History How long have kill switchs been in use and do you use one?

I use a kill switch to cut off fuel pump and ignition. Handy when doing compression checks.

 

Had a toggle for the mag in the gasser and have a hidden rocker in the cab of my 78' Ranchero to stop the bad guys, both did the job very well

DND

 

I will when I wire my coupe.

 

My battery is in my trunk-behind a bulkhead. I use a kill switch for convenience and as a security measure


Drive Em

 

I have one in my Ford, came with the fuse panel in the harness kit. I do have a theft deterrent system, manual choke and a 4-speed. I was thinking of putting a 5 or 6-speed ball on the shifter to add to the confusion factor.
I recall back in the day where many kill switches were inside the front fender wells.

 

I have had 3 cars stolen, a 64 SS Chevelle 3 years old, a new 69 SS 350 Camaro, a new 73 Monte Carlo, from then on I have installed kill switches in a my nice cars, I am so paranoid that I have fuel pump kill switch on my under dash panel, a starter kill switch behind my seat pass side floor, a battery cut off switch on my battery in a locked trunk and sometimes I take the steering wheel off and take it with me, all this on my 32 Ford roadster. But if some asshole comes along with a wrecker truck it will be gone in 60 seconds or less!

 

3 cars stolen? man I can't blame you for being paranoid. HRP

 

Absolutely...........used a single-post w/plastic key in my avatar 39........have toggle switches in my other cars........unfortunately none of the above will stop a rollbed truck if someone really wants your car......

 

Installed one when I rewired my '39. Cheap insurance and piece of mind.

 

Have used them on most cars
Vintage or Rods

 

I had a friend who had his car set up so the cigar lighter had to be pushed in or the car would not crank. Another car nut had a line lock installed to lock the brakes when parked.

 

All mine are ignition kill switches used as a theft deterrent in all my cars (that run).

 

How did that work? when a conventional lighter heats up it pop out. HRP

 

I have 2 in the coupe, battery power kill on the back of the car, and one hidden for peace of mind.

 

I use them, cheap insurance against the amateurs. The pro's bring a truck.

 

When installing Vintage Air Sure Fit Gen lV units, you no longer utilize all the original heat and air controls. Think about where you might install an anti theft device.

Gary

 

Gary,that's a great idea,hide the kill switch in plain sight! HRP

 

Danny your absolutely right. Who would think to look there for an anti theft switch? Its not only in plain sight but is also right next to the ignition switch and no fumbling to throw the switch is required.

Gary

 

My favorite kill switch was one I saw on an old circle track modified (sorry I can't find the pix now). It was a simple three position toggle. In hand painted lettering beside the switch, the up position was marked "run," the center position was "off," and down position was labeled "kill." But was kill just redundant for off, or did "kill" get you 30 extra horses from nitrous, a rev limiter bypass, or what? LOL Gary

 

Couple of years back by me, the pros grabbed a '69 Camaro out of a fast food lot when the guy went inside to order. Witnesses said it took about 45 seconds.

 

when I was a kid, the mini bike had one. And one of my lawn mowers had one.

 

You remove the cigar lighter socket, disconnect the wire, and install a push-on\push-off switch right down the bottom. Of course the lighter will not work again, you are just using the lighter itself to push the switch on\off. Mount another working cigar lighter in the glove compartment. Now you know about how it works, please dont steal my car.
Another car I owned had a reed switch mounted across a small hole in the dash, which was covered by plastic trim. The reed switch was magnetically activated. I had a magnetic dashboard saint on the dashboard (bought by my Granma to keep accidents away, works so far!). To start the car I would just shift Saint Anthony over half an inch, it would pull in the reed switch, which would close a relay and let you crank. Some arsehole once busted the window, pushed the car into the street, got the ignition turned "on", but could not crank it, so left it there. thanks Saint Anthony! (Patron saint of hot rodding!)

 

That's a ingenious idea,now what was that address again? HRP

 

I left the keys in the Edsel many times in parking lots (and always when it was parked in my yard), but no one ever stole it. damn.

 

Jim,don't drive it to South Carolina and leave the keys in the ignition unless you really want it to disappear,thieves around here will actually steal a Edsel.. HRP

 

I'll clarify mine as a battery disconnect switch and not a "kill switch". The alternator output would need to go to the battery side of the kill switch to make it actually kill the vehicle while running.

I put mine between the battery and ground. The switch is under the bed of my truck and it's primary intention is to disconnect the battery for security and any possible electrical fires. To keep the radio stations set I ran a ground wire from the battery to ground and installed a 2.5 amp inline fuse. Beyond that I can start pulling fuses, coil, fuel pump...

 

Would that be St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231), perhaps best known of the eleven or more saints with the name Anthony, and widely venerated as patron saint for the recovery of lost items? Quite appropriate!

 

You can get very creative with Microswitches, especially the ones that have lever arms for activation.

I had one of these inside the driver's side armrest. It was activated by putting your hand inside the armrest and squeezing at the same time you turn the ignition key, otherwise the starter won't spin. I also put a toggle to disable the system in case of valet parking, mechanic shop, or lending out the car.

 

Yep, same one. He came from the same neck of the woods as my folks (Padua, Northern Italy).

 

I use a battery disconnect switch in everything I build! Near the driver.