Battery shutoff swithches

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

believe it or not
he's been mayor for the past 25 years
no one has every run against him!!

he is a friend of mine
and wishes to be impartial.

but, i haven't won 'peoples choice' either!

think last year
an old 'duster' won it!!

iowa

[Joe R.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

i'm not trying to be a smart A**
but am just curious as to why
one needs a shutoff switch?
is this just to avoid the inconvinence
of disconnecting the battery when working on your cars?

the original cars did not have them,
and this is 'thee site' for corvette restoration.
a short free electrical system,
coupled with a well maintained battery
and a car that is driven once in a while,
should not need such a device.

i confess, i do have them on my 6volt WW II jeeps,
but not on my 56 vette!!

iowa

Iowa,

There is one more reason I didn't see mentioned - bonus judging points. Bonus points are awarded for a battery switch, fire extinguisher and NCRS sticker.

Joe

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

interesting
many things could be done to these old cars
to make them safer;
disk brakes, air bags
(protection against the real killer; accidents)
etc.
i'll just have to accept
these are non-original allowances
in the name of neccessity
iowa

[Robert S.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

On my 60, I just keep the negative cable loose and twist it on and off. The cable, in the off position, rests on the battery hold down bolt. Never had a problem and it is free.

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

i have given this a little more thot and.......
it seems a paradox to me
when non originality is excepted as the norm,
and even awarded bonus points!
on a site that is the gold standard on corvette restoration!
it seems to me that the acid tested standards
would dictate that one simply disconnect the negative ground
each time instead of installing a battery shut off switch!!
with a wrench at the ready
this would take all of a few seconds!
iowa

[Valeria H.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

It costs all but $4.00 to buy a disconnect cable leveled on the negative pole. Why take the chance. It is your choice and it is your car.

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

really, i'm not trying to be obtuse.
if i thot that i was taking a chance,
i'd simply disconnect the original
lead to the battery post!
i really don't think it would take much
longer to do this then use the shutoff switch.
even if i used this shut off switch,
i'd think it would be logical to remove it for judging!
but, enough said,
and will ask this question,
is this the correct neg lead to a '56 battery?
iowa

[Ronald L.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

Richard M mentioned something that got glossed over...

On a C2 the system is still hot in various locations if you have a neg cut off switch.

He mentioned part of the ignition system, also the starter is still hot, might be other.

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

are you saying that
with the battery disconnected
that there are still lines
that are hot?
iowa

[Richard M.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

A bit of confusion I think......Yes those items are hot and unprotected, but if the battery ground is disconnected, at the battery, nothing is hot.

What I was trying to explain was if both battery cables are connected, i.e. normal connections from the factory.......

The positive battery cable connects to the starter solenoid. To power the rest of the car, there is then a #10 wire also connected at the same point on the solenoid. This cable runs up through the engine harness directly up under the dash and into the ammeter. One thing to keep in mind is that over the years the harness can move around and can be cut by the steel wiper cables. This would cause a direct short from the ground of the wiper system.

The other terminal on the ammeter then feeds the fusebox to protect all circuits, that are fused. The #10 wire going to the ammeter is unprotected. The wire on the other terminal of the ammeter feeding the fusebox is unprotected.

Also, from the output terminal of the ammeter, there is another red wire feeding the clock and the lighter. Both of these circuits are unprotected. They do not come from the fusebox. That is why it is a good idea to put inline fuses for both.

Rich

[Jim L.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

On a C2 the system is still hot in various locations if you have a neg cut off switch.

He mentioned part of the ignition system, also the starter is still hot, might be other.

Impossible.

If the battery is disconnected, the electrical system is dead. Makes no difference whether it's the connection at the positive post or the negative post. Either way, the system is dead.

Jim

[Terry M.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

really, i'm not trying to be obtuse.
if i thot that i was taking a chance,
i'd simply disconnect the original
lead to the battery post!
i really don't think it would take much
longer to do this then use the shutoff switch.
even if i used this shut off switch,
i'd think it would be logical to remove it for judging!
but, enough said,
and will ask this question,
is this the correct neg lead to a '56 battery?
iowa

How many times do you think you can disconnect/connect that terminal before it wears out? It was not designed to be connected/disconnected multiple times, and will fail sooner rather than later if used regularly for that purpose.

The ultimate restoration is to keep your Corvette from being damaged. Disconnecting the chemical energy source goes a long way to protecting your Corvette from unintended damage. In the end it is your car, and if you wish to set it on fire in one of the large fields you have in Iowa that is your choice.

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

i guess inline fuses,
which are out of sight
would be the lessor of
non original evils.
i like my 56
and don't want it to burn up!!
the shut off switch would be very convienant.
but if i went to all the trouble of
disconnecting the negative lead manually
and lost to
a car equal to mine being judged
simply because it didn't have a SOS,
i'd be a little disillusioned!

sorry to harp on this topic
as you can see from pics of my car and engine bay
i'm an original purist in theory
but not in practice!!

iowa

[Terry M.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

i guess inline fuses,
which are out of sight
would be the lessor of
non original evils.
i like my 56
and don't want it to burn up!!
the shut off switch would be very convienant.
but if i went to all the trouble of
disconnecting the negative lead manually
and lost to
a car equal to mine being judged
simply because it didn't have a SOS,
i'd be a little disillusioned!

sorry to harp on this topic
as you can see from pics of my car and engine bay
i'm an original purist in theory
but not in practice!!

iowa

You will not lose to another car in any NCRS meet because we don't judge one car against another. ALL cars are judged against a theoretical standard, and every car can "win" or no car can "win." What is more you will get 3 additional points (out of slightly more than 4500) for the battery cut off switch from NCRS. So in NCRS judging you will have an advantage -- but that will not matter.

[David A.]

Re: Battery shutoff swithches

no, i don't want to see that happen!!

i see your points.
this recent/old NCRS upstart
will heed your advice!

now, is my negative lead correct?

iowa