1967 dart reverse light issues

[steelhorse5778]

Ok need a little help. My daughter has a 67 Dart that we are fixing up and the reverse lights do not work. The car was originally a standard but was converted to automatic before we purchased it. The wiring appears to have been messed with at some point so I I'm not sure where to start. The car has an after market shifter with a micro switch where what I believe are the reverse lights are wire as opposed to the neutral safety switch at the trans. The wires going to the switch are both purple but attach to a purple and white wire coming out of the column. Is this anywhere close to right?

 

[steelhorse5778]

Also with the micro switch I am assuming that the microswitch is simply connecting ground so where are the lights getting power from?

 

[TrailBeast]

Also with the micro switch I am assuming that the microswitch is simply connecting ground so where are the lights getting power from?

That is the way they normally work, but it can be switched for the ground or power either one.
Find the backup light wire in the harness behind the left kick panel that runs back to the lights and see if it's always on normally, and if it is run the ground to one outer pin on the switch on the trans and from the other outer pin to ground and that should do it.
(this is assuming you have the three pin switch on the trans) the center pin on the three pin switch is the ground for neutral safety.
The two outer ones are for backup lights switching.

 

[RedFish]

67 model, column shift automatic, a switch mounted low on the steering column had a purple and a purple w/white. I think the one w/white tracer was after the switch going on to the rear light fixtures. Solid purple being hot from fuse box ( factory wiring diagrams show these as violet ) but anyway.... Where a floor shift was installed instead of column shift, a extension harness used/attached to the same weird little gray plug that could attach to the column mounted switch so to extend these 2 wires to a floor shifter mounted switch.
Since none of that applies to a manual trans build, wiring diagrams from a factory service manual will be your best source. My goal would be to find the solid violet that fed the OEM reverse lamp switch wherever it is. Then find the one that goes to those rear fixtures.
If I'm not mistaken, that switch was on the manual trans underneath the car. Where/how they routed these 2 wires out of the cabin ? I don't know. Surely through the bulkhead connector somewhere. Most likely through the connector that holds the wiper motor wires since that is where they went in all 68 and later builds. ( All interior mounted reverse lamp switches disappeared in 68 model. )

 

[RedFish]

And by the way or just for the sake of knowledge, If you happen to have a 68 and later automatic trans under the car now, that will have a 3 post switch. The middle post in neutral safety. the 2 outer are reverse lamp. In this case you could use that and forget the shifter mounted switches.