Installing a kill switch

D

Darren Otey

Junior Member
A friend and fellow club member purchased a model A and it had a kill switch installed on it. As i restore my model A I would like to install one as well. Any suggestions as of the location and how to go about it?:)
 
Darren Otey said:
A friend and fellow club member purchased a model A and it had a kill switch installed on it. As i restore my model A I would like to install one as well. Any suggestions as of the location and how to go about it?:)
Click to expand...

What model ?
If you have a seat riser, there is a good place that you can easily/quickly reach to turn switch on/off. Sit in seat and reach down to front of seat riser. Right where you can touch seat riser there is a hole. I started install with that hole. That's where I installed mine dozen years ago.
BEST safety feature I could install !
 
I USED THE SEAT RISER IN MY '29 ROADSTER BUT i HAD TO MAKE A HOLE. VERY HANDY LOCATION BOTH FOR OPERATING THE SWITCH AND GETTING AT THE BATTERY.
 
check out Cedar Creek Model A ford club web site. Tehre is a good article on installing Cut Off Switch.
 
I installed a kill switch in my '30 town sedan in the seat riser. As Springerpete said, I drilled a hole in the riser as none was there before. I also built a little wooden box around the switch under the seat so that anything stored under there could not short out the switch. The switch breaks the ground connection. I got the switch and the wires from Snyder's and the two wires fit perfectly. Tom at Snyder's talked me through it and the job was easy.
Marty
 
Mine is a battery cutoff switch, and it resides in the driver's side engine mount. No new hole is necessary. The switch in my Model A is not accessible while driving, so it is not a kill switch.
 

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Darren Otey said:
A friend and fellow club member purchased a model A and it had a kill switch installed on it. As i restore my model A I would like to install one as well. Any suggestions as of the location and how to go about it?:)
Click to expand...

What exactly do you mean by "kill switch"
 
If you open that "kill" switch while driving, the only thing it will likely kill is several light bulbs, a generator, etc. A better term is battery disconnect switch and should only be activated once the engine is off. We all know what the OP meant, just so someone reading this later doesn't get the wrong idea.
 
Agreed. If you turn off a battery disconnect while the car is running, the battery will indeed, be turned off and out of the circuit. The car will then be running off the generator, and with no battery to hold it back, the generator will try to charge like crazy and **poof** go the lights.

Moral of the story:

Do install a disconnect switch. They are a safety feature and many consider them a must.

Don't try to use it to turn off a running car. Turn it on and off while the car is not running.
 
On my '31 Coupe. I put spacers under the switch to compensate for the overlap on the sheetmetal layer to the right in the top photo. Also, I insulated the lug to keep from having a short across the switch:

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I'm ready to put a disconnect switch on my 29. Checking the Model A vendors, the only one listing specs is Brattons. Their switch is rated at 40 amps at 6 volts. Since the started can draw upwards of 100 amps, will these switches last? What are you guys using and are you satisfied with your choice?
 
The rotary switch I use is rated at 180 Amps continuous and a few hundred amps short duration. I have been using it for many years with success. Do a search for a similar switch made by Fastronics.
355181
 
I stole this idea from a forum member her "MikeK" because I thought it would be the best and least visible solution... post number 19 in this thread here
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3654

He explains how he did it there.

Below is how I did it, just a week ago.

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I like it a lot. Not noticeable at all with the floor mat in there. I used a spare lower distributor plate with a broken wire in bad shape instead of a fender washer for the top washer.

For the underside I used an electrical junction box cover plate from home depot, which I ground down till it fit inside the crossmember (didnt take much grinding on a grinding wheel).

Im happy with the form and function.
 
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