Going to swap my 71 from auto to manual. I have almost all the parts except the clutch start switch. When I remove the auto shifter, the neutral safety switch is on that, and the clutch start switch replaces it. But the Neutral Safety switch on a 71 floor shifter also has the backup light switch built into it. How do the manual cars work, as far as the switch to turn on the backup lights?????? HELP!!!!!

If you got one, I need it, and the clutch switch! Wonder how much repros are?

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Sold my 81 Z28 to Marty (Blazer87) and just unloaded my 78 - Just got a 71 RS SS396 project! in the works: Caprice Wagon spindle & 1LE Camaro 12" ft discs / Trans Am WS6 rear disc conversions, poly susp., 1.25" WS6 ft sway bar & 1" rear Rancho adjustable sway bar / 4 speed nodular case Super T-10 conversion

The b/u light switch for a man. trans car is on the trans itself. It is screwed into the side of the trans. When you shift in to reverse widget inside the trans pushes the switch and turns the backup lights on. Hope this makes sense cause I'm sleepy.

Patrick

If I have a 74+ second design Super T-10 (I have a 79 and an 80 ST10, both out of Camaros), would they work the same way? I was asking about this for my 71 RS SS. Or is there something on the steering column those years? I don't remember seeing any hookup on the trans for a place to plug in for the backup lights.

Thanks,

Chuck

so apparently Hurst makes an aftermarket switch - this would really come in handy for my application - the 71 "horseshoe" auto shifter with the backup/neutral safety switch mounted on the auto shifter. Then I'd just have to run the two clutch start switch wires over to where I will mount that.
http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/Forum12/HTML/003613.html

I looked in the Hurst catalog, but I didn't see any such switch, so I emailed their tech support.

If the car was an auto to start with then the neutral safety swithch and the back up lights are in one unit under the dash on the steering column. Even if the car has a floor shifter. The unit is shaped like a "C" with two plugs on it, each having two wires.

The earlier auto shifters for the first few years of second gens had the neutral safety / backup light switch mounted on the floor shifter inside the console.

My big question now is:

On the later 4 speed cars, where is the neutral safety switch mounted? I believe it's on the column, and is activated by the reverse lockout linkage, but I'd like some confirmation. If so, would one of these work on a 71 steering column? I have heard that removing the reverse lockout "backdrive" linkage makes the car shift a lot smoother, so I might just go with a trans mounted switch in that case. I'll make another post related to removing the linkage, pros and cons.

[This message has been edited by Chuck78 (edited October 14, 2003).]

The neutral safety switch on our 81 is on the clutch pedal. You have to push the pedal down to activate the starter. It's there so you cannot start it in gear. When we got the car someone had bypassed it and you had to remember to have it in neutral or push the clutch in or it would jump forward.
The backup light switch is on the column and is controlled by the back drive linkage. The back drive linkage also turned the column housing to required that the transmission to be in reverse to remove the key. Again since the car had headers the linkage had been removed and we had no backup lights. Actually we did, but you had to turn the housing on the column to get them to come on. Fortunately the transmission had been replaced with a Saginaw and it had an internal switch which we wire up to the wires to the orignal switch. The new Tremec TKO 5-speed has an internal switch and no option for a back drive linkage.
As for removing the back drive linkage making it easier on shifting, the linkage is only connected to the reverse shaft so it should only affect how easy it is to get into reverse. If it's adjusted correctly I don't believe it will make any difference but I can't speak from experience.
Good luck.

so can I mount a backup light switch from a later second gen on an originally auto trans 71 steering column, when I do the swap?

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71 RS SS396 project in the works: B-body spindles w/1LE 12" ft discs / WS6 J65 TA 11.1" rear disc brakes, poly susp., 1.25" WS6 ft & 1" adjustable rr sway bars / 4 speed nodular case 3.42 wide ratio Super T-10 / 3.23 posi rear / 81 Z cold air induction (or L88 hood?)