mk1-forum.net

thought i'd share this with anybody that wants to hear about this....a month or two ago my girlfriend calls and says "come over tonight,i've got something for you.well it wasn't what i was thinking about,at least not about car parts anyway.she hands me a box that weighs about 8 or 10 pounds.i open it up and inside is a LUCAS RACING MAGNETO in beautiful condition and it works!it probaby would work well as a defibulater if you had a heart attack,don't ask how i know.i can't find a date on any part of it which i think is strange but it has the same drive as any a,b series engine and tr2,3,or 4 engine.i found a photo of Col. Goldie Gardners 1951 m.g.special at bonneville salt flats and it also used the same kind of magneto but not the same one as mine has the rubber protection boots.in the near future i'm going to install it in a race engine at the end of a dyno session to see how it works.i installed it on my '58 morgan +4 just to look at it but since the morgan's been changed to neg. ground i didn't start it up.this thing will look great sticking out the front of a mini. hope i didn't bore anybody with my story jw

What difference would the - earth make? The magneto is totally self contained with its own current generating system.

I agree with Ivor, the mag should function on its own. The small wire should be 'open' circuit to run the engine & 'grounded' to stop producing a spark.

Mike.