Help! 1966 chevy wiring!

[joe1966]

I have a 1966 chevy c10 2wd. has sm420 4 speed. posi rear 4.11 gears. it has a 350 small block. HEI distributor. i need help with the wires under the dash for the key ignition. lets see. i took off the key ignition and like a fool i threw it away with the plug that goes in the back of the key ignition.... . and i put a push button start with a toggle swith. and i had that for a while and now i just have 4 plain wires just sitting there. i can start my truck but i have no way of killling it?? need help! thanks joe

[1963c-10]

Hope this helps

[LostMy65]

check my 66 build thread.
There's also a color diagram floating around these forums somewhere.
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[cp_66_c20]

Thanks 1963c-10. I needed that diagram and was gonna post a thread about my problem. I bought a truck that the guy cut the wires going to the tail lights and i have to rewire and install new housings so the diagram helps lol. I did find the color diagram too but i cant find the thred where i found it. I hope you get the problem fixed man i know the feeling.
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[Clyde65]

should be 5 wires, pm me and I will send you a PDF form of the wiring diagram

[argonaut]

The critical ones are:

red - 12V in BATT
pink - 12V out IGN
purple - 12V out Starter
brown - 12V out Reference for Alternator

What setup are you running now? The toggle w/ push to start, or a keyed ignition switch?

Removing 12v from the pink will kill power to the coil and stop your motor.

[1963c-10]

No problem

[joe1966]

I have just the 4 wires 2 of them together will flip the switch and the other two start it. but in my case i have a hotwire plugged right into my HEI distributor from the battery. like u would plug a tachometer. in it.. but when i touch the two together the gauges and stufff flip over but when its tarted and i undo those two. nothing happens? the gauges just turn off. so im puzzeled. i have to put it in compound low and hold the break and let the clutch out to kill it.??

[argonaut]

Are these the factory wires? If so what color is each wire? I assume red and pink to the toggle switch, and pink and purple to the momentary starter button.

Are you saying that you have battery voltage to the tach output terminal, or to the +12v input terminal?

If you flip the toggle switch off it doesn't kill the motor?

I'm confused with what you are saying about touching two wires together, and the gauges flipping, etc.


To make it work you should have the following:
Toggle switch:
red wire - Input from battery/alternator (The wire runs from the battery, to the horn relay, through the driver's side firewall connector, to the fuse block, then to the ignition switch.)
pink wire - Output for ignition power (This should split in multiple directions to power your gauges, your heater, and your coil on the HEI distributor, and to your push-to-start button.)
brown - Output reference for voltage regulator/alternator (This goes back out through the firewall connector and to the voltage regulator)

Push-To-Start button:
pink wire - Input from ignition power (in your case this input comes from your toggle switch's output)
purple wire - Output to the start coil/relay (This goes through the firewall connector on the passenger side behind the heater and down to your starter.

It sound like you have the distributor coil powered straight off of the battery. It should be powered by the pink wire, or ignition power. This way when you turn off the toggle switch, it cuts off the ignition power to the coil, and the motor will stop. Hopefully this helps you and doesn't just confuse you more!

[joe1966]

Thanks for the diagram!
i have all 4 wires bare. they are just sitting out there. i put two wires together and then touch the other two. i have a hot wire from the battery to the horn ( not connected to the horn) just around it and then leading in to the firewall by the brake cylinder. and then it goes in by the fuse box etc. and i have two of the wires wired together then put on the toggle swith. so theres three all together on the toggle switch. When u flip the toggle swith they turn the gauges over. and then i touch the other two. then it starts. then it try to kill it with the switch and nothing happens. only the gaugess turn off..

[argonaut]

The wire powering the distributor coil is probably coming from a hot, battery power wire. This means that the coil is energized all the time. Even when the truck is not running.

The power for the distributor coil needs to come from that toggle switch (which is now your ignition switch) instead. I believe this will solve your problem, based on some assumptions I've made.

Trace the wire that powers your coil. Where is it fed from?