Hot Rods Help neutral safety and back up lights

Rewiring my 52 mercury Monterey the neutral safety switch was not wired up. It had been bypassed. Can someone tell me what terminals are for neutral safety, and which terminals are for reverse lights I have two terminals with screws and two terminals that take a Male plugged into it

 

What devices need these wires?
Any photos?

 

If you had a multi-meter, you could figure it out yourself. Set the meter to Ohms, look at what is says when the leads are not connected to each other. Then connect the leads to each other, and see what it says. Now you know what the meter is telling you when the switch is "open" (leads not connected), or "closed" (leads connected together.

Now...put the parking brake on, and connect one lead to one screw terminal, and the other lead to the other one. Is it open or closed? If it's closed, that's the neutral switch. Now shift through the gears slowly, see what the meter tells you.

Repeat with the plug connectors.

You are looking for the NSS to be the terminals that have an "open circuit" when it's in gear, and closed circuit when it's in Park or Neutral.

And the Back up lights will have Open circuit in all positions except Reverse, where it will be Closed.

beware that the switch might be adjusted wrong, or not working, if things don't make sense.

 

Fords of that era only start in neutral, they will not start in park. Mercury may be the same as Fords.

 

Thanks for the correction, I should have known that, but it's been a long time since I drove that 55 T bird.

 

Thanks squirrel

 

Vanpelts has a 53 wiring diagram that should be ballpark close. Flathead_Electrical_wiring1953merc.jpg (1068×806) (vanpeltsales.com)

 

Truthfully, I am thinking that backup lights were an option at best. I've searched that diagram and can't find a neutral switch.

A quick thought, is that the original column for a 52 Mercury with an automatic or is has it been swapped in?

 

Okay, how about some truth telling. What actually is the transmission? In another thread you are asking about a SBC in this same car.

Bottom line, factual information is helpful to avoid wasting people's time and good nature.
So, is it stock, or something else?