Does anyone know how to connect a Stewart-Warner Wings tach to a Vertex magneto? My car is running an old Mallory dual point that I had in high school now. The tach connects to the negative terminal of the coil. The only connection on the mag is the kill terminal. One of the guys I work with says that the kill terminal will burn up the tach. He said that Stewart-Warner could put a resistor in it. I called them, but I could not get any answers. Can anyone help?

The dragsters used vertex mags over a many year span and used tachs with them. Altho I don't know how they did it, I'm very surprised Vertex was no help. How about all ya racers and ex types, some of ya used the vertex and tachs!!!
That's a real pretty engine btw...
Fred P
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Fred P.

B'leve those magnetos ran mechanical tachs.
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Fred aka ZZFord or 33Highboy

mount a pick-up to the damper pulley that should do it they reed off a mag. tape that you install

Thanks for all of the info. I decided not to run the mag. I put in a Delco Remy marine electronic distributor that has an electronic vacuum advance. It is like a small diameter HEI. I has a separate mount epoxy filled coil good to 9000 rpm (I won't need that). They make them as after market units to update an older boat without electronic ignition.

Let us know how the marine HEI works out.I would like to replace my standard HEI for a smaller unit.Where did you find the distributor and what was the cost?What year would I ask for or do you have a part number that I could use?...Ray
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Grump

I will get the part number for you. I work for the old Delco Remy(Delphi now) so I don't know what the cost is. I drove the car around Sunday and everything worked fine. My computer is down so I have to use one at work so it might take me a few days to respond.

It is called a Delco Voyager marine distributor ignition system. The kit no. for a 5.0 and a 5.7 litre V8 is 10457092. The kit includes instruction sheet, distributor, ignition coil, coil harness, initial timing connector, coil splice lead, shift interrupt connector, secondary leads, screws, washers, and butt splice connectors. If you want to put one together yourself, all you need is a 99 mm distributor with a GM no. 18139399 module. It electronically advances the timing 23.5 degrees plus the initial with out using a computer.