JD Erisman
Well-Known Member
Maybe someone else has figured this out and already posted but I didn’t find it in a search.
I’m sure many of you are like me and don’t want to pay for a reverse lights switch for your console automatic or even the column auto. They cost far too much for what they are and lots of Mopars use them. In my ‘67 I have a console auto, the switch broke after less than a year and I didn’t want to spend another $150, or more, plus shipping. A difference for some is my car has a 727 that I’ve been running for nearly 30 years and it was a ‘70-‘80s core that came with the three pin NSS. What did I do to avoid the costly new switch?
I found a wiring harness built for ‘69-‘70 (maybe even ‘71-‘74?) B body that connects the NSS to the neutral safety spade on the relay and the reverse lights 2-pin connector that comes out of the firewall junction box into the car’s interior above the steering column.
I had to carefully split the tape wrapping on the new harness to pull out and extend the reverse lights connection from the rest of the harness.
I used some “real” wire wrap electrical tape to clean-up my tape cutting work. I have rolls and rolls for some reason.
I connected the brown wire/connector in the new harness to the correct spade on the relay.
I cut a slit in the clutch pedal firewall plug, ran the new harness’ reverse lights wiring/connector through the clutch firewall plug and connected it to the body wiring harness for the reverse lights where they come out of the bulkhead connector.
Once connected, the reverse lights come on when they should and the “neutral start” safety works.
If you have a console auto, the reverse lights wiring that connect to the switch on the shifter run under the carpet, behind the driver’s kick panel, come out under the dash and connect to the reverse wiring connector that comes out of the bulkhead connector. You simply disconnect at this junction and plug the new harness’ connector into the bulkhead reverse lights connector, this bypasses all of the reverse lights wiring that goes to the switch on the shifter. Unfortunately, it also bypasses the power to the shifter position light. I’ll figure that out later.
Whole thing took five to ten minutes, tops.
I realize similar results can be achieved by purchasing a new NSS connector, some wiring that most of us have anyway and splicing here and there but using this harness means a solid connection due to no splicing involved and it looks much cleaner, everything connected to my ’67 cuda as though the factory did it.
These wiring harnesses are all over the internet for about $40 new but I paid less as I bought an old one. As I said before, my car has a later model 727, I believe you need to have a 1968.5 or newer tranny to have the three-pin NSS. Just an alternative to expensive re-pop switches and splicing wires together.
I’m sure many of you are like me and don’t want to pay for a reverse lights switch for your console automatic or even the column auto. They cost far too much for what they are and lots of Mopars use them. In my ‘67 I have a console auto, the switch broke after less than a year and I didn’t want to spend another $150, or more, plus shipping. A difference for some is my car has a 727 that I’ve been running for nearly 30 years and it was a ‘70-‘80s core that came with the three pin NSS. What did I do to avoid the costly new switch?
I found a wiring harness built for ‘69-‘70 (maybe even ‘71-‘74?) B body that connects the NSS to the neutral safety spade on the relay and the reverse lights 2-pin connector that comes out of the firewall junction box into the car’s interior above the steering column.
I had to carefully split the tape wrapping on the new harness to pull out and extend the reverse lights connection from the rest of the harness.
I used some “real” wire wrap electrical tape to clean-up my tape cutting work. I have rolls and rolls for some reason.
I connected the brown wire/connector in the new harness to the correct spade on the relay.
I cut a slit in the clutch pedal firewall plug, ran the new harness’ reverse lights wiring/connector through the clutch firewall plug and connected it to the body wiring harness for the reverse lights where they come out of the bulkhead connector.
Once connected, the reverse lights come on when they should and the “neutral start” safety works.
If you have a console auto, the reverse lights wiring that connect to the switch on the shifter run under the carpet, behind the driver’s kick panel, come out under the dash and connect to the reverse wiring connector that comes out of the bulkhead connector. You simply disconnect at this junction and plug the new harness’ connector into the bulkhead reverse lights connector, this bypasses all of the reverse lights wiring that goes to the switch on the shifter. Unfortunately, it also bypasses the power to the shifter position light. I’ll figure that out later.
Whole thing took five to ten minutes, tops.
I realize similar results can be achieved by purchasing a new NSS connector, some wiring that most of us have anyway and splicing here and there but using this harness means a solid connection due to no splicing involved and it looks much cleaner, everything connected to my ’67 cuda as though the factory did it.
These wiring harnesses are all over the internet for about $40 new but I paid less as I bought an old one. As I said before, my car has a later model 727, I believe you need to have a 1968.5 or newer tranny to have the three-pin NSS. Just an alternative to expensive re-pop switches and splicing wires together.
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