kill switch

-
Canuck Bryan

Canuck Bryan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Messages
103
Reaction score
1
Location
alberta
Planning on doing something to slow down the average car thief given how easy it is to hotwire these old cars.

What I am thinking is running the heavy gauge wires which run to the ohm meter through the "rear air" toggle switch. Does anyone know the rating of the factory switch for a 1971 Plymouth duster?

Any other thoughts on how to best do a kill switch that isn't overly obvious?

Thanks,
Bryan.
 
Canuck Bryan said:
Planning on doing something to slow down the average car thief given how easy it is to hotwire these old cars.

What I am thinking is running the heavy gauge wires which run to the ohm meter through the "rear air" toggle switch. Does anyone know the rating of the factory switch for a 1971 Plymouth duster?

Any other thoughts on how to best do a kill switch that isn't overly obvious?

Thanks,
Bryan.
Click to expand...


when i had my dart as my daily driver i had a simple kill switch in the trunk. when i parked it i would just pop the trunk and throw the switch.
 
I've seen the fuel pump switch wired into the windshield wiper switch. If you have wipers this may not work, but maybe give you an idea.
 
what about wiring something through the MSD 6al ignition box? I have heard you can ground the "white" wire. Anyone done this through a switch?
 
What ever you do you need to make it so that it is not obvious what you are doing. Switch in the trunk? If somebody were watching your car and seen you open the trunk it would not be all that difficult for them to get into the trunk to flip the switch.
 
inkjunkie said:
What ever you do you need to make it so that it is not obvious what you are doing. Switch in the trunk? If somebody were watching your car and seen you open the trunk it would not be all that difficult for them to get into the trunk to flip the switch.
Click to expand...

Same goes for fumbling under the dash or under the hood. Been doing some research this morning and might go with a passive RFID type switch.

Wiring the ohm meter wires effectively turns off all power so the radio will have to be reset every time and that is a pain.
 
By "ohm meter" I think you mean ammeter. NO!!! No switch in the car is that big, it would have to carry all alternator/ vehicle current, might be as much as 40 amps or more

Look up and read the MSD destructions. I believe you ground the white wire which would be used with a breaker points distributor. Without an electric fuel pump, this would be your best bet.

There also exist fuel shut off valves, but it might be cheaper to buy a 3 hole fuel selector valve and just plug one port. Figure out which ports pass fuel with the coil energized and use them. Then just wire to a switch, through a fuse and to switched ignition and the thing will start and run just fine----until the carb goes dry.
 
67Dart273 said:
By "ohm meter" I think you mean ammeter. NO!!! No switch in the car is that big, it would have to carry all alternator/ vehicle current, might be as much as 40 amps or more

Look up and read the MSD destructions. I believe you ground the white wire which would be used with a breaker points distributor. Without an electric fuel pump, this would be your best bet.

There also exist fuel shut off valves, but it might be cheaper to buy a 3 hole fuel selector valve and just plug one port. Figure out which ports pass fuel with the coil energized and use them. Then just wire to a switch, through a fuse and to switched ignition and the thing will start and run just fine----until the carb goes dry.
Click to expand...

Yep - my bad. I meant ammeter. Figured it would take a pretty big switch. Ruled that out anyways all ready due to the inconvenience, it only came to mind as when I was first trying to fire up the car I had to have the ammeter connected or nothing got any power.
 
Use a fat relay and wire through the "Am"meter as you suggested, with a power feed to the radio. Hidden relays work, just take the relay with you when you park.

My personal fave: Ground out the MSD or ignition module or coil and put a sizable fuse in the circuit. The car runs without the fuse, but most thieves won't think to pull a fuse to make it run. Blade fuses aren't some thing they can rob from another circuit in our cars, and most people don't carry 'em.

Interrupts to the electric fuel pump work well, too. Especially if you kill a minute before you park. Installing switchery from other vehicles is also possible, just use relays as needed. I'd tell you what I have in my car, but then everybody would do it ;-)
 
you could use an aftermarket switch, run it up through the cig lighter in the ash tray. Just hollow out the lighter part to slide over the switch
 
use the white wire if you have an MSD. run it to a hidden switch. On another car, I used the coil power wire.
 
