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Exactly! My ESPN told me that I was going to get stuck, and that a random industrial dump truck would happen upon my truck's exact position at the lake in darkness. Good thing I fooled him with the keyed ignition! (although he could just cut the wires and touch them together)

That's a very good point; my primary concern was security - the truck is stored on an air force base, so I suppose it should be pretty secure, but the battery is a new issue. I was hoping to install a knife-switch quick disconnect on the (positive side?) of the battery coming in to the truck...

All I can really find on their site is the 4-terminal Dorman brass starter switch. None of those numbers cross-reference a starter switch that I can see. There's a Napa a little further down the road; I'll check that out like Buch suggested. Thanks!

Yep, 8 man-hours of digging and a four wheel drive did the trick. Good advice - there was a pretty well-defined division between mud and solid clay. For better or for worse, I was already on the clay floor.

Hmm, I just called the local store here and they said that number brings up some brake rotors, but no starter switch. maybe I'll go in there and have a look at the switches. I know they didn't have any two-wire switches, but I think they did have a three-wire brass switch - might be the one...

Fair enough - but we sunk past our ankles, so the truck sunk past the axles. The only reason it was so bad was because it was clay.

I don't have a NSN for it; I could probably call up Autozone and have them look at the ignition but that may be a local part number. It's just a cheap generic chinese four-wire ignition. I'm going to look online for a two-wire ignition; I'll let you know if I find one.

Four hours of digging, four 4x4 boards, and a 4x4 truck - I think I know my new lucky number! Thanks for your help everyone. I even threw some gravel down behind the front tires. I learned a lot from this - mostly, don't drive through those gigantic clay pits. (the clay was so hard around...

Hey, bratpackdad has my back! =P As he guessed, the rears aren't very bad. Luckily I was going slow enough that the fronts dug in and I didn't have a chance to sink the whole truck. I have nothing but time, so I plan on doing a lot of digging (including behind the differential) - one of my...

I can never have too much advice! I'll buy some ratchet straps and 4x4's as well. Sounds like a very good idea. At first I didn't understand exactly how to hook them up but the picture made it clear. This is an interesting logistical challenge. A lot of work, but I'm learning from you all...

Yep, thanks Josh, plan on airing down. I was going to air down all the outside tires though - think the front two will be enough? Will a dually react differently to low air pressure? Nope, don't think a winch would help very much in this situation. Throwing the whole bag in actually sounds...

60lbs of sand is only 5 bucks at home depot - I guess I'll go pick some of that up. They should have some equivalent rock too - I don't know if it's specifically 3/4 minus, but maybe something similar. Sounds like a plan. Thanks

What happens when I can't get the truck out? Cement solidifies around the tires? =( maybe it would never get dry enough to harden completely - just sounds risky to me.

I know you're all probably right, but all I can do tomorrow is try to dig it out. Equipment rental is closed on the weekends. I can rock the truck where it sits, so I'm hoping I can dig all day and pull it out with a regular truck. If not, I guess I'll have to call an equipment rental place...

Yes; my plan is to dig the thing out as much as possible, put some litter behind/under each tire, and have a 4x4 try to pull me out. The litter is supposed to absorb water and provide a sandy surface for better grip. A 4x4 F-150 tried to pull me out earlier; I had all ten spinning slowly in...

To think, I don't even have any cats! What I'll have after tomorrow is a set of sore shoulders, a muddy deuce (hopefully), and some hard-earned wisdom. Kirby Lake, Abilene TX

Well, there's really no problem with leaving the way it is - I can start the truck by turning the key to the on position, then when it starts, return the key to the off position. There's the potential to leave the key in the on position and burn up the starter I suppose, but... I tend to have...

Well, I exchanged the ignition for a new one today. Tested it with the volt meter; the circuit only completes between ignition and the unmarked center post (ground) when the key is against the spring in the crank position. I hooked up my two wires to those posts, flip the accessory on, and...

Ah ha! So I wasn't going crazy. Awesome, I'll take it back to Autozone tomorrow. It's just a generic switch. I thought maybe there was some electrical magic going on when all four wires were hooked up, and that I wouldn't be able to have a normally operating ignition with just two wires...

Well, I just tested the connectivity of the posts while the key was in the "on" position (NOT all the way against the spring) and every combination of the following three posts are talking to each other: IGN BAT Unmarked center post (ground?) No change when I turn the key all the way against...