part?

[Shubee2 (DSK)]

Autometer makes a Mag Tach if you already have a standard Tach they make an adapter box to convert the tach for a Magneto

[.]

IMO, next to seeing a set of IDA's stuffed into a VW engine compartment, there's nothing else that makes such a dramatic difference to the "look" of a high performance VW engine.  I've considered running one for years, but with today's electronic ignitions, it seems there's nothing to be gained by running one....

Still, they look awesome sitting on top of our engines!

It used to be that you needed a special tach to read a magneto.  Will today's tachs read a mag or do you need some extra part?

Run a JOE HUNT just for the "MOJO" !
 

[louisb]

I just picked up a NOS Vertex Magneto for a good deal from a guy in Australia. He said he bought it in Germany. Going to send it to Joe Hunt to check it out and make some mods to it.  My Christmas present to myself. 

I feel like my nice little street engine is taking on a life of its own. Just how do you know when a project has gone to far? 

--louis

[Jim Ratto]

Just how do you know when a project has gone to far? 

--louis

either when you go broke or you hate driving it 

[Mike Maize]

Or your broke, its broke and you hated driving it!...

[Cheesepanzer]

Just how do you know when a project has gone to far? 

--louis

either when you go broke or you hate driving it 

Yep, pretty much when its not fun anymore. 

[Sarge]

My little one?

Cheers

J

Nice looking motor!  What do you know about the Ronco?  I see a VW/Audi logo, so maybe from an industrial motor?

[louisb]

My little one?

Cheers

J

Nice looking motor!  What do you know about the Ronco?  I see a VW/Audi logo, so maybe from an industrial motor?

As far as I can tell the Ronco is a Vertex like the Joe Hunt or Don Zig mag. They seem to make a lot for Chevy BB/SB motors & flatheads. The one I bought has the same tag on it with the Audi/VW logo.

--louis

[eugene]

I have a Scintilla magneto from a industrial engine laying around. Is possible to make it work on a street engine? The rotor is a funny looking arc-shaped peace of metal, not a bakelite one. The advance is 12° at 1750rpm or something. I plan to open it up someday ad see if i can adapt the advance mechanism somehow. What about the rotor? Its possible to fit a plastic-vertex? rotor in there or it will work with the metal one. The magnets would need recharging probably.

[JS]

Eugene, it sounds to me like you´re missing the rotor. The spring loaded arch shaped metal thing is the rpm limiter that you have to disable to run the mag in a car.
Unless you REALLY know what you´re doing I´d send it to Joe Hunt and let them fix the advance curve. They can do the 009 curve at least.

[airstuff]

Can anybody explain,how is the advance curve changed in magneto?How can this be done?

And also,is it a lot of work to lock out the magneto ? 

[Fastbrit]

If you remove the bottom section of the magneto, there is a pack of sliding weights, which are stamped with markings to show the advance curve. The rate of advance can be altered by changing these weights. Alternatively, the weights can be removed and replaced by a locking plate.

Ronco mags were used a lot in aviation applications and were available from VW. They are the same as any Vertex/Scintilla magneto.

[louisb]

If you remove the bottom section of the magneto, there is a pack of sliding weights, which are stamped with markings to show the advance curve. The rate of advance can be altered by changing these weights. Alternatively, the weights can be removed and replaced by a locking plate.

Ronco mags were used a lot in aviation applications and were available from VW. They are the same as any Vertex/Scintilla magneto.

This topic might make a good tech article. hint hint. 

--louis

[speedwell]

Can anybody explain,how is the advance curve changed in magneto?How can this be done?

And also,is it a lot of work to lock out the magneto ? 

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,2181.0.html

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,859.0.html

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3215.0.html

[louisb]

Can anybody explain,how is the advance curve changed in magneto?How can this be done?

And also,is it a lot of work to lock out the magneto ? 

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,2181.0.html

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,859.0.html

http://cal-look.no/lounge/index.php/topic,3215.0.html

This link from the first post has some really good tech info on mags.

http://www.fuelinjectionenterprises.com/magfaq.htm

http://www.fuelinjectionenterprises.com/magsngremlins.htm

--louis

[airstuff]

Thanks guys

I adore the look of the magneto

[wolfswest]

I would love to read the story again where Jim installed jerry's magneto and his engine turned into a mean firespitting mofo...    anybody can paste the link here?  that story really cracked me up.