I found the starter relay for a manual transmission car at the local junkyard. I ran a wire from the ground terminal to the cigar lighter center connection. Car will not start unless the cigar lighter is pushed in. At a car show I just pop the lighter in my pocket.
 
mopardude62 said:
I found the starter relay for a manual transmission car at the local junkyard. I ran a wire from the ground terminal to the cigar lighter center connection. Car will not start unless the cigar lighter is pushed in. At a car show I just pop the lighter in my pocket.
Click to expand...


Frankly, this is easy to bypass and on a 69/ earlier car, the thief may never know the difference. Without a hood lock, I could hot wire my old 69 RR faster than I could dig the keys out of my pocket, unlock the door and start it.

A clip lead from the starter relay battery terminal to the ballast resistor and "any piece of metal" to jam in the starter relay is all you need.
 
Don't know if it's possible in our older Mopars, but the original owner of my '95 Ram 2500 wired an ignition "kill" through the turn signal lever. To start my truck you need to pull the turn signal lever toward you while turning the key in the ignition switch.
If you don't pull the lever toward you, nothing happens - no click, nothing.
 
You need to disable something that thieves are not likely to see, realize, or be able to figure on quickly. Disabling the starter cranking circuit is a waste of time, because any good thief can just jumper the starter solenoid.

This is why killing the fuel pump relay is good, and might even be a good reason to switch to an electric pump.

Grounding the coil NEG is OK if you do NOT have MSD, and with MSD grounding the white "Might" be OK, ..............GEE ............ I wonder how many thieves "have" "the internet" and might be really ready for THAT??

I'm not sure how else you could disable an MSD

That's why I suggested a fuel selector valve. You CAN buy electric shutoff valves, as well

This is a Standard. Pollak and others make them, not that expensive

$T2eC16J,!%290E9s37F,pwBRLErhydCQ~~60_35.JPG
 
67Dart273 said:
LOL. Been lot'sa cars stol' out'ha garages, LOL
Click to expand...

Easy anti-theft feature there.


Leave a light on in the house, and scatter tons of .50 BMG Cartridges all over the garage floor, with targets stacked beside the car marked for a distance of 1 mile...

Suddenly no one will want to take the car. :D
 
put my toggle switch where you would adjust the seat forward or back low enough to not seen turn car off just reach down flip switch not to obvious motor will crank but not start
 
"My engineer friend" who died................when younger designed up a circuit that read (decoded) brake pedal switch action.

He was a radio amateur and commercial maritime radio op (worked for Scripps Institute) and so when you got into the truck you sent something on the brake pedal in Morse.

I don't remember, anymore, might have been the letters CW...... Dah di dah dit...........di dah dah

Or maybe it was just "X" but that would then unlock several circuits in the truck.........the fuel pump relay, the ignition, etc. If you did NOT send the unlock, jumpering the starter would blow a fuse and render it inoperative. This was a (then new) '70 Chev K200 so it was easy to hot wire. I also "taught him" to run a chain through the hood hardware---difficult on Mopars-- and lock the hood with a padlock.
 
Lot of good suggestions , but locking your hood and a hidden battery disconnect
switch or hidden coil kill are your best bet. But most important is locking the hood down. Any good mechanic or thief can start your car from under the hood . I think the real pro scum bags just tow them or trailor them away. I hate thieves. Got robbed last december , still not over it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Wheels said:
Lot of good suggestions , but locking your hood and a hidden battery disconnect
switch or hidden coil kill are your best bet. But most important is locking the hood down. Any good mechanic or thief can start your car from under the hood . I think the real pro scum bags just tow them or trailor them away. I hate thieves. Got robbed last december , still not over it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

How did you lock your hood?
 
I'm gonna go ahead and say what needs to be said. If someone REALLY wants your car. They will get it.

Locking your hood is a good idea. I'd install a set of hood pins in reverse or something to that general gist. You want the lock to be hard to get to, not visible unless they are really looking for it, and somewhere you can still get the key in it. Like behind the headlights.

BUT, as Inkjunkie said, someone will eventually see this conspicuous action and use it for their gain.

My plan of action, eventually is this: kill fuel pump relay, like 67Dart273 said. Ground coil negative through open cigarette lighter so they cant start it without it. And some kind of wheel disconnect hub. So you can just take the wheel with you and have you wheels cut as hard as possible to one side so its much harder to tow
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top