HOW TO: Wire a Hidden ignition kill switch

[ShadowRejects]

This is how I did it. I know there is most likely going to be some disagreement, but this is basically for people that want to add that extra protection to prevent their gmt400's from getting jacked.

Project: Not so 'hidden' Hidden Kill Switch

Tools and items needed:

-Phillips head screwdriver
- Switch (I used 20amp at first, later switched to 35 amps)
- Wire (thicker = better)
- Electrical tape
- Wire cutters

Process:

Step 1: Start by removing your lower panel to get access to your wiring harness. There is 2 total phillip head screws, one on each side.
Step 2: Locate your main ignition power wire. It is the purple wire shown below (it will be the wire coming out of the top right part of your steering column)

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Then Find a spot you would like to wire your switch to. Preferably something hidden, or less noticeable. Or it basically defeats it's purpose. I chose to mount mine right here next to my power seat switches, because it blends in, and looks as if it would be a switch to move the seats around

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Step 3: Start by wiring up your switch. It is important to maintain as much coverage on the terminals as possible and to make sure they have no give. The last thing you need to do is go to start your truck to later find out it wont start because a wire came out of the switch. So this is how I did mine. I didn't have a female plug adapter, so I use a male on male, and drilled A hole into the top male plug terminal, and tapped the brass screw into both of them, and covered them with electrical tape. These wires are going no where

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Step 4: I then decided to drill out the thread in the seat control panel to have the switch come out of it. But as I was drilling the hole on the seat panel itself, the plastic snapped on it. Be care, the plastic is cheap plastic, and if youre not careful, it will snap like mine did

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Step 5: Getting the switch in here was pretty hard.. You have very little room to work with. You need to feed all of your wiring down into the switch panel hole first, you cant get your switch to come up into the seat control are itself. Then after you drilled the bigger hole, you work your switch into the hole. Like I said, this might take some time, I spent about 15 mintues getting it in the hole...( lmfao)

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Step 6: You want to route the wires under the seat, to the side step panels, up into the fire wall area to the purple wire.


Step 7: After you route it up there, Cut the purple wire in half, and wire one blue wire to one half, and the other blue wire to the other half. Make sure you cover your connections and insure they are fully covered and also be sure that they are connected good to where they wont wiggle off and cause the circuit to be closed!!

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If you want to go the extra step, alot of people will actually make the wiring look factory, by using some different color of wire and hiding it into the other wires, so if someone knew you had a kill switch, it would take them even longer to find the ignition wires.

Testing: You will notice the truck will not even try to start with the switch flipped off, but flipped on, it will start like nothing is wrong. And it wont reset your battery

That is how you wire a killswitch into a GMT400

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[Half Assed]

nice

I'm going to do the same but use a airbag on/off switch from a truck

 

[RyanMerrick]

Great idea, this is better than nothing at all, however....

I don't think this would be nearly as effective as cutting off power completely, so the truck has no chance of firing up. Basically a thief just has to look under your dash to see your modification and he's just about good to go.

My thought would be to cut off power between the distributor and coil/pack. That way you will hear someone attempting to startup your truck, but because there is no spark getting to the engine, there is no chance of the the truck going anywhere.

 

[ShadowRejects]

Great idea, this is better than nothing at all, however....

I don't think this would be nearly as effective as cutting off power completely, so the truck has no chance of firing up. Basically a thief just has to look under your dash to see your modification and he's just about good to go.

My thought would be to cut off power between the distributor and coil/pack. That way you will hear someone attempting to startup your truck, but because there is no spark getting to the engine, there is no chance of the the truck going anywhere.

That is true. But last thing I need is my dad to hop into my truck and try to start it for 30 seconds and burn up my starter. But I like the idea, its more effective.

 

[ShadowRejects]

nice

I'm going to do the same but use a airbag on/off switch from a truck

Good idea, i thought about wiring it to turn on when i flip my parking lights on, but realize thats kinda dumb, atleast the airbag on off is more simple

 

[twomanymontes]

I like that idea.

On another car I did something more along the lines of the "hide in plain site" approach. I took an old style floor mount high beam switch and mounted it to the floor, connected one wire to ground and the other tapped it into the trigger wire on the ignition coil. when clicked it shorts out the signal to the coil and it will crank, but won't start. Click it again and it will start fine.

Pop the hood and it looks like a simple remote starter tach connection. From the interior, it simply looks like a factory high beam switch. The Air Bag switch would blend in better.

 

[1997chevydriver]

One problem i am seeing with that........ I used to always hit the seat switches with my leg in my 94.......

 

[ShadowRejects]

One problem i am seeing with that........ I used to always hit the seat switches with my leg in my 94.......

I cans see where that would be an issue. I would just subsitute a switch for a button press or smaller switch

 

[Sampuppy1]

Hmmm I like this idea. May have to do something with this myself at some point.


Sent from what is likely a government flagged smartphone. Tyler/T-Unit

 

[TylerZ281500]

you can wire it so many ways its ridiculous, starter, fuel pump, ignition coil, computer, etc etc. when i had my old camaro in its prime i had a battery disconnect, killswitch for my ignition and for the starter so the guy who tried stealing it got past the battery but then couldnt figure out the other two.