thanks lots for all. I got it all straightened out.

I'm an electronics technician by trade, and would rather troubleshoot a poorly engineered industrial circuit than try to straighten out a car after it has been hacked...

All connections were soldered and taped, and even put a layer of shrink over the tape, till i ran out of shrink. After that, a couple drops of superglue on the end of the tape wrap makes sure it won't come unravelled. ( I also do a second wrap... that way the second wrap would have to completely unravel before the first layer could )

I think I pulled out at least 20 feet of wire: everything was straight wired directly from the battery, with toggle switches. I am amazed that the whole thing didn't go up in smoke.

Again, thanks for all the replies.

EG