Back up light wiring?

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mattmatthew

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Anyone know where I can find the backup light wires on a 65 Valiant? I have a later models trans and I'd like to get the lights working via the NSS.

My car is:
1965 Plymouth Valiant with a 1971 A904, 225
3 prong NSS
 
You can download a complete '66 manual over at MyMopar:

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/servicemanuals/1966_Plymouth_Service_Manual.zip

simplified diagrams from the same joint:

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1965/65ValiantBarracudaA.jpg

http://www.mymopar.com/downloads/1965/65ValiantBarracudaB.jpg

I can't help you too much with the physical layout. The wire comes up to the harness connector where the wire exits, going forward, from under the left sill plate, up through the left kick panel, and under the dash. From there it goes to wherever you shifter, column, or console was---you do know, right---that the reverse lamp switch in these old girls was on the shifter and not the Torqueflite?

To get the wiring to the transmission, you need to route them through the bulkhead connector, see diagram "A" top of page, 6 and 7 of the bulkhead connector. The stick cars routed the wiring from there down over the top of the bell/ transmission to the gearbox. (Same as your NSS single wire.)

You must have a late model trans if you are going to use the late model switch on the trans. The NSS on the later cars is actually TWO switches in one. The center post for the NSS does the same job as the older single terminal, the outer two switch power on/ off to the backup lamps.

So far as I know there is no way to adapt the original push--button trans to use the late 3 terminal switch.
 
Actually... I have a 65 Manual. I've glossed over the wiring diagrams a buncha times but it still doesn't give me the physical location of the light's wires. If I remember what I read correctly, the pushbutton style NSS only has one lead - for the NSS, and only later versions of the A904 have the 3 prong style (middle - NSS, left and right - reverse lights).

But yeah the reverse light switch on the 65's I've heard is on the column shifter unit itself.

The way I figure it is if I can find the wires going to and from the switch, perhaps I can reroute them to the late 3 prong switch? I don't know. I'm willing to try.

Worse comes to worse I wire up the B&M star shifter with the backup light switch kit. Then I guess it's just a matter of finding the backup light wires themselves?
 
Yup. Unless someone has hacked 'em up they should be there. Just look in your manual, to see the wire colors and connector.

Where was the switch in your car, IE column, console, etc?

If it was column, here's from the 66 manual, yours is probably very similar

At the bottom of the wiper switch, "B1" takes off to the left of the drawing, and reappears on the one showing the bulkhead. You can see it coming in at the right of the page, right above the "ACCESSORY FEED" label, and goes down to the (column) switch connector. The dotted line going up and to the bulkhead connector represents a stick car wiring

From the switch connector, "B2" goes out off the right lower, comes back in on the first drawing, and comes in as the very bottom left wire on the second drawing. You can see it goes to terminal 4 of the rear harness connector.

The console cars essentially connect a separate harness into the same point as the column switch, but it's a different connector. The harness's are actually different because of console lighting, etc.
 

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Probably the column. Sometimes I wish this stuff came with big honkin labels. Oh well when I get over this cold probably yank the seat, get back under there and trace the wires to where they go.
 
check on the tranny linkage for a little square boxor a litrtle hump that willl triggger the lights
 
In the begiining the reverse lamps were in the cabin on the shifter. Since column shift was the standard the switch was placed on the steering column. Its difficult to see since it is on top of the column about half way down to the floor. Grey colored connector w/ 2 purple wires. When they added optional floor shifter they added a extension cord from that connector to the switch mounted on the floor shifter.
People will often refer to the 3rd bulkhead connector as the wiper motor connector. That's only because it didn't have any other wires/circuits in it but guess what?.. when the factory decided to move the reverse lamp switch out of the cabin and down to the trans they used 2 of the extra/unused ports in that 3rd bulkhead connector. So it wasn't a wiper motor only connection anymore.
If you have a later model trans that employees a 3 post switch all you need to do is what the factory did. find those 2 purple wires , disconnect them from the connector at the steering column, route them outside, tape them with that single brown wire going to the trans mounted switch and hook them up. Done
 
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