SBC Magneto to Flathead Conversion

I'm a kid building a 52' Mercury Flathead in shop. I wanted to run a mag. I herd that you can run a SBC magneto with a little machine work, is this possible? and if it is how? If it is I will probably borrow a flathead mag or distributor to copy the shaft measurements to do the machine work? Thanks, Max

 

I can't see why not, Chevy distributors are cut down to fit in flatheads.

I used a chysler distributor.

I liked to hear more about this .

 

I am running a vertex that was made for a sbc in mine, magtech in Speedway Indiana built it for me

 

This question has had me thinking about a mag also.
But there are a couple of "quirks" in the flat head ignition system that I haven't heard how you allow for them. (or that work properly)
Especially if the engine is BLOWN.

1. Ford used a vacuum break - the vacuum lifted the break plunger; - (up to 1948)

2. Then diaphragm, which is the opposite to conventional vacuum advance ignitions - but NO centrifugal advance.

The question that arose was "Where do you connect Vacuum ADVANCE"
when installing a magneto ignition with a blower (S.C.o T.) ??

 

Hi Dave,

Good to see you online! Hope you're feeling better!!

 

Mags normaly were mechanical advance only. So no worries about a vacuum advance. Remember mags were usually a performance item so the vacuum advance was not wanted/needed. To use a say Chevy mag in a flatty it would need to be re-curved for sure as a flathead does not like as much advance as a SBC.

 

Here is what we did to convert a Chevy - I don't think this is what you meant - in our case, it also had to be reversed...