Technical Neutral Saftey Switch

Your telling of your story might save a life someday.

 

How do you rig a neutral safety switch on a '39 top loader....

Phil

 

You put an interlock switch on the clutch pedal.

 

Sorry I was not more clear

 

HRP thanks for this thread. I don't have a nss switch on my car so now when I crank it to set timing or etc. I have the rear tires off the floor with my jack stands. Off to the parts house...…...

 

I'll fess up to doing something stupid.
I have a non-HAMB friendly Pick Up with the engine in the rear AKA Little Red Wagon.
I wanted to start it and I was at he rear of the car so I pulled the start relay and jumped the terminals.
The car started and settled into it's warm up routine but was in gear and the relay was after the NSW. It started to move quite quickly in reverse and pinned me between a Range Rover and the rear corner of my car.
Fortunately I could squeeze out but it hurt quite a bit. I went to front and turned it off.
It was about then the adrenalin gave up and I found I couldn't stand on my right leg.
I had a passer by call my wife to come and get me (left my phone at home) so she arrives and I'm slid into the rear seat of my SUV with the first stop home so I can organise the recovery of my truck (gotta get your priorities right) then off to Emergency.
The long and the short I had 3 fractures in my Pelvis and a broken tailbone. And not a drop of blood was spilt.
I was stunned the next morning when the Doc told my I'm supposed to be dead.
So think about the Neutral Start Switch as yes, it could save your life.
I got to spend 3 months in bed then have to repair my car.

 

seems strange clicking the "like" button on these stories. just sayin'

 

^^^^^ I find it strange that people have to slow down to see a traffic accident. Human fascination, trying to figure it out only causes...

 

Yeah ,,,
But it’s someone sharing something (a story) they aren’t proud of to save someone else an ass load of grief. That’s commendable And worth a like.
However I doubt most who are under the impression they don’t need a NSS because they are for other people won’t be swayed into installing one or even bothered to get the one that’s already in the car functional

 

My OT V8 S-10 won't start without the clutch pedal down...even though it's a TH350 now. One day about 5 years after I built it I was going down the road and my wife asked why I never shifted it..she thought it was a stick the whole time.

 

Too old to leave home without one

 

Need a “ oh sh*t” button

 

in that case the neutral safety switch is installed in your brain.

 

am I the only one who only starts a car when I am sitting in it?
started my car in drive one time with no neutral safety switch. car moved a foot up and hit my blasting cabinet before I stopped it. no damage.. neutral safety switch was on my list of projects at the time

 

Probably not,
But I bet everyone has at least one story of a NSS and wishing it was functioning- either their own or someone else’s.
Then again if it isn’t installed and adjusted with all the care in the world it still won’t work.

 

The transmission in my 37 Ford is a M-22 four-speed. At the H.A.M.B. drags this year, the tech inspector pinged me for not having an interlock switch to keep the engine from being cranked unless the clutch pedal is depressed -- saying that this is an NHRA requirement for stick-shift cars. But he was very nice to let me run, and asked that I correct it before next time. (I only got in one abbreviated pass in anyway, with the heavy rain killing the drags this year.)

I wasn't aware of this as an NHRA requirement. But from a safety standpoint, this makes perfect sense irregardless.

I plan on utilizing the neutral safety switch currently in the car's (Buick) steering column, and fabricating a mount at the clutch pedal to have it activated when the pedal depressed. One of my many small projects over this upcoming (long) winter.

 

Rod Serling moment for me with this topic.

A week or less ago I was fiddling with a reverse light swith off an old Caddy. Has a nice linkage and adjustable rod, surely capable of handling the starter button amps too. I'm musing about how to hook it up as a clutch pedal safety switch on the 39 and figuring to shoot the whole process and be sure it lands here for the rest of us. I thought about what pain in the ass it might be if I'm in a 'bump it over' work mode some time but I have a hand held gig for that anyways. And to, if I were in solo working mode needing to bump over I'd already have it in neutral. I have 2 different switches, the other is like a long toggle with no rod. One or the other will make a fine clutch pedal safety switch and I will share an 'A' thru 'Z' process. Don't get too excited though, not like I'm doing it next week, but I'm doing it. Can't do anything right on the trans with most of the shift tower inside and there's no console planned so clutch pedal it is.

But how wierd is it that I find this on the home page so soon after. In my best Rod Serling voice:

"Imagine if you will, a hot rod community so informed and intense that no topic is beyond discovery. That anyone any time may stir your thinking and have the same epiphany you personally traversed just moments ago. It can only happen, in the HAMB-light Zone..."

 

A switch could easily be added into the start circuit so the starter will only crank if the clutch is depressed.

 

i used to be a big WWII vehicle collector, all gone now. but once when working on my autocar halftrack i reached in the window and hit the starter button. well that thing always had to crank a few times over before it would start, but not this time...fired right up in first gear. the first thought my brain had was to get it into neutral. well i whacked it with my palm, and it would not shift with the load on, so i whacked it harder and it went by neutral and into second! bad idea. well it was the roller model, no winch just a big roller on the front bumper for driving thru ditches, and by now the roller was lifting the work bench off the ground, shit was crashing on the floor, tool box about to tip over and only about two more feet until it started to go thru the wall when the brain decided to go to plan B and just turn off the ignition! gee that worked good! that thing would have gone thru the wall without loosing RPM. ever since, i ALWAYS rattle the shifter before starting a car in the shop

 

I will make this a priority before next season...and I for one wish it was connected...

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/crashed-my-car-it-sucks-im-hurt.43737/

...Here's a Thread at link above that you only need read the Original Post...this is serious shit and as crazy as we Hoodlums are this little feature could change ones life in a negative way forever...for real...

Give @31Vicky with a hemi a call...I sure as heck would if he was closer...This setup is way over my head but I will find an Individual to get it right...
​

 

Reading through this reminded me of the time (after we'd had a few cold ones) I wanted to show the guys how easily and quickly my '42 Ford PU with the 221 fired up after I switched it to 12v.

Reached through the window, fired it up, and through my carport door it went.

Next day I ran the hot wire from the start side of the switch through a momentary push button switch, not ideal, but always made me get in the truck to fire it up.

 

I’ve started a car I wasn’t sitting in, but made d*mn sure it was in neutral, with the wheels chocked first. And using a remote start handle, making sure to be off to the side, out of the path of movement, just in case.

My 37 has a neutral safety switch. Lokar uses these nice little ball switches on the shifter linkage for neutral and backup lights. I’ve found them cheaper elsewhere. A similar design could work for anything with a shift linkage I suppose.

My DD has a clutch pedal switch. Seems like something like that wouldn’t be difficult to fab up for a manual trans setup. You could probably even use modern factory parts from Rock Auto to do it.




Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

When I built my ‘32 pickup I put a starter button on the dashboard. I made a bracket and mounted a switch on the clutch pedal. I figured that the chances are pretty good that my little grandson would not be able to resist pushing that start button!

 

I also wire the start button so it only works when the ignition is in the "RUN" position.

 

Isn't this the way those Honda electric cars were invented?

 

Yes that is how mine is as well. A pretty good idea I think as well.

 

HELP = may have missed it but, did not find any info on exactly how to wire in NSS - what is source of power? - just locate hot on ignition switch and run to NSS and that goes to starter solenoid? - pictures better than drawings for me - working on '63 Nova with 350/350 set up with B&M Unimatic floor shift

 

Mine was out of adjustment, we needed a new washer and dryer anyway

 

Doing NSRA Safety inspections. I start with neutral safety. If it doesn’t have one. I move on. If it just doesn’t work I’ll try to help and finish then let then get it fixed. Usually an easy fix.