The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay push button ignition switch

My 51 3100 has been converted to 12v,ignition switch is visible under dash would like to "camo" it to cigarette lighter(push in lighter to start)Please help me make it happen!

A neat idea but it would be easier to find a key switch with a start position.

If you want to do it your way you might cut the end off the lighter socket then build a bracket to mount the existing button behind the lighter hole.

thanks,Mr.C,thats sort of what I was thinking.My Granpa had his 59 Impala hooked like that,but I was too young to understand the how to back then. Thanks again for moving my post.

I think if You hook up the cigarette lighter like a switch You could use it to complete Your ground to a relay . when the lighter is installed it is grounded to the dash so if You took the + wire from the end of Your lighter and ran it to the - side of a relay and hooked the + side of the relay to a Hot wire the relay would open and close when You pushed the lighter in or out than take the normaly open contacts off the relay to turn Your truck on and off . If You need a dia. I could take a pic and E-Mail it to You



Pete

Thanks Pete a pic would really help us out

You gotta tell Me is it foot start or switch start .


Pete

Cole Hersee has a large momentary contactor that you could use.

Cut the back off the cigarette lighter housing and get a marine-type pushbutton starter switch. Solder or braze the nut that attaches the switch to the back of the lighter housing, and adjust it in or out until pushing the lighter in operates the switch. Use a second nut to lock the switch into position. If you want to, use a drop of Super Glue to attach the lighter permanently to the pushbutton, or just put the lighter in your pocket when you park the truck as a handy anti-theft device.
Jerry

thanks Jerry I printed your post,I'll let the forum know how it works Joseph East Oregoner

You might want to mount a tractor starter switch in the floor like the foot starter. Any Tractor Supply type store has several varieties. They handle 100 or so amps.

best wishes,

Les

I converted my jetta to push-button start in the cigarette lighter area because I had bad wires somewhere and the car wouldn't start with the key, and I didn't feel like digging into the steering column. I just ran wires through the firewall to go to my switch, and put a toggle swtich in the positive wire so that my start button wouldn't be hot all the time, otherwise someone would probably try to use the lighter with the car running and fry my starter. Then I just removed the lighter and put my push-button in it's place. For effect I took the old lighter and cut the top off and glued it on top of my switch. I had to be careful to make sure the piece I glued on didn't come back too far and end up stopping the button before it could make contact, but it works great and looks real enough for me. Right now I still have to turn the key on to give power to everything else, but it would be easy to also replace that switch with a toggle and eliminate the need for a key to get power, but as I also have a steering lock I haven't bothered to do that.