The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay foot start switch

I want to use the foot starter to activate an electic switch to the starter. didn't some later ad's come with this set-up? my is a 49 with a 62 235.po had installer push button on dash.i couldn't make heads or tails of it.manfighter16

I would expect to see the traditional foot start switch in a '49.. since every '46, '47, '48, '49, '50, and '51 chevrolet truck i've ever seen had one.

In all cases, the foot switch served two purposes.. depressing the pedal slid the starter gear out and onto the flywheel teeth, then activated a button on the starter that turned the starter motor.

Being a later model (62) engine, you probably have the new fangled "selonoid" style starter, which uses, as the name suggests, an electric selonoid to push that starter gear out.

If you wanted to preserve the '49's original "foot stomp start" you'd just have to rig a switch in there so when you stomped on the foot start, it hit the switch.

The contacts on this switch would be tied parallel to the back of your keyswitch's terminals for "batt" and "starter".

That way, you could hit the foot switch to start.. but if that switch ever got jacked up, you could still use the keyswitch method.

I doubt that he has a start position on his key switch. Nothing could be simpler than a push button start. Just turn the key to ON and push the button. The starter button only has two wires going to it. One wire would be the power source which could be from the ON lug on the ignition switch if one only wanted it to operate when the switch was ON, or it could be wired to any always hot source if one wanted it to operate at any time. The other wire goes to the solenoid START lug. If you realy want the foot starter and the original bellhousing is on the truck, use the appropriate foot stomp starter, maybe 1955 to 1958, and modifiy the linkage as/if required.

Hydramatic and COE trucks used a selenoid and remote starter switch instead of the foot start.

Do I understand correctly that you want the foot pedal starter instead of the push button? You could probably swap the entire foot starter setup from another truck. Otherwise you may need to engineer things to put a switch on the floor.

I think I've seen '55 -'57 six-cylinder Task Force trucks that still had the old foot-starter...

As long as you have the Advance Design bell housing, the mounting bosses should be there to install the starter pedal outfit from another truck. Then you will need to get a foot-start starter...

I don't know if the '58 & later bell housings still have the mounting bosses for the starter pedal brackets...

Thanks guys,Ihave all the orig. hardware I was just asking how would be the best way to wire the switch.Baldy head the answer I think.Iwill give it a shot.Iam about to crank it for the first time after a frame off.If Ican get her cranked a short spin around the block would be great.even without fenders or bed. Manfighter16

if you have a 12 volt starter then you have the 12 volt flywheel that wont work with a foot starter you need the 50s bell houseing and flywheel id just keep the start button unless you still have the 6 volt bellhousing & wheel

your at about the same place i am with mine it will move tomorrow for the first time in 20 years

32fire2,as i said i'm going to use the mach.part of the foot switch to operate the elec. switch. good luck on your first time. Manfighter16

it was so cool i got in sat on a 5 gallon bucket turned the key pushed the starter fired right up slamed the shifter in revers away she went ran good man i got a mess in the driveway now

32fire2,not having to much luck with mine. worked all day fri. putting in fluids and such.tighten up all the leaks.she"ll almost start but kept flooding out, pulled carb and manifold was full of gas.It's an olc carb,will get new one next week and give it another try.(ain't it fun?)
manfighter16

32fire2,not having to much luck with mine. worked all day fri. putting in fluids and such.tighten up all the leaks.she"ll almost start but kept flooding out, pulled carb and manifold was full of gas.It's an olc carb,will get new one next week and give it another try.(ain't it fun?)
manfighter16

I'm using the foot starter on my three vehicles based on the fact that every starter failure I've ever experienced was a solenoid failure! My 1961 261 truck motor/bellhousing still retained the foot start set up, 12 volt. As long as you have the bellhousing and hardware keep using the foot start, or go solenoid but keep a spare in the truck. Must keep starter with the corresponding flywheel, mix them up and you have a major headache.