The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Backup Light Switch? - 54 SM420 Transmission.

Evening all

Is there a way to mount a backup switch on a 1954 SM420 4speed transmission? I thought it would be a nice feature to add to my 3100.

Thanks in advance
Walt L. Williams
La Verkin, Ut.

Walt
The 1955 Cameo's had a switch close to the top of the transmission tower on the left side inside in the cab with a little arm welded to the gear shift stick. When you would pull it to the left and down to go to reverse it would push the button on the switch. I haven't seen one for years.
It seemed to work pretty well
Jim

I have a cap (replacement for the cap that holds the shifter shaft in) that holds a switch on the top of my transmission. And a lever on the shifter shaft that pushes down on the switch when I shift into reverse to turn on the reverse lights. This came in the kit I bought many years ago and previously used the other setup on a column three speed in a 55 2nd.

IIRC there have been several discussions on this in the last 2-3 years, and there are kits still available. The backup light switch was an option on the 67 (last year for SM420), and possibly earlier trucks. I can't remember any particular poster to help narrow a search.

Larry

"The last year of the SM420 (1967) had a backup light switch installed in the top cover to meet that year's federal mandates."

http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/blog/index.php/2010/02/4-speed-back-up-light-switch/

They were also found on the '60-'66 Chevy trucks, but standard equipment in 1966.

Reverse light switch

Dennis, think you could post a couple of pictures of that cap and switch and
is it the same one that Tim linked us to at JC‘s site?

Larry, please tell us where the kits are still available at??

Tony, do you know if those were the clip on switches like those pictured above
or did the covers have the casting for the internal switch???

And lastly, what would the backup light itself from the GM accessory kit have looked like????
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Too bad I didn't know of those switches back when I did mine. My method is a lot of work, but it was a fun winter project.



http://rides.webshots.com/album/141689703NurJLp

Here are some examples of factory back-up light kits: Both Standard and Automatic versions:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2111507070102454676oUXlQS
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2043507770102454676uhQxpl
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2889302090102454676gRRvlB
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2005801000102454676NTMykc
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2762887090102454676GJRJzb
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2879033430102454676Ijkouw

Yup. That is the setup I have. I need to figure out what kind of lights to use.

"Larry, please tell us where the kits are still available at??"

Denny, I never followed up on getting a kit. The thread may have been more than 2-3 years ago. I did a search to see if I could find the thread, but ran into a problem. Some of the links from the search results would only get me to the Forum, not the post. Such as the following, Hedgehog had a link to pictures. (the following link appears to have a problem(?), but I could cut and paste to get it to come up)

https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=22485&Searchpage=3&Main=3640&Words=%2Bbackup%2Bswitch%2Bkit&Search=true#Post22485

This is a good link to a picture of the original pieces I believe Squeeze made the link;

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/2/2877/4121/19692060221_large.jpg

I seem to remember there was a picture of the kit and it reversed the above setup. The switch(brake?) was clamped to the shifter, and,,, I don't remember how the stop for the switch was mounted.

Larry

You must have posted before Craig, I remember looking thru your web shots and
downloading them for future reference. You’ve come up with a good solution, it
looks very professional and looks like it belongs on the transmission. Looks like
it clears but might be kinda close to the cover. To bad we couldn’t find one with
a smaller thread diameter so you could move it down a few degrees, it wouldn’t
take much to give it plenty of clearance. But I really do like it.
By the way, where did you find the backup lights??

Tks but that looks like the GM accessory switch that JC has posted on his tech tips page.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny,

For back-up lights on my 54 1/2 ton Hydra-Matic (that has a back-up light switch), I am going to try to attach a backup lamp to each of the two 54 tail lights.

I have obtained a NOS pair of black back-up lamps like the one shown on the Suburban tail lamp in this JC article.

The other backup lamps that I will be mocking up are used GUIDE B-31 lamps that I will paint black (if I use them).

Thanks for the info. I didn't expect so many responses. I will see if I can implement a small arm on my shifter and position a switch on the top of my transmission..... unless someone knows of a kit that I can purchase.

Walt Williams
La Verkin, UT