Direct copy of a reply in another thread. Yeah, it threw me too in another post. Full disclosure, @41 GMC K-18 is the original artist, and I chose to change my avatar a while back and PM'ed him about the change when I did. It's his work, his choice to use it and it still makes me smile. Just keeping everyone on their toes! and no, I didn't shave and cut my hair!
I am just having a bit fun via my ability to be a creative wise ***! As soon as @Ryan does find the type of magneto kill switch that he is happy with and reveals it to us all, then I will change the avatar to something else that will halt the confusion and potential LSD flashbacks! Thanks from Dennis.
A lot of Miller powered Indy cars use a t******* great big thing that a really don’t like in a hot rod.
I would imagine a race car needs to have controls the driver can find and use even with gloves on and with limited visibility at speed etc. I think if the equipment fits the era and style of the build it's a natural choice. those examples would be right at home in a prewar hot rod, maybe not so much in a post war car
If you have a store that sells electronic or military surplus in your area, go browse the shelves. In the Minneapolis - St. Paul area there's Axman Surplus, I go there periodically just to look around at all the cool stuff and I often find things I never knew I needed. They have all kinds of neat switches that could be repurposed for this sort of thing.
Not the solution for Ryan's question, but some learnings I had in wiring my FED. I needed a master switch that killed both the battery and the magneto. Did not want to use relays. The only combined switch I could find was the Flaming River FR1010. FR1010 - Combination Magneto & Battery Kill Switch Had to mortgage a kidney to import one. Well built, and looks close enough to 60's period correct once the decals were removed. I thought long and hard about kill switch position on the dash. Advice from a (very) well-seasoned ch***is builder was to make it easy (one movement) for the driver when things go pear-shaped. Chute lever is at the driver's right shoulder, brake lever near the right knee. So when it all goes wrong, right hand comes off the steering ****erfly, comes up to a near-salute and then down to release the chute. Hand keeps moving down and forward to the dash, slapping downwards to kill the magneto and isolate fuel. Hand continues motion down to knee height and pulls back on brake lever. Driver continues to hold ****erfly with left hand. Cheers, Harv
A little OT first I know nothing about mag kill switches and have nothing to offer however….. for the driver when things go pear-shaped Pear shaped ? I’ve had **** go sideways, and upside down I’ve had SHTF but I’ve never been pear shaped. Love it
On my blown Alt with Mag blower I had 2 kills one on rear & one in ****pit hooked together. Then another with Mag & battery I used a master on rear for batt tandem with hime connected to Mag kill , ****pit 2 separate switches. Mag & power , Tractor & small engine have switches When Key off rest @ ground for Mag style Ignition
Very nice, minimalist and reliable ignition switches were installed in motorcycles from World War II - BMW R75 and Zundapp KS750. Today you can buy new replicas. Here you can see it: https://oldtimer-boxer.com/ignition-switch-ks-750-r-75/ https://oldtimergarage.eu/pl/electric/240-ignition-switch-bmw-r75-zundapp-ks750.html
“something has gone pear-shaped” is a pretty common expression in Australia. I had never thought about its origin - Google says that it comes from our UK mates airforce (RAF) in the 40s, and used to describe aerobatics loops that had gone wrong. cheers, Harv
That flyscreen mesh size is huge… suits mosquitos in Darwin Speedway window mesh? Car looks too nice for a roundy-round. cheers, Harv
Hey guys hurry up and find Ryan a switch so he can get the bad boy mag installed. Then we’ll get some photos! Dan
here are some more to look at Cole Hersee Push-Pull Magneto Switch 50203-BX COLE HERSEE 50002-BX 50002 Napa ECH SW183 Cole Hersee 50036-BX
When I build a car like my avatar 34 3W, I ask myself, what would I have done in 1959/60 when I was in high school. In this case, I run the mag P lead through the 36 Ford column drop. Simple and cheap and no br*** mag switch cluttering up my dash. Then a simple push ****on starter.
My brother's idea of the only flip switch on a small plate to be installed on our 1940 Willys Coupe build. Hello, My brother installed an on/off switch for the Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto we got from Reath Automotive. It was new and specific to the SBC motor. The switch was on the dash of the 40 Willys Coupe. It was on the right side of the steering wheel. We were both right handed and for us, the right side felt better, like our other sedans. A Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto for the SBC motor. An Edlebrock blower manifold with a new Isky-Gilmer Belt drive kit. 1960 Joe Hunt Magneto: The word Scintilla was in the description, as it was from a company in Europe called Scintilla. Then all Vertex Magnetos were modified by Joe Hunt for the USA drag racing scene. It was one of the most popular versions for SBC motors: It was very prominent on every motor, due to it sticking up at the back of each SBC manifold. If 671 or a smaller 471 blower was installed, then it was slightly hidden from view. But, an injected SBC motor and front mount supercharger motors gave a clear view of the installation. An old Friday Artwork design... Jnaki When we were in the throes of building the new 292 c.i. SBC motor with a 671 supercharger, the Hunt Magneto was suggested to us. We got one to install during our build and it worked fine for all of the runs. One day towards the final build and start up in our backyard garage location, my brother was inside the cab sitting. He was waiting for me to clear everything away from the Willys Coupe and wanted to start, back up and go for a short drive around the block. We had never started the new 671 supercharged motor. So, my brother was getting anxious. My job was to do the final check on the motor, shut the hood and then get inside for the first wild ride down the block. So, I reached for the hood to close it. Then my brother told me to check the plug wires that went to our new Lodge spark plugs. In our old 283 motor, we used the local Champion spark plugs. This time we got a set of pink Lodge plugs. So, as I reached in to check the plug wires and took off the cap, I got the shock of my life. My arm went back so fast I did not know why it was behind me when I was just reaching for the plug wire. Rajah cap and started to check the connection. My brother had played a trick on me and turned on the switch for the ignition. I have been shocked before as we all have from the 12 v system. But this time, the power was such that as I grabbed the Rajah end clip and started to reattach it to plug #1 the shock ran through my hand, arm and now my arm was behind me. Note: I was “shocked” (pun intended) and now I could see and hear my brother laughing inside the cab. He was pointing to me and even laughing harder. His eyes were watering and to me, at first it was not funny. But then, I realized that was his way to tell me we are on our way to the races… YRMV
what's the story on the Olds there? looks like a '60 ish 371/394, maybe recent build with the modern Joe Hunt label mag?
