I am helping a friend out with his 69 Z28 RS. The backup light switch is long gone and he want to get the backup lights working again. I think I know the wire color going to the switch (pink) and the wiring coming back to the rear harnes (light green) and it suppose to be near the steering column (I think on top near the floor), but I cannot find any wiring that I think goes to the switch. The car has a console and gauges. Any help would be greatly appreciated, Jerry

I assume this is a 4 speed car. So with that assumed the reverse light wires under the dash are on top of the column and the two wires are together in a double female plug. You can jumper across and check to see that the back up lights are working. Also check that the bulbs are in place and good. If you Do not see the (back up light) switch (on top of column) for the reverse lights there is a slot that you can feel and see. I wired a Hurst back up switch to get my reverse lights to activate (had to modify the mounting plate at the transmission).

My OE 69 manual harness was hacked up, but the pink and green wires are single connectors on a floor shift auto, so I believe they are two separate connectors for the manual as well.

If you look at the base of the column, just above the rubber boot, you should see the screw holes where the original switch mounted on the top side of the column. There should be pink and green wires floating free or tied up right nearby.

Now, if your friend wants the lights to work as OE, he will have to get this same column mounted switch and must have the entire "backdrive" linkage in place. There is a rod from the reverse rod on the trans that goes to a bellcrank mounted on the inside subframe rail, and then a rod up to the tab on the base (engine side) of the column. The manual trans had to be placed in reverse to allow the tube inside the column to rotate enough to remove the ignition key; this same tube rotation triggered the reverse lights.

If he doesn't have the backdrive linkage, he can just mount an aftermarket reverse light switch on the shifter and run jumper wires to the OE wires, which again will be on the main underdash harness, somewhere near the base of the column, on all but floor shift auto cars.

I found the plug with the pink and lite green wire in it and shorted them out and the backup lights work. I assumed that everyone knew that all Z28 was 4 speed, I am sorry that I did not point that out. I need to know how the original wiring went to the transmission. I.E. thru the firewall and down or down the console and thru the shifter hole. Any help is greatly appeciated thanks Jerry

I assumed it was a 4 speed, but change things for their preferences. I took mine thru the fire wall and down along the tranny hump. I used the hurst backup switch for a competition shifter just had to modify the mounting bracket so it fit my factory hurst shifter. Easy process just think it thru before you start bending the mounting plate. P.S. The factory wires were interior (dash) area and did not go to the tranny.

Jerry, did you read what I wrote? On a 69, the OE reverse light wiring NEVER left the interior. All column and floor shift manual trans cars as well as column shift auto cars used the reverse light switch (auto cars had NSS terminals on the switch as well) at the base of the column, activated by the backdrive system I described (on column shift autos it's not the same backdrive system, it's just the selector linkage). Auto floor shift cars had the reverse light wires on the switch on the horseshoe shifter base, but they still had the backdrive to make sure the car was in Park before the key could be removed.

So, if your buddy does not have the backdrive (and his column is wired up to let him take the key out of the ignition) or the OE style backup light switch, you can just run two new wires from the existing connectors you found, under the carpet and console to the shifter hole, and hook them to an aftermarket reverse light switch mounted on the shifter or trans.

I got some of the repro heavy insulation used on the temperature sender wire (or used a short length of thin wall tubing, I can't remember exactly) and slid it up over the wires (I have a TKO, with the reverse light switch on the side of the trans) so they would not chafe through on the shifter hole edge. The wires can't be seen with the carpet and boot in place, and you don't have to punch any more holes in the car.

Holes in the firewall for reverse light wiring is a 67 and 68 thing...