You should have seem me when I jumped the starter on my old POS jeep with it in gear, I had to chase it down the street. At least it didn't hit anything, or run over me. :o

B.t.d.t.

Back in the 70's I was helping a friend in Brooklyn with his old Plymouth which had the push button transmission. It wouldn't start, I suspected a problem with the push buttons and neutral safety switch but I told him I could get it started by jumping the terminals. It was parked on the street about 3 feet behind another car. He was standing at the front of the car and I was at the side, jumping the starter. When it started, and before I could think clearly about the implications, he reached over the engine and opened wide the throttle. It turned out, there was a problem with the push buttons and not just the neutral safety switch; the transmission was stuck in drive. So, when he opened the throttle, the car flew forward, slamming my friend into the car parked in front and then pinning his legs between the two bumpers. Lucky for him, the bumpers had protrusions on them which touched before his legs were smashed to smithereens. As it was, he was so badly bruised he couldn't walk.
So always be careful when bypassing the neutral safety switch.

That's very scary.

Yeah, the car surely would have smacked into my cousin new jetta in front of it. That owuld have been unfortunate.

Looking at the pictures to find the junction box... I have no such box on that side, or coolant reservoir.... I wonder where they went...

I have neither the junction box, nor the coolant overflow tank thant is in too many mbz' picture... I wonder where they could have went.

I can absolutely picture myself doing what you did! :)

Did charging the battery do the trick after you drained it down? When a battery decides to go they can go quick.

Yup, it's been just fine since.

The '81 may not have the box or the coolant tank. It is on my '82 though.