Posted for Walter Atkinson <walter@advancedpilot.com>:

 Craig:
 
 In all of that, you were, in each case, discussing a non-conforming engine.
 No, it won't work right like that.  It shouldn't be expected to.
 
 Then you say <I also believe that if all the ignition hardware is functioning
satisfactorily, then "that is all there is to it". >
 
 Then add,  <the auto industry has evolved for mags, to battery ignition, to
HEI , to individual coils at each cylinder with very short secondary leads.>
 I guess you are unaware that many big radial engines had that kind of
ignition setup as far back as the 1940s.
 
 I guess I missed the point of your post.
 
 Walter