At 09:45 PM 1/16/99 -0500, Craig wrote:
>Anyone on the list messed with master cut off switches ?
Craig,
I've installed 4 master cutoff switches in British iron. These switches
are the kind that
mount usually on the firewall and have a big red plastic key which you turn
90 degrees to turn it on or off (8 or so bucks at Wal-Mart). I usually put
them up underneath the passenger side footwell so they are located behind
the area where the battery sits. This way they are pretty much out of sight
in the engine compartment and hidden in the passenger compartment. It does
require cutting an inch or so diameter hole in the firewall (aptly named).
They work on the Negative side of the battery, meaning the battery cable
connects to one side of the switch and the other side of the switch
connects to a ground. The key side is inside the car so you just have to
reach over and turn it on to energize the system. They work great and are
also a theft deterrent. I chose not to use the battery mounted cut-off
that mounts on the battery post and turns on/off because raising the
Spitfire hood in a torrential downpour isn't fun. Although I'm not crazy
about cutting the hole in the firewall, the advantages heavily outweigh
that, and I feel much better when I park the car for any length of time.
Prior to installing it, I've smelled that sickening burning-wire aroma too
many times in the past and scrambled to disconnect the battery whilst
pulling that red tab off the fire extinguisher. Whenever I buy a new
British car, the first order of business is to have the radiator re-cored,
flush the entire cooling system and replace every hose, and then install a
kill switch.
Dano
71 Bond Equipe (GT6 based)
67 Herald
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