Help identifying two black wires - '72 510 wagon

[rosso]

I have two black wires that are wrapped together by themselves in what appears to be original harness. They are long enough to end at the front of the car and whatever fittings they may have had are cut off, so I don't have a clue what they might have gone to or from.

 

They are wrapped all the way back to the firewall where they go through alongside the big bunch under the fuse box. Photo shows the wrapped wires next to the main harness with what appears to be an original rubber grommet thing.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

Thanks

[DanielC]

Black wires in Datsuns are commonly grounds.  Hopefully someone with a 510 will have a more definite  answer.

[datzenmike]

Where at the front? Have a look inside the car and see where the two wires go.

 

Back then fog lights were the rage. The tape would look 40 years old by now. See if the bumper or rad support has been drilled for mountings.

[MikeRL411]

It is more economical to make a single model wiring harness for all variants of a production model.  Most likely this is the case here, unused wires are taped off and the manufacturer reaps the benefit of reduced production and stocking fees for replacement parts.

[Icehouse]

Not original wires.  My guess is someone added a push buttom for starting the car.  Does the key crank the engine?  If it doesn't go through a plug on the other side of the firewall (under the dash) like all the other wires it's definantly an add on. 

[datzenmike]

What's the sense of a push button start when the key works perfectly??? To make it easier to steal? KISS keep it simple stupid.

[Icehouse]

15 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

What's the sense of a push button start when the key works perfectly??? To make it easier to steal? KISS keep it simple stupid.

 

You'd think that but over the years I've ran across a lot of 510's with a added push button even when the key works....   I remeber a wagon with two keys.  One did the column and the other started the car.....   50 years of people keep cars on the road is a long time for interesting mods.  I once found a switch cut into the dash harness to cut all power to the key, just  a switch, no relay, no easy way to reach it.  Odd.   Took me forever to find it!  So tucked away.  

[rosso]

Thanks guys, you made me crawl under the dash and do contortions, to find a tiny toggle switch - added by some previous owner that likely was a "kill" switch to prevent the car being stolen. Now I will be on the lookout for black wire ends with no connectors that were spliced into.

 

I am not sure I will ever wire the switch back in, but will leave the wires in place just in case I ever live in a high crime area.

 

Cheers

[banzai510(hainz)]

I would tell people I want to put a kill switch in at work. They say what car you have. I said a Datsun 510 and they all started LAUGHING

[BambooU]

I kinda want to put a dead switch in the car, maybe next to my gauges. It won't be connected. It won't even have anything attached. Maybe I'll put a tiny red light above it, and tell people it's a kill switch or necessary to start the car, just to fuck with someone. 

 

I don't live in a terribly high crime area, but i dont trust my door locks these days, so if i leave the car overnight, not in my lot, i just pop the hood, open the Dist cap, and take the distributor rotor. The car can't start if it isn't there, and its more effective than a kill switch.

[MikeRL411]

19 hours ago, BambooU said:

I kinda want to put a dead switch in the car, maybe next to my gauges. It won't be connected. It won't even have anything attached. Maybe I'll put a tiny red light above it, and tell people it's a kill switch or necessary to start the car, just to fuck with someone. 

 

I don't live in a terribly high crime area, but i dont trust my door locks these days, so if i leave the car overnight, not in my lot, i just pop the hood, open the Dist cap, and take the distributor rotor. The car can't start if it isn't there, and its more effective than a kill switch.

 

Removing the rotor is one of the oldest and best theft deterrents.  Dates back at least to Jeeps in WW2.  Worked until "borrowers" started carrying their own rotors.

[datzenmike]

If you have an electric fuel pump and didn't mount it in the engine compartment this is the best method for disabling your car. 

 

 

 

Rotor removal works but is too much bother.

 

Switching the wires on the plugs one position ahead would be faster and easy to reverse but still a bother.