74 silver box on the firewall right side???
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,352
Likes: 18
From: Dallas Texas
74 silver box on the firewall right side???
Guys
on a 74 on the firewall on the left side there is a silver box with a black **** sticking out of it...
the car runs and starts great then all of a sudden it will not start, makes a sound like a dead battery, alternator, starter and battery are new.
is the silver box a relay of sorts that should be wired around - could that be affecting the starting?
on a 74 on the firewall on the left side there is a silver box with a black **** sticking out of it...
the car runs and starts great then all of a sudden it will not start, makes a sound like a dead battery, alternator, starter and battery are new.
is the silver box a relay of sorts that should be wired around - could that be affecting the starting?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 12,683
Likes: 3,137
From: Shamong, NJ
It sounds like your referring to the switch thats snapped into the orange plastic electrical connector on the firewall.
74 and early 75 (prior to Jan) cars had a starter interrupt system that prevented the car from being started if someone was sitting in the seats and the seat belt was not buckled. This was a Federal safety law to get people to wear seat belts. The button on the firewall was an override to use if the system failed to work properly, which was fairly common. Most people dissabled the system shortly after purchasing the cars. The Goverment gave up on the system and repealed the law for 1975.
If the car failed to start after buckling your seat belt, you were supposed to be able to get out, open the hood and push the button to override the system. The car was then supposed to start.
I haven't owned a car that that was functioning on since 1974. I don't recall exactly what happened when the system failed, but I think that nothing happened when the key was turned. I don't remember getting the click, click like a dead battery causes, but I may be wrong. Your problem may be with the interupt, but if it is, you have one of the few 1974 cars left in the world that it hasn't been bypassed on!
74 and early 75 (prior to Jan) cars had a starter interrupt system that prevented the car from being started if someone was sitting in the seats and the seat belt was not buckled. This was a Federal safety law to get people to wear seat belts. The button on the firewall was an override to use if the system failed to work properly, which was fairly common. Most people dissabled the system shortly after purchasing the cars. The Goverment gave up on the system and repealed the law for 1975.
If the car failed to start after buckling your seat belt, you were supposed to be able to get out, open the hood and push the button to override the system. The car was then supposed to start.
I haven't owned a car that that was functioning on since 1974. I don't recall exactly what happened when the system failed, but I think that nothing happened when the key was turned. I don't remember getting the click, click like a dead battery causes, but I may be wrong. Your problem may be with the interupt, but if it is, you have one of the few 1974 cars left in the world that it hasn't been bypassed on!
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,352
Likes: 18
From: Dallas Texas
Thanks
all the original wires are intact...seatbelts have been replaced...
the weird thing is that it will start fine 20 times then all of a sudden will not start and act like a dead battery. I guess I need to try to figure out how to by pass it to at least rule it out.
all the original wires are intact...seatbelts have been replaced...
the weird thing is that it will start fine 20 times then all of a sudden will not start and act like a dead battery. I guess I need to try to figure out how to by pass it to at least rule it out.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
It's a strange system that had the ignition disabled when 40lbs of groceries were put on the passenger seat. You had to "buckle them up." Thankfully it only lasted from 1974 and early into 1975. The US congress repealed that law very quickly.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4080851AAIzeKm
Last edited by Paul L; Nov 8, 2009 at 07:34 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
Likes: 99
From: Ontario
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
