did you install that thing or was it there when you got the truck?
are you sure it's making 100% good contact when "on"?
it could definitely cause the battery to run down fast and poor connections will heat things up fast, but why does the engine take more than a couple seconds to start? a small block in good tune should start in a couple revolutions, although maybe you don't pump the gas at all before hitting the switch?
of course it could be a bum starter that's drawing too much juice too, but you need to make sure all the wiring is 100% and it's properly tuned - I'd start with scrapping the low tech disconnect, or at least bypassing it for the time being - also get the battery checked for weak cells
Bill
