I recently purchased a '26 Speedster with a Bosch side-drive magneto. It was running fine and all of a sudden quit and won't restart. I suspect the points may be the problem. There appears to be some metal filings under the points cover. Does anyone know of a person or shop in the California central valley that could or would work on this car? Any help would be appreciated. Steve

Steve
Contact Jack Hurt 707-544-1026 or Ed Strain 727-521-1597. They both can rebuild this type of magneto.
Ron the Coilman

Actually, what probably happened is the condensor quit. On a high tension mageto, the condensor is wrapped into the armature windings. It doesn't come out easy, and is not something you can fix by your self. The best person to rewind an armature and do a magneto rebuild is Ed Strain in Pinellas Florida, 1-800-266-1623. Other things to keep in mind: On a Bosch magneto, the points should be gapped at .018-.020 and the spark plugs should be gapped no greater than .022 (but less is better). By gapping the spark plugs at "normal" Model T gap (.025-.035) you run the risk of damaging the magneto. Another important factor in the magneto is to beware that the old shellac can melt and literally glue the armature to the housing. This bonding is so strong that it can shear the teeth of the timing gears or break the tip off the camshaft. When this happens, it happens instantly, no warning is given! For these reasons, it is best to have the magneto rebuilt by a professional who will also rewind the armature. The magnets on a high tension magneto also tend to loose their charge and need to be recharged relatively frequently. If you read the old repair manuals, such as Dykes, etc, they recommend recharging the magnets at the beginning of every driving season.
Good Luck. GZ M.D. (Magneto Doctor)

Thanks Ron and Guy! I'll let you know how it turns out. Steve

Ron (Coilman) and Guy (Magneto Doctor), Thanks for your help. It's running fine now! I removed the points case and found the jam nut that holds the point gap had backed off and the points then closed. The nut spun around against the case and left metal shavings all over the inside. I cleaned it all up, reassembled it, gapped the points to .018 and the plugs to a tight .022 and she fired immediately. It's a tough set of points to get to, but I picked up a whole lot of experience. Thanks again for your help! Steve

Hi All,

I have just removed my bosch side-drive today to send out and have it rebuilt. The question that I have, which I will be losing sleep over, is how do you know the correct way to line up the gears again? I can see this being one of my worst nightwares. Thanks for you help.