That's not factory. Definitely home engineered.

 

Yeah definitely what I was thinking too. I’m thinking it was added. It’s a one owner truck. Unfortunately I misplaced the keys so I can’t get into it right now. Whenever I find them I’m going to take it out and trace down the wires to see where it goes.

 

It would be a dumb location for an ignition kill switch IMO. All car thieves rifle through the glove box looking for valuables.

 

Yeah. Last time I had the hood open when I originally noticed the yellow wire coming out of the back of the firewall running to the battery terminal alongside the cable made me think it was a kill switch. I could be wrong but that could be what it is.

 

The best theft-prevention product for our trucks IMO is The Club Brake Lock. I don't use it for the brake pedal though. I use it for the clutch. You cannot start the engine without depressing the clutch pedal.

 

Very smart idea.

 

Ok, Ive decided what to put in that location. I'm gonna put a clutch safety override switch. That way I can toggle to disable the clutch safety switch. You might be scratching your head and wondering why I would do this. Well, I learned a trick in my younger days working with a landscaping company. We had an old Ford flatbed that conked out in dangerous position on the road and needed to move it just 20 feet to eliminate that safety problem. The driver, and older guy, just put the manual transmission in 1st gear and cranked the starter. The starter alone slowly moved the truck off the road.

So, just in case I run into a situation where I need to move the truck a short distance and the engine wont run, as long as the battery and starter are working, I'll have the ability to at least move short distances.

I had read in an article that in times past, this trick of moving a stalled manual trans vehicle using the starter was actually taught in drivers ed.

Obviously this creates another safety concern I understand. Just dont be a fool and reach in the window to crank the engine if the trans is in gear and the safety switch is being overridden. Otherwise the truck can start up and drive forward without a driver in it. I'm pretty sure that's why they designed the clutch safety switch right?

 

My first car as a 16-year-old was a 1979 Mazda GLC. It didn't have the clutch safety switch. Every once in a while, I would absent-mindedly attempt to start it in first gear, and the car would lurch forward, which is scary if that's not something that you expect.

 

My first vehicle was my 1970 VW purchased in 1972 (the newest vehicle I've ever owned). In 1976 I added my 1971 VW Convertible. So I started without a clutch interlock switch, which became required in USA in the late 1980s (my 1988 Cab Plus has one).