Hello, Now that I have enlarged the photo, it does look like an Olds Motor. Good spot on the important detail. Here is why I thought it was an SBC motor with a 671. Back in 2017, the original Lion’s Dragstrip museum was just getting together. I was allowed to walk around the whole complex to see what was going where. One part of the displays knocked me back a few steps. A red primer painted 1941 Willys Coupe was sitting there with black rims and even an exact copy of our black front tow bar that should fit on the bumper brackets. 2017 photos When I asked the guy from the museum who was very informative, he said that red primer 1941 Willys Coupe was a find the owner of the museum had from the early 60s. Now, the sight of the red primer paint on a set of black rims started the questions. That was the same color and supercharged SBC motor we had in our own 1940 Willys Coupe build. Early 1960s? 671 SBC Willys in the Lions Dragstrip Pits in 1960. If I did not think it was the same Willys that we left in a salvage yard back in 1960, this could have been a duplicate, except for the twin grille pieces on our own street legal C/Gas coupe. When I asked him about the 671 supercharged motor in the back wall behind the Willys Coupe, the answer was a 671 on an SBC motor. At the time, I took a photo and saw the same Joe Hunt magneto we also had on our 671 SBC motor. So, not going closer for a better look, the rest of the museum Willys Coupes/Sedans, Station Wagon and Sedan Delivery hot rods drew me in for a closer look. I would look at the photos later at home. The color, black rims, 671 SBC motor + the Hunt mag (sitting behind the coupe), level stance, etc…all were things that go “chill…goosebumps…” Even the black tow bar that was sitting on the floor below the grille was part of the flashback. We had the second Isky Gilmer 671 Supercharged Blower Drive/Belt combo in the western states. The first was at Isky Cams and we happen to have our hands on the next unit. No other 671 supercharged set up for any motor was available, except for Hemi Motors. So, when the guy from the museum said the motor came from the early 1960s, I took it to be an SBC motor when the Isky Gilmer Belt Drives were finally on the market. Then as those came on the market, the other model/brands 671 supercharged motor set ups became popular. I was in such a state seeing the red primer Willys Coupe that when the talk was about putting the supercharged motor in the Willys Coupe was mentioned, he still said it would be a simple fit for the SBC motor. Again, I should have walked closer and inspected the motor for more details… Sorry that was the information I got from the guy who took me around various places at the museum and explained each section/cars on display. Note: On the most recent photo from the Lion’s Museum, I noticed the photo I took of the Oldsmobile motor has changed. The Oldsmobile motor is now sitting behind the SEC light blue coupe, who actually had a supercharged Olds Motor for its historic runs back in those early days. Now, it fits the builds shown on display. Note 2: As far as the Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto is concerned, they were popular on most race cars with a dark red cap. The more modern Hunt Magnetos have black caps and are built a little differently.
The secondary side of a maggie has plenty of zap - 10's of thousands of volts. This is more than enough to make you do the Scintilla Shuffle. The ground-to-kill switch however is ont he primary side. The primary side of a maggie is normally low amps (around 5A for HAMB-friendly kit) and low voltage (typically 12V or so). A normal NAPA switch would do the job. However, when the maggie points open though there is a good size voltage spike induced in the primary side - around 200-400V or so for a typical automotive magneto. This means the kill-to-earth switch needs to be good for about 5A and 12V, but also needs arc resistance for around 400-ish volts. Inernals of the switches need good insulation, and typically larger air gaps between the zappy parts. Some of the NAPA-grade switches may not cut the mustard. They bench test OK, but intermittently let the 400V flow to earth. This gives a nasty-*** intermittent ignition miss that is hard to track down. Places like Hunt offer switches that look like NAPA-grade, but have better internals: Kill Switch - Joe Hunt Magnetos Hope this helps. Cheers, Harv
ck in on this every so often--this topic has legs!--laugh when i think how every single tractor mag just has the little 'flex' bar kill ****on-so simple!
Just remember to NOT touch the ground bar, and the spark plug terminal with your finger before the bar touches it. Shocking…
FWIW, on Lucas mag-equipped bikes, the kill switch just grounds to the handlebars with a pretty crude contact. On hillclimb bikes back in the 70's, their dead man switches were pieces of hacksaw blades taped to the handlebars with a plastic card on a lanyard attached to the rider's wrist keeping the blade from grounding.
I little OT , but could be up used for mag ground also . Years ago I had some cone shaped nuts that held toggle switches in place and also acted as a safety to prevent accidental operating on the switch . Anyone know I could locate these today ? Thanks
My tastes have evolved over the years. I agree with Ryan on avoiding the surplus chic. My dash probably would have looked different 25 years ago. Much more busy looking and more dodads! My mag kill switch is on the lower right. I thought a chunky switch or dial would look out of place. The basic toggle has never failed me. Even in the rain.
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