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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: Brady on December 16, 2017, 02:30:34 pm

Title: Reverse light for three on the floor.
Post by: Brady on December 16, 2017, 02:30:34 pm
Another question about my 1973 K-10.  It came with a three speed, column shift.  A previous owner had changed it to a floor shift and just had a switch on the dash to turn the backup light on.  It is a Hurst shifter, but it is a generic one; evidently no one makes a dedicated shifter for this transmission.  We have a safety inspection here in WVa and I don't know if it will pass; they have been getting more and more strict.

Many years ago, I stole a plunger switch off of an old riding mower and it worked for several years.   I had it mounted somewhere underneath where it was activated by one of the shifter levers.  I am due for an inspection, so I was checking all of the lights and found that the backup lights no longer worked, except with the switch on the dash.  I had a guy replace the clutch and had him replace all of the seals, because he removed engine and transmission to do the work.  I don't know if the switch fell off, or if maybe he removed it.  He has gotten out of the mechanical work, so he doesn't answer his phone.

I searched and all I found was about the switch for the column shift at the lower end of the column.  I can't switch it back to a column shift, because something broke inside the column.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a switch that I could use and how I could mount it?

TIA,
Brady
Title: Re: Reverse light for three on the floor.
Post by: zieg85 on December 16, 2017, 03:37:01 pm
Reverse lights should be an option for safety inspection but a good thing to call on prior to going.  If needed you can fashion a bracket with a button switch as you suggested. 
Title: Re: Reverse light for three on the floor.
Post by: 1967KaiserM715 on December 16, 2017, 06:11:59 pm
Depends on state, but most require reverse lights to only come on when in reverse and automatically go off when not in reverse.

That being said, I would look back into getting a switch back in the trqnsmission.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Reverse light for three on the floor. Good news!
Post by: Brady on December 20, 2017, 09:13:33 pm
Thanks for all of the comments.

It was over thirty years ago that I installed the backup light switch, and I had forgotten that I could access it from above.  It turned out that the bracket on which it was mounted had gotten bent a little, so the plunger was not fully depressed.  Just a little tweaking and now it works again.

An ironic note; I can't get it inspected until Jan.because all of the inspection stations are out of stickers.   :=)