Anyone mess around with magnetos for the 308 engines?

I’ve run M5 auto advance mags on some old race cars and was thinking why couldn’t I run a couple on the 308 engine. Discuss
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Umm..erm.. because we have batteries.

Anything is possible I suppose, if you really wanted to.

But why?

 

Just a stand alone system, maintenance free for years. I had a 65 year old Wico mag powering a hopped up 4 cylinder that would throw a spark across the room (not really)

 

It looks like you would be about $2,000 into that system for a V8 unless you split the wires and ran it in wasted spark. I could think of a lot better ignition systems that could be put together at that price point.

There were a couple of ignition system options posted on pages 2 and 3 of this other recent thread https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/308-with-sprint-pack-option-anyone-have-one.636154/page-2 "308 with sprint pack option"

I would personally be surprised if the magneto system was able to outperform dual MSD boxes or the NFF XDI system which would both cost less. Currently I have the dual pertronix system on my car and it seems to run pretty dang good. Heck I bet I could get close to the $2,000 price point with a MegaSquirt 3X in spark only mode, NFF 60-2 trigger wheel, and LS1 coil packs and then have something I could tune with a laptop on a dyno

Getting back on topic. Maybe a fun project to do with a magneto on a carbed 308 would be to also add a mechanical fuel pump and a hand crank, then eliminate the alternator and battery and all of the wiring? I bet you would pick up 10whp losing the alternator, and also drop at least 75lbs off the car between the alternator, battery, and the wiring. The ultimate performance mod that none of us have considered until now?

 

Still stuck with a dumb mechanical advance system. Race cars and airplanes have no need for a well developed timing advance and magnetos give it to them. Basically 2 settings, Idle and on power. Street cars need much better and refined curve and ideally far more advanced with more influences than just RPM. .
Great ignition system in 1950. Also places high loads on drive and would not bode well for being driven by a timing belt.