[Jim Ratto]

I would love to read the story again where Jim installed jerry's magneto and his engine turned into a mean firespitting mofo...    anybody can paste the link here?  that story really cracked me up.

  you remember that? hahaha

here you go
Back 1991 or 1992 I had just put the Super Flow'd 2276 in my '67, after spending every cent I earned on the thing, back then was a full tilt street (?) motor for its time... 82 Scat crank, Bugpack race rods, 46 x 38 Super Flows, 9.2:1, 48 Webers, big merged, Berg K10 cam, but I was a real greenhorn, especially with the carbs, and really had no idea of how to make the Webers really happy, and my boss, who you've all read about, Jerry @ Buggy House, was always after me to stay late at the shop after hours and he'd help me get the thing to run right. There was one night I finally agreed and I'll never forget it. This was a few weeks before a VW drag day/show at Sears Point. So we shut the shop down, count the money from the day, back up computer, then we back my car into shop, about 7pm or so.... Jerry has me pull jet stacks, I think we started with 175 fuels or something, then ran the car around the block, and it was burping and stumbling as it came up on cam, so Jerry thinks we're rich, goes down on fuel jets, run around block again, now it revs up, but lays down up on top... so he tries air jets, no change... he decides the ignition is breaking up after 6Krpm, so we throw a Bosch Red on, no change, really... so he runs back to his racecar trailer, and comes walking back to shop with a locked Vertex and says "this f*cker ain't gonna give up at 8-grand! Gawdam thing will arc weld if you need it to...just rev the mutherf*cker!" I just stood there thikning "ok...." So we bolt in the car, he buzzboxes the timing in @ 36 (!), I go to fire car, of course the starter wants no part of this locked mag trying to turn the crank backwards, I glance worried at Jerry.... then he says "Don't turn the mutherf*ucker on before you crank it, you'll never get this bitch to fire!" so I click off ground, crank crank crank...finally fires up and it's idling up @ 2000rpm and the motor sounds pissed. I blip throttle and it barks back at me like a crazed dog. We turn the idle down back to 1100rpm, Jerry hops in driver's seat, I join him in passenger seat and we blast down the driveway, Jerry sending the car sideways past the dumpster and out to Mission Blvd. Foothill Blvd was up the hill, just east of Mission, and ran parallel to Mission down to Jackson, and it was our test and tune loop. Jerry turned off of Mattox on to Foothill and wooded the thing. I have no idea what rpms we were turning because I didn't have the right tach for the mag, but there was a clear advantage running the Vertex.... I could tell from Jerry's driving. We went into 3rd gear and he said "This f*cker's gonna KILL somebody if you're not careful.... Jeeeeezus jumped up chr-st!!!! Get me the f*ck out of this thing!" We were flying down Foothill past Grove, now in fourth, Jerry white as a ghost, and white-knuckled, but still in it...  I was holding on for my life. We came down A-St, back to Mission and Jerry's now short shifting the car and quiet. We get back to shop and he says "you can leave that mag in there for Sears if you want...  ain't no way that 009 is gonna let that f*cker run like that. You better start saving your money...."
And for about a month, I ran my car around that way, and I have to say, still to this day, nothing has ever made such an impression on me, as far as a big power change, as going from 009/Bosch coil to that locked Vertex. When I had to give the mag back and go back to the 009, it was like unplugging a cylinder.

 
 
 

[louisb]

Cool story. Say, you have not made any changes to that motor in at least a month have you? 

--louis

[javabug]

That IS one of the best stories around.

[Jim Ratto]

Cool story. Say, you have not made any changes to that motor in at least a month have you? 

--louis

Hi louisb, nope, nothing's changed

[eugene]

Cool! I will definitely  open up my scintilla next week and post some pictures. Then we'll se what can be done.

[wolfswest]

Oh man what a story! love it jim! 

Why didn't you save up for a magneto if it was THAT good?