[cranberryredchevelle454]

i recently installed a fire extinguisher in the car but i would also like a way to turn off the battery if something occurs. would a battery disconnect switch be the same as a kill switch? and how would i wire this up and hide it under my dash? what parts would i need.

 

[hydro462]

You would want to be able to access it from outside the car. Like the drag cars have..

 

[cranberryredchevelle454]

You would want to be able to access it from outside the car. Like the drag cars have..

well i mean the main purpose is if if the car somehow catches on fire while i’m in it, i can hit the switch and grab my fire extinguisher. i really want to put it under the dash or somewhere easily accessible so if “a” i get in a fire and “b” whenever i park the car whether at a restaurant or at home, the battery won’t be connected to cause a fire or the car be stolen

 

[Kirk's67SS]

I have my Battery in my Trunk and I did this
If your Battery is in the Engine Compartment you could do it there
Installed Fuse on Battery at Neg. Post
- PICO # REG 980211 Fuse Holder
- PICO # REG 981911 500amp Fuse
- PICO Bat Cable Terminal # GRO 829595
OR JUST THIS
Battery Terminal Disconnect for Top JEGS 10320: Battery Terminal Disconnect Top Mount | JEGS $ 13.29us

SO when you want to Disconnect or Connect the Battery Power to the Car at any time
you would just Turn the Green Button/Knob
when the Green Button/Knob is Loose the Power is Disconnected
when the Green Button/Knob is Tight the Car has Power

 

[blm]

Kyle,
You are talking about two different things. A battery disconnect switch must be in line with either the positive or negative battery cables. Therefore it must be close to the battery. Placing the battery disconnect under the dash is not feasable.
A kill switch is different in it disables the ignition or the fuel delivery. Most common is to place a swith in line with the positive lead to the coil.
Neither would be a concern in a fire. The concern in a fire is to put the fire out quickly. The thing to do in a fire is to
Put your car in Park
Turn off the ignition via the key
Get your extinguisher and make access to the fire and deploy your extinguisher

There are a multitude of threads on this site that deal with battery disconnects and kill switches. Its all there for the reading.

 

[shovelrick]

I have a battery disconnect like Kirk but without the fuse, you can pop the hood turn the switch off then close hood, or run a wire from the coil wire at the coil to a switch mounted under the dash then back again to the coil + for a kill switch, Brad said the way to put out a fire, wish I'd of been there when my Gfriend had my 84 sbc 5 spd T top T/A out shopping and the carb caught fire, store owner refused to help with his extinguisher but at least he called the Fire Dept.

 

[billdini]

For the battery just buy a disconnect. As far as an alarm buy something that will recover your car as many are just towed away and either stripped in a chop shop or loaded on a boat never to be seen again.

 

[Jim Streib]

Keep in mind that if you do have a battery disconnect switch and it is not wired properly and the motor is running, then turning it off may not kill the motor as the alternator can then become the source of power and can keep the engine going.

While I have not tried one of these in the link below, a latching relay might be something to look at as it looks like this one would allow you to wire in an low amperage interior switch location as well as being able to later or at the same time wire in a second, third, or more switches wherever you wanted to.

https://www.amazon.com/Painless-30206-Disconnect-Latching-Solenoid/dp/B000N8IR5E

Jim

 

[pduncan]

I put one of the quick disconnects like Kirks67 shows in my 96 pickup because I have a phantom battery drain I havnt figured out yet. Works great, takes a minute or less to pop the hood and disconnect. And a little security as well. Not that my truck is high on the list for potential theft.

 

[ak 67SD]

Do both, for different reasons... ignition kill switch in your dash area, cutting off your coil... and the battery disconnect terminal. I've had them for decades and it's just habit to cut them both every time I park the car. The ignition kill is also good to turn the engine over a bit before hitting the ignition... primes fuel and oil.

ak

 

[69SS454]

While I have not tried one of these in the link below, a latching relay might be something to look at as it looks like this one would allow you to wire in an low amperage interior switch location as well as being able to later or at the same time wire in a second, third, or more switches wherever you wanted to.

https://www.amazon.com/Painless-30206-Disconnect-Latching-Solenoid/dp/B000N8IR5E

I used one of those in a pro street car. I had a NHRA disconnect in the rear of the car with the battery but also used one of these latching relays so I could disable the car when I was parked around town. I boxed the relay between the frame rail and rocker panel so it couldn't be seen and I hid a key switch to trigger it. The car just had a race car switch panel without a key start switch.

 

[texas]

The purple wire going to or from the neutral safety switch can have a switch hooked up in line but you’re not gonna deter too many thieves that way since they’ll just look for the switch.

Just think of interesting ways to wire up a switch, I had a friend that in his Camaro (4th gen) would pull out his ashtray and tap the bottom of it for the car to be able to start up. He wired it that way and I thought it was genius lol

 

[GTO44]

If you want the ability to kill the engine at any moment from inside the car you will need a remote high amp relay. Come off the battery positive directly to the relay. Then out to fuse block on the other side. Hook the positive trigger to battery constant via a 3amp fuse. Run the negative trigger into the car to a toggle switch. Then ground the other side of the toggle switch. Now here’s the important part... hook the alternator directly to the battery or to the battery side of the relay. This will allow the car to shut off when the switch is flipped off. If you hook it up to the fuseblock side of the relay the car will continue to run off the alternator when you flip the switch.

here’s what it looks like:

 

[oldcutlass]

In most cases, all an ignition kill switch does is keep honest people honest and does not keep it off a the back of tow truck. It's also very easy to hot wire one of these cars in seconds and drive it away, no matter in most cases where you decide place the switch. Good car insurance is your best bet.