[LetsFNgo]

I can post an update today. I ended up bringing the mag out to PA to be rebuilt by a gentleman who worked for Vertex until they were sold to Taylor in 1992. He rebuilds vertex mags almost everyday.
This mag was a gigantic piece of shit that never would’ve run in installed. For several reasons actually.
The hole I first saw is housing porosity. It’s there because Joe Hunt used a basically junk bottom and top housing to assemble this used hodge podge magneto. The bottom and top half of this mag aren’t pressed together properly because they’re machined as a matched set and these weren’t matched. It should’ve been noted when I bought it, and it was definitely dropped and the housing has another small crack in it. But isn’t anything keeping it from running.
What was keeping it from running is the fact that Joe Hunt assembled this magneto to turn the wrong direction. They built it as a counter-clockwise mag when AMC mags turn clockwise. After inspection it was also found the driveshaft and spindle were too long vs their spec drawing and would’ve bottomed out into the oil pump drive before ever seating into the timing gear case.
Also of note was that the whole magneto was dry. Joe Hunt assembled it with zero lube on any component or bushing and it would’ve burned up if it had been run.

Ultimately I’m not sure who to blame on this. The hole in the case was there and hidden by the seller. But I’m not sure I can blame him for the horrendous assembly job done by Hunt.
Luckily I ended up in the right place with a knowledgeable guy. He swapped all the parts to clockwise rotation, machined a new shaft from a Chevy shaft since he didn’t want to cross drill the gear pin, and reassembled and checked the mag while I waited and hung out with him. He also removed the Joe Hunt tag and installed an old Ronco tag to match the time period I’m building for.

The two pictures I’m posting are of the gentleman machining the new shaft and putting the oil pump drive groove in it, and testing the mag when it was all said and done.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment and make fun of my terrible luck.