  We carry out the spectral analysis of matrix valued perturbations of
3-dimensional Dirac operators with variable magnetic field of constant
direction. Under suitable assumptions on the magnetic field and on the
pertubations, we obtain a limiting absorption principle, we prove the absence
of singular continuous spectrum in certain intervals and state properties of
the point spectrum. Various situations, for example when the magnetic field is
constant, periodic or diverging at infinity, are covered. The importance of an
internal-type operator (a 2-dimensional Dirac operator) is also revealed in our
study. The proofs rely on commutator methods.
