when i got this car, the guy i bought it from had said that the original owner had let it sit for 14 years, following a small fire under the hood that had melted some wiring. apparently the windows were down. i found a stash of nuts under the carpet under the front seat. as well as a huge amount of turds. some type of rodent, squirrel or rat probably.
naturally this rodent enjoyed snacking/chewing on some of the wiring under the dash. i had quite a few items that didn't work when swithced on. the tail lights, windsheild wipers/washer to name a couple.
i also had trouble starting the car. it seems the coil wasn't getting juice unless the ignition switch was in just the right position. in cold weather the right position was even harder to find. it just wasn't making the right contact.
so, i wanted to put the coil on a toggle so i would know for sure that it was getting juice. i was also toying with the idea of putting in a push button starter switch. (pretty trick set up, huh?)
i had purchased a fuse panel from jc whitney to do some wiring to my cutlass, but, the cutlass needs a new top put on and so it is currently unlicensed and parked in the back yard. it has also been cannibalized somewhat for parts that i needed for my 98. i removed the starter, the electronic ingnition conversion(this was a Pertronix brand set up and was easy to install), washer fluid pump and reservoir.
anyway, i had this fuse panel. i ran a hot wire from a junction under the hood to the fuse panel. i used a 10 amp fuse and ran 16 ga. wire to one side of a toggle switch.from the other side of the switch i ran it out to my coil.
working with electricity, dc or ac, as well as power tools, makes me kind of nervous, so i always have a few beers prior to working with these items to take the edge off.(only joking!) always be safe when working on your stuff.
in the photo you can see the 10 ga. yellow hot wire going to the fuse panel. and the 10 amp fuse and 16 ga.wire for my coil.
below is a diagram of what i have done.
the jumper wire on my GM solenoid and the addition of a Ford solenoid is supposed to remedy the heat soak problems that GM solenoids suffer from.
hopefully, this will explain what i have done. i used a 20 amp fuse and 12 ga. wire for the starter switch.
my car had a flip up panel which hid the ashtray. this is the location i chose for mounting my coil toggle and starter button.
unfortunately, the location of my ignition and starter switch is top secret. now that you know the location i am going to have to kill you!!!
below is the Ford solenoid mounted to my firewall. there were two bolts sticking through the firewall that were spaced just right to mount the solenoid, all i had to do was find nuts to tighten it down.
ugly,yes. dirty,yes. but think about all the time i save not having to clean and wash and polish!!!!