1965 backup light switch

[Dave Marshall]

My '65 is a backup light car. When I got it, it did not have any of the backup light switch on it. I purchased the componets from CC and now have it installed. It has a long wire lead with one black/pink wire and one black/light green wire and a plug on the end with two male connector arranged in a 90 degree fashion. My question is where does the plug actually go? I've searched the wiring diagrams but I can't seem to locate this switch. Thanks.

Dave Marshall

[Donald T.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

There should be a female 90 degree plug from the dash harness that passes through the firewall. If I recall there is a diagram in the AIM.

[Dave Marshall]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

Thanks Don,

I have the cluster still out of the car so it should be easier to take a look in that area. I appreciate your help.

Dave Marshall

[William C.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

It should be in the engine compartment, in the area toward the passengers side of the throttle linkage of the firewall. If you follow the clips routing the wire along the trans tunnel you should come right to it. I assume you have the day-night mirror and that is how you determined it is a backup light equipped car?

[Dave Marshall]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

Thanks Bill,

I showed my ignorance again. I was just going by the wiring and that it had back-up lights as thinking it was a back-up light car. It appears I have a bit of studying to do. And, no, there was no day/night mirror in the car. It has probably been worked on considerably by Bubba, not to say that Bubba isn't still at work on it. Thanks again for the help.

Dave Marshall

[William C.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

In '65, day-nite mirror and backup lights were part of a package. If you have the original mirror and it does not have the day nite feature, it did not come with backup lights. They wer only available id a "comfort and convenience package that included both. '66 was the first year for B-U lights as standard equipment.

[Jack W.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

If not a Comfort & Convenience Group (RPO Z01) car originally, the wiring harness will not have accomadation for the backup lights at either the switch end (coming out of the dash harness) or the tail end (coming out of the tail harness). If you do have appropriate wiring running to the backup lights themselves and it seems to come out of the tail harness in an oem fashion, then this would seem to indicate it was once so equipped, and either (1) you should be able to locate the b-up light switch wire as it comes out of the main dash harness in the left of center area under the dash, or (2) the wire was cut off, in which case you should still be able to find enough of it to tie a new wire into and run that to the switch.

It would be odd indeed for someone to replace funtioning brake lights with non-functional back up lights in the tail, or to run those back up lights off of the brake light wires in place for a non Z01 car. Anything is possible with Bubba, of course.

[David Z.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

Here is a pic of the connectors from the area of the dash harness in question. You can see the 90* connector in the center. This is a harness for a 1965 with BU lights. It's in the group for the wiper motor connections, etc.

Hope this helps.

Dave Z

[John H.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

The connector with the pink (12V) and green (backup lamp) wires between the dash harness and the pigtail that comes up from the backup lamp switch on the transmission is visible in this photo just below the ballast resistor. If the car was originally a Z01 car, that dash harness connector should be floating around somewhere unless someone cut it off (and hopefully taped it up, since the pink wire is "hot" any time the key is "on").

[Dave Marshall]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

Dave Z,

Thanks for the picture -- it helps a lot.

Dave Marshall

[Dave Marshall]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

Thanks to you John too. Your post hadn't come through when I read Dave Z's. The pictures are truly worth a 1000 words. Thanks again to all.

Dave Marshall

[Donald T.]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

One other note. If the car was not originally a Z01, there are several items that need to be changed, and a couple are less obvious. Dash harness, rear harness, Day/Night mirror, flasher, both inner tail lamp assemblies including bulbs and lenses. You can't just replace the inner tail lamp lenses from red to clear and call it a day. The L slots in the housing have a different configuration so the bulbs (single filiment vs. dual) are not interchangable. So you are talking about some big $$$ by the time your done.

[Dave Marshall]

Re: 1965 backup light switch

Thanks Don for your input. I have found the connector under the dash that needs to go through the firewall. I looked at all the items you mentioned. The back-up lights are the single filament type and the wiring at the rear is for back-up lights. I think everything will fall in place now as soon as I figure out just what goes through all those holes in the firewall. Some of them are obvious, but some aren't to me right now. Thanks to all for your help.

Dave Marshall