Neutral safety switch location in a 66

[66camperspecial]

If a 66 came from the factory with a automatic trans where would that switch be located,mine originally came with a manual trans but I will be mounting one on the present C-6 to get back up lights but was thinking about hooking it up for the starter too. On my 65 galaxie it would be on the column but if it came with a manual trans it would had came from the factory with a jumper wire so I looked in the same location in my truck and did not see any wires in the same color code that would be going from the ignition switch to the solenoid.

[rbeck204]

I wanted to use a 72 auto trans column so I added a neutral safety switch to my C6 tranny. Goes right where the shifter shaft goes into the side of the tranny. Wired the ignition through it and also added back up lights and installed 72 tail light buckets and lenses with built in back up light sockets. Tail lights and lenses fit with no modifications.
Rich.

[64 f100]

Many of the early Fords had a safety switch mounted to the column. Kind of an add on thing. Plunger typed that was activated by the shift arm being in the park position or a certain gear shift position. Standard transmissions seldom, if ever had a neutral safety switch from the factory. Automatics had it on the column in 66, down by the foot pedals on the column. May have been the one sold for falcons on some models. Somewhere along the way in the mid 60's, the column design was changed and so was the switch to the later 67 and up style. Uncertain when they did this though. If, you have standard shift best way to mount a switch would be to put a push in momentary switch to the clutch pedal , or a pull type switch, either would work set up so that you have no power to the starter solenoid . find the wire coming off the ignition switch to the solenoid and splice it in so the clutch has to be depressed before it will start. AS far as setting one up so that it has to be in the neutral position, I have never given that much thought, and I don't believe Detroit did it either. Most more modern cars with stick shift usually had a clutch arrangement switch. If running an original automatic column, the switch is mounted on the column by the pedals and there is a hole in the column where there is a sweep of some sort to make the contacts work. Been awhile since I looked at one so the exact pieces are a little vague in my memory. I believe the sweep was attached to shift tube by a screw or possibly two. There may or may not be a splice in the dash wiring to tie the whole thing together, I don't remember. I don't think there would be two different wiring harness applications for the one change but you never know.

Rich

[banjopicker66]

The factory switch would be on the steering column, down low.
It was the same design until Ford put the neutral safety switch on the side of the transmission itself, which I think was about '74 or so - not sure.
In '68, the connector changed from blade to bullet shaped electrical connections, but the switch still mounted the same on the column.
Both the switch and the column had weak points.
Switch: It had a prong that pointed out that was the actuator for the switch. It had a tendency to break off completely.
Column: The inner shaft of the column had a pointer that protruded out of the column, and pushed against the switch's prong. This was a separate piece that often broke or bent as well. It snapped onto the inner shaft.
Both were easily replaced.

[William-in-St George]

Like BP described. Look closely at the column you plan to use. If you are using an aftermarket column or a later Ford tilt you will need to modify the column and shift tube too accept the column mounted switch and actuating lever. I have done this and it is a pita. I like having the switch in the truck but if the column you are planing too use doesn't have the opening in the column and the correctly spaced holes in the shift tube to mount the actuating lever I would suggest you use the later, transmission mounted switch. Availability and cost of the transmission mounted switch is better then the column mounted switches. Your local transmission shop will be able to help you get the correct pieces to mount the switch on the trans. FWIW.

[66camperspecial]

I am using a 69 column and it has a place for the switch but since I have a C-6 I am going to mount the switch on the trans since I have that switch,I was hoping to find some wires on the harness where it would hook to the switch like my 65 galaxie had but none to be found so it looks like i will have to cut the wire close to the ignition switch if I want to use it as a neutral safety switch along with operating the back up lights. The galaxies had the wire to the solenoid going down near the column in the location of the switch even if it had a manual trans,the manual trans versions had a jumper wire in place of the neutral safety switch so I was hoping the trucks would be the same but it looks like its not.

[banjopicker66]

Actually, the trucks are the same. The "automatic"was connected into the regular harness at specific points.
(In fact, based on all the electrical diagrams I have, I bet that your Galaxy will be the same in principle. Except that by '69, Ford may have standardized the harnesses better. Worth a look perhaps.)
For example, follow the wiring from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid; there is a bullet connector in there some where under the dash. If I remember correctly, you are looking for the Red-Blue wire coming off the backside of the ignition switch.
The NSS wiring would connect into the harness after the ignition switch but before the solenoid. The wire from the ignition "Start" switch would now be diverted down to the NSS on the column (or transmission), and the wire from the NSS would now be connected back up under the dash to the wire going to the starter solenoid. Basically a type of interrupt.
If the NSS is "off", that is, open so that no current can flow, then the starter solenoid cannot be activated, and the starter will not run. When properly adjusted, the NSS will be open or "off" when in all positions except P and N.
If the switch is closed or "on", then the starter will run. The switch is closed when the shifter is in the P and N positions.
The key to this is properly adjusting the switch. It isn't hard, just frustrating because you are working down low next to the firewall.
I remember having an early '70s truck that the switch had a problem staying adjusted because one of the screws was stripped or something.
The answer was to reach over the steering column and behind the steering wheel with the left hand to pull up on the shifter to make sure it was in Park. While holding the shifter there in Park, then reach down with the right hand to turn the key.
I never did get it fixed, though.

[66camperspecial]

I am going to look over the wiring harness a little more and I am going to use the later switch that mounts on the trans instead of the column.

[banjopicker66]

I think the NSS on the transmission is probably the better way to go, but, you might also want to check the transmission you have, as to whether or not the case-mounted NSS will work with it.
There are a couple of issues; I don't recall them all, and I may not be completely correct, but if I recall correctly, there are two concerns. The transmission case and the shifting lever that passes through the side of the case are different than earlier transmissions.
Later transmissions were modified to accept the NSS mounted on the side of the case. Early transmissions won't accept the transmission-mounted NSS.
1. The case has a drilled and threaded boss for the mounting screw (screws?) that hold the NSS in position.
2. The shift lever for the NSS has a slot in it. The NSS slides over the lever and has a "tooth" that engages this slot. As the shift lever is rotated from gear to gear, the slot in the lever rotates the inner part of the switch.

I hope that if my thoughts here if not complete, they at least will help in some fashion.

If this doesn't pose an insurmountable problem, then you should be able to easily interrupt the wiring under the dash and wire in your transmission NSS.

Best of luck!

[66camperspecial]

The trans is made to accept the switch and I had to replace the arm since I cut it to install the Lokar shifter so I have a arm that will work with the switch,the one I cut was not made for the switch.

[William-in-St George]

The NSS on the transmission will also have a set of wires to activate a backup light. You will need an ignition hot feed and an extra wire out to whatever light you decide to use for backup.

[6166 Junkyard Dog]

did not start putting neutral switches on side of trans on the Ford till 1978, from them up till ? was on side of trans,, before on columns and the 65/66 switches are by themselves then it goes to a from 67/77

[66camperspecial]

Anybody priced a NSS that mounts on the column lately?,around 100 dollars from Autozone so I am going to the newer trans mounted style. One for a 78 is about 60 while the mid 80s is around 30.

[66camperspecial]

Neutral safety switch and back up lights are on and working,will hook up the wire to the solenoid when I can work outside and open the doors of the truck more then in the garage.

[69supercj]

Not sure about the pickups, but my '69 Mach has the NSS on the tranny.