My 1970 Skylark/GS 455 th350 has been converted from a colume shift to a B&M floor shifter. How do you hook up a neutral saftey switch to work on this? I want to race but can't without this saftey switch working. Thank you; Mike
Mike, Did your shifter come with a switch? If it did, all you need to do it to cut the purple wire going to the starter solenoid and connect each end to the switch on your shifter to send power thru the new switch. Rob
The B-M floor shifter should have 2 micro switches on it located on the side of the shifter body one is for the nutral switch he other is for reverse lights If the switches are missing or not working you can buy them seperatly. run the purple wires from the switch on your streeing colum to the shifter as well run the other two wires ( orange and white i think ) to the other switch and you should have it done ken
Your steering column already has the neutral safety switch on it. Look at your column right before it goes thru the firewall. You should see it retained by 2 hex head (1/4") sheet metal screws.
Yes there is a neutral safety/ backup light switch on the steering column. But from what I read he has switched to an after market B-M shifter, and unless he finds a factory style trans shift leaver and cross shaft he will be unable to use the stock one . That is why there is one on the B-M shifter he just needs to lengthen the wires from his factory one and hook them up to the new shifter which it seems he has installed. Unless I read his post wrong thats what he was asking for ken
That is correct. Thanks Ken & Rob; I will have to look for it. The owner before me installed the shifter and never hooked it up. Thank you for the help. Mike
Bringing this thread from the dead, but here goes my question. I put a B&M in my Regal, cut and lengthened the stock wires from the stock neutral safety switch (and reverse lights) down to the B&M, and they don't work. I have a chiltons manual so I got the colors right, but still having trouble. Anyone else overcome this problem?
Times I've seen them not work the adjustment on the switch on the shifter was off. Sometimes, there's just a little sweet spot where they make contact. Get an OHM meter and hook it to each contact on the shifter neutral safety switch. In park it should show a connection, pull it to reverse and you should see the connection open. Make sure you have a closed connection on the switch itself when the shifter is in park. Same thing goes for the reverse lights, that switch is closed when that shifter is in Reverse and open in other positions.
If I remember right the bottom micro switch on the b + m shifter is for the neutral saftey switch wiring and the top is for the reverse lights. There are little bumps built into the shifter that activate the switches. Someone correct me if I am wrong. Brad.
I always thought that even in a console shift car, the neutral starting switchy was on the column. because even moving the floor mounted shifter moved the linkage up to the column for the gear indicator. But I just ran across this picture... The neutral switch is in the floor shifter ???????? how does the wiring get in there? under the carpet? .
Yeah, I have one of those shifters as well. Not evem sure where I got it from many years ago! I need to hook up the switch since I don't have all the linakge hooking up the trans to the steering column.
there is no need to cut any wires just unplug the harness from the steering column and make a jumper harness run it under the carpet thats what the factory did then plug it in the same as on the column ken
Same here...someone put the proper floor shift column in my car, and the collar will turn manually and I can see the gear indicator move. My car does not have the linkage, but have sourced it...just never installed yet. But Im not aware of any wiring going to the console. That would explain the lack of reverse lights.
This subject is always a source of confusion for people. I don't have all the exact years nailed down, but there are some years where on a floor shift the netral safety switch is on the floor shifter only (as in my year, 69) and on a column shift it's on the column. That pic above looks like a 68/69 style shifter which would explain the switch mounted on it. In 69, if you had a console mounted shifter, there is no shift indicator on the dash cluster. I know because I have that setup. A harness runs under the carpet to the switch on the shifter and also to the courtesy lights on the console. With other years, the floor shift cars had a linkage which ran from the tranny bracket up to the arm on the steering shaft in the engine compartment. When you shifted, that linkage would move that arm on the steering shaft thus spinning the collar on the steering column which ultimately moved the position of the shift indicator on the dash. I believe this was done on all 70-72 cars, not 69. I can't be sure of 68 because there's so many little quirky differenced between even 68 and 69. For example, in 68, the ignition was in the dash and not on the steering column!
Ah ok.... so my 72 should be on the column like I thought. I should move the collar and see if the reverse lights come on... that will give me the kick in the rear end that I need to get the linkage hooked upl :beer
Yep. I still have the wrong collar on there with the shifter nub. When I turn it by hand, I can see the reverse lights come on. What I need to do is splice into the wires that go to it and run them under the carpet to the shifter. For you 70-72 guys, I think you need that linkage back to the column to spin the collar that used to be spun by the shift handle. Only thing is you'll still have that nub like I do unless you replace the column. I've never just replaced the collar with a non column shift collar. It sounds easy but my friend says it's really not just an easy change.
I have the right column... no shifter nub... but Ive never looked under to see if there was a neutral switch as I thought it would have been in the console... something else for me to investigate!
The reason why is actually very simple GM made all cars built for the 1969 model have a transmission shifter inter lock :grin: thus the 69 steering column locks the trans in gear :idea2: was supposed to make it harder to steal :shock: so with the shifter connected to the steering column there was no need to have the neutral switch and back up lights in the console:grin: the 69 was a carry over from 68 so still had the switch on the shifer handle in the console if you also check a "proper " standard floor shifter as well was only able to turn the key in the column in reverse for 1969 and newer another lock out device ( most people removed the connecting rod as it was trully a pain in the azz ) try and find a correct one these days for a stick car :shock: It may even have been goverment required for 1969 I am not sure Thats the real reason :TU: Ken
Well I took the console off today and was messing around with it. Got the reverse lights to work...the switch just needed adjusted (moved closer to the shifter). Neutral safety switch is still not working, neither of the wires are hot....thinking of just making my own from the key or starter wire...gotta trace down some wires.
with the discussion on this subject I got some time tonight to check out under the column on my 72 (previously converted from column to console by a previous owner) My reverse lights never did work. The linkage was never added on the from the trans to the column to activate the collar inside to move the gear selector needle and neutral starting switch. so I always figured once I added that linkage (its on a shelf in the garage, won from an ebay auction about 3 yrs ago) everything would work. Before this thread I never thought to go turn the collar manually. Well I tried it.. no reverse lights so I positioned myself on my back (and Im not the smallest guy) under the dash to find out why. the switch was there, it was hooked up too. no lights I had a new switch purchased a few years ago in preparation for this time. Took out the old, tried to put in the new and it would not fit. The electronic part was the same, but the mounting holes were different. so I ended up switching the mounting part which is the whole back of the switch. took the old one apart first, BOING little pieces everywhere. Took more care on the new one, and was able to put the mount from the old on the new electronic mechanism. installed and LIGHTS when I move the collar! Now I have incentive to hook up the linkage Thanks guys:beers2: Edit: Also cant start it when in the R or D positon too LOL and cant remove the key unless in P
