Does anyone know how I can wire up my '70 truck for a toggled ignition, key switch is bad and I would rather wire up a toggle than replace it.

 

Beast....I dont think I would go that route...Its ok for race cars...because your usually not far from them.....Going with a toggle start would make it to easy for someone to steal your truck???

Russ

 

I did this once in another vehicle, only becasue I was too cheap to buy a new switch. Basically you need a couple of switches (three total I think). Test the wiring to find which wires have constant power with each turn of the key. The last one is the toggle, this wil be for the wire requiring a short duration of juice. Oh, and just whereabouts are you in SD?

--Mike

 

These trucks are already easy to steal. Anyone can just bring their own ignition switch and steal our trucks. Locking our trucks is the only thing we can do to slow them down from stealing them. Unless you customize the ignition to some high tech degree, then you are powerless at stopping a car theif from stealing it.

I doubt that car theives will go through the trouble to bring their own ignition parts like rotors, so it would be easy to foil a theif by removing this part. Besides, it would take too long for a theif to detirmine that your old truck isn't just hard to start before giving up on stealing it.

If you are looking for ease of disabling the ignition without a key then consider a hidden slot or small hole that you use to insert a flat or round tab that engages a microswitch that powers a relay for the ignition. No theif would ever look for this or easily be able to identify it. It is simple to use but a little complicated to wire it in. You could by all means still have the toggle along with it. Just remove the tab from the slot to fully disengage the ignition. Just think of this system as a higher tech version of the plastic safety switches on power tools like table saws and such.

 

Wiring it is easy one togle and one push button switch are all that is needed. On the other hand if you want to be able to run accesories with the engine off you might need a third one. The main power goes to one side of the toggle. All the accesories and ignition go to the other. You will need to run a power lead from the toggle switch to one side of the pushbutton/momentay switch the other should be the starter.

 

If you do not lock the hood, then do not bother with anything fancy with the ignition switch or hiding wires. You can start and drive the truck away (no locking column) with two jumper wires.

> Locking our trucks is the only thing we can do to slow them down from stealing them

Four wheel hydraulic brake locks. www.brakelock.com. Works very good. Plus, if you leave your parking brake pedal down, it really messes with them ;-D

Hydraulic brake locks, chain the hood, alarm inside a metal box over the heater with snake eye screws holding the cover shut.

 

Rebocardo,
I forgot to mention the non-functional starter solenoid. The functional solenoid will be located elsewhere and unless the theif is aware of it (somehow knows you did this), then the jumper wire idea is useless. You did see where I stated removing the rotor from the distributor right? Remember non-functional but looks functional is hard to diagnose in a hurry like car theives are always in!

I remember a show where a couple of guys were in a race to get from point A to point B and they had to each get a four wheeler running as part of the race. They had the keys to them, but had to fix some problem before it would run. LOL, they were in as big of a hurry as anyone could get and it took quite a while for them to get them running. Non-functional, but looks functional. Not so easy to start and drive away.

Looks like there are several good ideas for foiling car thieves.

 

Thanks guys for the conern I was going to hide the switches under the dash, I live in a rual area so Im not to concened about theft.
thanks for the help I live in eastern SD Mike G.

 

hey a new switch is 8.00 at kragen just do that

 

> I forgot to mention the non-functional starter solenoid.

Fairly Useless.

Any thief that is bringing tools to steal it will have a battery cable with two clamps. He will cut the rubber strap at the fender, pull the fender skirt back, put a clamp on the battery and the other clamp on the starter. Plus, run a small wire with alligator clips from the battery to the coil.

From popping the vent window, opening the door, setting the parking brake, pumping the gas, setting the choke, to getting back inside once the truck is started will take all of 60 seconds and your truck is gone. Working in pairs it is much faster.

 

If I ever have to leave my truck parked in the city, or if im goin to be away from it for a while, like over a hour, here is what I do. I flip the fuel switch over to the tank that isnt there anymore, so it will run just long enough for them to go about a block. I also put the T-case shifter in neutral. Most thieves are famillar with newer model cars without these features, and probably wont know what the heck is goin on.

 

Maybe to you these steps to foil a thief aren't good enough, but this thread isn't about what works for you is it? Why don't you let the guy who asked for help decide if it is ok for himself instead of you shooting down every idea.

Anyone who reads this thread can see how any step can be overcome, even yours. No one but you is challenging any ideas are they?

Again, let the person who asked for help decide for himself.

 

I am sorry that I offended you because YOU were the first one that mentioned stealing the vehicle and presented false information.

> Locking our trucks is the only thing we can do to slow them down
> from stealing them.

False.

> Unless you customize the ignition to some high tech degree, then you are
> powerless at stopping a car theif from stealing it.

If this is true, I am sorry and stand corrected. I am sure thieves that are defeating modern chipped OEM systems like PATS and Viper alarms are going to be dumbfounded by a fender mounted starter relay system.

> I doubt that car theives will go through the trouble to bring their own ignition parts like rotors,

If you knew professional thieves (who were hired by Audiovox to design and sell their systems) then you would not doubt that they bring their own rotors and coil wires to steal something from your driveway for an order. People remove these items thinking it deters people, sort of like (look there is someone behind you - the oldest trick in the book). The only ones it will deter are joy riders and they usually don't go stealing old Ford trucks for joy rides. They rather car jack someone with an Caddy Escalade.

What they usually do not bring is a bolt cutter because it is considered a burglary tool and will mean extra jail time when they are caught with it. They usually do not need one either and will move on if it is. Hence, do not bother with anything fancy for the electrical system unless you chain the hood. It is just false hope to do otherwise with a pre 1981 Ford truck.

Most people would not think anyone would even bother stealing our 1982 Chevy Impala, especially if you saw it, but, they came into our neighborhood and stole select GM models. I guess they had an order to fill since all they hit where GMs. Either that or it was the only thing they had learned how to steal. They got my neighbor's GM car earlier. They ended up leaving my Chevy in the driveway, after they caused more damage trying to steal it then I paid for the car. I did not even hear them. I think they would have skipped the car and damaging it if my wife put the club on it (false hope) like I asked her to do.

> any step can be overcome, even yours

flatbed

I have posted more then once about fixing cars that were stolen or stripped. Search on my name and "visor" to pull up the Taurus one. Never seen that one before and it was so low tech. I think I posted the Corvette one too.

 

Really guys I didn't think my truck was such a hot deal for theifs, makes me feel better knowing it might be.

 

This thread went from helping a guy install a toggle for his ignition to a major security issue. While I agree with ford390gashog's suggestion of just getting a new ignition switch, Beast has already said he didn't want to replace it.

ANYWAY...

You will need a three-way (DP-DT) toggle. Run a wire from your battery to the toggle, then another from the middle prong of the toggle to your solenoid. Run another wire from the end prong of the toggle to the starter. Throwing the switch to the middle will give your solenoid power, and throwing to the end will power the starter. Just be sure not to leave the switch thrown at the end, or your starter will keep running, and it will burn up.

I think I've got it right, as I've only seen it done once. I'm willing to take any comments.