So I've got the Lokar kit,BUT you can either use it as a Neutral Safety Switch, or a Back-up light switch. but NOT BOTH. So I'm using mine as a back-up light switch, which they check during inspection. If I use it for a neutral safety switch, instead, what / how do I do a back-up light switch?
I accidentally started my father's 47 pickup in reverse, and rolled it into the front of my 65 Mustang (coupe needed a new hood anyway). I'm just happy the garage door was open. Buy two?
install both levers back to back. Make a 8 shaped bracket, slip it over the switch before you intall it in the existing bracket. Get another switch at NAPA to install in the other hole on the 8 shaped bracket. Adjust and you are done.
When I was a young 19 year-old, I put a Desoto Hemi into a 53 Ford Pickup, and didn't wire in the NSS. Some of the guys were at our place (my folks house) and I was going to let them hear the Hemi. Out to the driveway we go, I reached through the window, started it, and promptly watched it go clear through the 16-foot wide aluminum & fibergl*** garage door, before hitting the workbench, lawn mower, and a couple of bicycles. Not only did that cost me in cold hard cash, but humiliation as well. To this day I get reminded of it from time to time by the witnesses. Thank God nobody was in front of the thing.
I ran my car without one for many years,jumped on the locar switch as soon as I found out it was available. Buy one NOW. Too many close calls before I installed n. s. sw. Cheap ins.
Nevermind the obvious safety for yourself and those around you, but also the guy/gal that may end up with your rod futher down the road. Just telling the guy/gal you're selling it to that it has an installed and working neutral safety switch may also show them that the car was built right.
Quote: <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=6 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD cl***=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Originally Posted by skullhat wont it start anyway when you jump the solenoid, saftey switch or not ? skull </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> Yes it will. Had a schoolmate killed years ago when he jumped the solenoid on his '63 Chevy while reaching up from under the car. He was only nineteen! OK, yes it will and no, it won't. If your ignition system is properly wired, just jumping the solenoid will not start the car. The power to the coil should be routed thru the key. I have seen some ratty wiring jobs where they just found a source or tapped the solenoid and somehow got it to work on the key, but if it is wired correctly, you shouldn't get power to the coil by only jumping the solenoid. I have accidently welded a wrench to the leads and I guess it would keep rolling, but it never started. Even after it melted the leads off.
I dont like 'em myself, i dont want to have to come to a stop to restart my car if somehow it dies On my t-400 daily i dont have one, never had a problem, worked out well when the shift linkage broke and i drove it for a week in gear I dont screw around when people say drive it like you stole it, i had a bare gm starter switch hanging off my dash at one point too
Way hack when I was 16 I was working on my dads friends car. A 64 falcon ranchero. I fixed the brakes, then installed a oil pressure gauge. Not having ever messed with oil gauges before I decided to see how it works. The car was in park, and I started it. The gauge moved around the dial, so I wanted to see how high the engine could push out. I started revving it pretty good, and had one leg hanging out with the door open. The shift mechanism must have been loose cause it dropped into reverse with a brand new mercedes parked behind me. I had just enough time to slam on the brakes which I just fixed and not damage anything. Except for changing my pants after... The point is that if you can do it WITH a neutral safety switch, you're MUCH MORE likely to do it if you dont have one. SAFETY FIRST!
On the auto's i'm used to it need to be park, and i've been in situations where i have had problems and needed to get home with a ****ty running car and dying car, I've only trailered a car back twice and that was catostophic drivetrain failure, the rest of the times I've tied cars back togather enough to make it
even if you really are the only one to drive the car and you never will try to start it in Drive - you will. When I was in college I had a Ford Courier pickup with a 302/C4 and no neutral safety. I was late for cl*** one day and pulled into a parking spot and hopped out forgetting to put it in park. Came back after cl***, put the key in and BAM hit the car parked in front of me. Will I ever do one without a neutral safety again? HELL NO
I had just finished putting new headgaskets and valve springs on 'Fatso' a '37 Ford ProMod with 1200hp 632 in it, i hit the start ****on to set timing and it had a lenco with a torque convertor. The linkage was out of adjustment and the thing tried to fire and it was in gear, it made one big lurch forward with me holding on and ran into my own cars' parachute and up on the wheelie bars. Talk about scared/hot/pissed the owner never said a word about the linkage being wacky (he said it had happened to him too, in the trailor!) with that much torque somebody could have been crushed. Always use a neutral safety switch.
I can't believe this is even a question. If you are a true car crafter you will devise some way of installing one. The only justifications for not having one are laziness and ignorance. This is based upon what I have read above.
It's been stated pretty well already, but I will also say that you should make it work. You will regret it sooner or later if not.
I had a long time friend and go to parts guy killed down town here by an old guy who started his car in gear while he was squatted down in front of the car checking the park light in front of the store. On my OT daily driver truck I have a starter ****on under the dash that has to be pushed along with turning the key to start. If you just jump in the truck and hit the key or reach in it won't crank but you have to reach under the dash and hit the push ****on along with turning the key (that might be a safety thing on your rig ****gy) At any rate I have to do two distinct things together to start the truck. My wife hates it but it has become second nature to me. I've seen too many peoples kids start the car screwing around inside when the car is stopped for a minute like at a gas station or when a freind stopped in the yard to chat for a minute. That time the kid wanted to listen to the sterio an ended up starting the car. It was in neutral but spooked my buddy because the kid had started the car. A few buck and a few minutes for safety is a lot easier to deal with than injury, death or damage due to not having said switch or device.
I never start a car without my foot on the clutch. I dont like neutral safety switches on my vehicle for the reason that if my car dies in the middle of an intersection, or on railroad tracks I can put it in gear and use the starter to move the car a few feet if neccessary, but I never have any kids in my car either. If I ever have any believe I'll be installing one
Don't kid yourselves fellas - there is NO REASON to not install a Nuetral Safety Switch. Even the example above of "needing it to work" in gear is easily accomplished with a momentray switch - for me I just push them a couple of feet - hell I pushed my car home a 1/4 mile away once - by myself - uphill - in 4 foot of snow.....I digress Seriously though - the last one I installed was on my digger - I looked at several options - some even marketed by professionals - the version I settled on was making a switch bracket off the trans pan which the shift arm would hit in park and park alone. The reason being I didn't want a cable /linkage problem to ever allow it to start somewhere it shouldn't be. The easiest away around that was to go right to the shift arm. Some of these "old guys" got that way by learning from other people's mistakes - good luck convincing them they don't need something as basic and SIMPLE to install as a Neutral Safety Switch.
I guess your right..different shifters..and trans combo, might not have a switch for the neutral and park position, I didnt take all types into conciteration when i posted that You can run both and get a contact switch for your neutral position ..couldnt you?
Take the time to wire up the Neutral Safety Switch ! One day you will be thanking all of us that told you to do it ! Mistakes & Accidents HAPPEN ! No one is perfect and we all have made the mistake and started a car in gear ! If it hasn't happened to you yet , it will one day so be smart and put one in !
my dad made his own out of a horn ****om i believe not real sure on the specs on it or how he went about it but it works great!
Depends if you want to go thru the garage wall or not if you can't figure out a simple mechanical switch, dakota digital has a shift indicator with a neutral switch built in it, i have one on my car and my daughters 32 cabriolet both, works good and adjustable rich
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