Need Eisemann magneto help

[moparrob]

I have a 1915 Dodge Bros that originally had an Eisemann G4 (edition 1) magneto, which got sent out for a rebuild.  The rebuilder has since vanished and I do not have another Magneto. 

 

I would really like to get the car back on the road and am looking for options to solve my dilemma. Has anyone had success in swapping other magnetos for the original with any success.

 

If not, does anyone have a working unit they would be willing to sell?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[nearchoclatetown]

I have heard of tractor mags being used. Ernie Lawyer, who just past away, used an Atwater Kent on his '15 and I know he drove across the country a few times. He drove from Ca. to Gettysburg in 2010. Rodger, our four cylinder tech advisor has a replacement mag on his '15 for years. Check with him. There are G-4s around, sometimes at Hershey. Have you contacted Mark's Magneto, he may have a spare to sell.

[moparrob]

Thanks, I plan on calling Mark's this week.  Just thought I would check with the forum first to see if anyone had any alternatives.

[nearchoclatetown]

I have not dealt with Mark, but know several that have. They have never had any trouble. 

[Mark Gregush]

Where did you send it too?

Edited November 7, 2021 by Mark Gregush (see edit history)

[nearchoclatetown]

I think he didn't say where for a reason. It really means nothing at this point, he is moving forward.

[Mark Gregush]

The point of asking is maybe someone knows what is going on with the person that it was sent to. Also, would alert others not to send theirs to that person if they were thinking about it.

[edinmass]

Eisemann units are made of pot metal and known to be nearly impossible to restore if they were kept in less than optimal conditions. I would run a Bosch unit, tough as nails, not expensive, and easy to service and source parts. You need to know direction of rotation,  pad height to shaft, and length of coupler. Getting the drive set up will be more work and money than finding a mag. Here is what you need. 

[Minibago]

An option is to convert to a distributor.

I believe this would be an easier item to find in the USA.

US cars were converted by the Dodge Brothers in 1917 I think but here in Australia we kept the magneto until around 1925 however they are still hard to come by. Finding a complete working one is even harder.

I have a spare magneto that sparks but might need some TLC unfortunately they are heavy so expensive to freight and rare so a little expensive to buy.

i believe your best option is to source the distributor locally.

Again, hard to find complete but at least parts are available, points, rotor button, cap, condenser etc. 

[Benno75]

My Dad has a 22 Roadster. It originally had an Eisemann, but has a Simms 04 fitted at the moment. The Simms is also very easy to convert to a coil if you can’t find one with a decent spark. 

[moparrob]

Great news guys! We have found the rebuilder and he has confirmed he has the mag and will be rebuilding it for us.  So far so good.  Thanks for the info.

[Mattml430]

I’ve got this one here with all the 1918 spares. It works too, because it just belted me when I turned it. 
 

[nearchoclatetown]

Matt, how do the Aussie cars hold mags? The US cars which would be '14- mid '16 have a landing on the oil pan with holes for the mag to bolt to. Those pans are aluminum. Does the Sims mount the same as Eisemann? What does the dashboard switch look like?

[Mattml430]

Looks like it has a bracket that bolts onto the block Doug. 

[Mattml430]

The dash switch is part of the headlight switch. The key just turns clockwise. 

[Ron Lawson]

Doug we had magnetos on our DBs up until the mid to late 20s Not sure when they changed  About 25 or 6 I think Batteries were VERY  expensive down under and the mag type ignition just needed cranking to start the engine  Plus with the remoteness that these old DBs were used in batteries were not readily available Sometimes they operated 200 miles from the nearest town

[nearchoclatetown]

Thanks Matt and Ron. 

[Benno75]

21 hours ago, nearchoclatetown said:

Matt, how do the Aussie cars hold mags? The US cars which would be '14- mid '16 have a landing on the oil pan with holes for the mag to bolt to. Those pans are aluminum. Does the Sims mount the same as Eisemann? What does the dashboard switch look like?

Yep, the Sims mounts to the same bracket as per Matt’s photo

[nearchoclatetown]

Gee, I should have looked at my light repair truck, it has the same bracket. But You guys confirmed how the Sims mount. THANKS.

[JV Puleo]

The location of the shaft that drives the mag was Identical on virtually all automotive magnetos, as was the taper at the end of the shaft. They are almost completely interchangeable as long as they rotate in the proper direction and are of the correct type. Your best bet would be a Bosch DU4 - an excellent mag and extremely durable. Yes, they do occasionally have to be rebuilt but, buy and large, they were made to extremely high standards. They were also very expensive in their day.

[moparrob]

UPDATE! And thank you all again for your help.

 

We did get the mag back from the rebuilder, so we are ready to install it and get this car running again. The problem is that when he rebuilt it he did not return the adapter/drive plate, which is specific to this vehicle (1915 Dodge Bros).  We called him but he does not know what happened to it and he does not have another one handy to replace it with.

 

Fortunately my friend took a picture of it, and it looks like this:

 

 

I would greatly appreciate if anyone would happen to know where we can get one of these so that we can re-install the mag and bring this old girl back to life.  Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks again.

 

 

[edinmass]

I believe there is a company that makes and sells mag drive connectors. They may be in England. There are several styles and you need to know some basic information such as total length, shaft size, ect.......I’m sure there is a HCCA member who can chime in and help........

[Mark Gregush]

Which part is missing? The yoke or the rubberized disk? Myers Early Dodge or ROMAR Home Page should have the disk in stock. If it is the yoke, they may have one.

Link to disk;     https://www.myersearlydodge.com/image.php?ws_page=cooling.php&ws_image=DSCN0467.JPG

 

Re the yoke; keep your eyes on eBay. There are a number of G4's there now, but without yoke; https://www.ebay.com/sch/6000/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Eisemann   

https://www.ebay.com/sch/12576/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Eisemann

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by Mark Gregush (see edit history)

[moparrob]

Mark, thanks for the info.

 

It ends up he is only missing the rubberized disk, and not the yoke.  I checked the website for each of the vendors you mentioned but they do not show that part.  I have also emailed them to inquire further.

 

Much appreciated

 

[Minibago]

All good.

 

 

They are listed under “Materials”

[moparrob]

Thank you sir, that is IT.

[edinmass]

The technical name for the rubber drive doughnut is a Hardy Disk. They are common to drive water pumps and magnetos. You can use leather also. I made these for my Bosch magneto on my 1917 White. Took a few tries to get them perfect. They came out nice. You cut them when they are dry, and then soak them in Neatsfoot oil for a few hours. 

[Mark Gregush]

Sorry if the link to Myers catalog listing for the disk came right after the suggestion about the yoke. Glad that it is only the disk missing. Also listed under cooling.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Mark Gregush (see edit history)