Hi all or ya'll
I got a replacement for an old mega shifter (1996 version) which came with the car (85 Camaro 305 sport), as it now will start in gear, which is scary. I did adjust the flimsy neutral and reverse switch setup a few years ago, which is still in the car as of now, but now again is a problem

I removed the shift plate and boot and can see there was no relay wired to it, just the 4 wires going to the shifter mounted switches . The 2024 version now comes with a relay, (but still retains the flimsy neutral and reverse setup)

I have since modified the car by removing all ECM related components. ie carb, distributor and got rid of 30 ft of ecm wiring and various attached gadgets all over the place. Now have a clean 1960's engine compartment look under the hood.

I have two questions please:
1. Do I need the relay? (what will not work without it, if I have no ECM. I don't have much knowledge of wiring and relays.
2. I still haven't done the recommended 700r4 converter lockup kit thing, which seems to only perform the lockup when in overdrive 4th gear, not 3rd gear as well. Thus, If I don't ever go over 50 MPH and only drive to a few local car shows and cruises per month, and stay in 3rd gear, would I be gaining anything (safety of the transmission) with the conversion kit installed. Pls help me understand this.
Thank-you in advance for your help
Tom

 

To answer your first question, the relay reconfigures your neutral safety switch and the reverse lock-out switch too, so depending on what wires you have there in your console, you could hook up the relay and solve your problem with starting in gear.
And for your second question, you're right about the lock-up only performing in 4th gear. So if you're keeping it in 3rd, you shouldn't worry about anything. But there is a reason why things are recommended. You would only be gaining anything if you were in 4th gear. What you would gain if you chose to put in a lock-up kit is somewhat better gas mileage. When the lock-up activates, it decreases the RPMs a little and makes the transmission run a little less hot, thus making your transmission live a little longer. So if you want to show up to car shows earlier, I'd recommend a lock-up kit, which are moderately priced too.

 

Thank you for your reply -
however, I guess I wasn't clear in my post, The neutral safety (purple and white wires) and reverse light (dark blue, light green) switches mounted to the shifter do work as intended (if they are adjusted correctly) to prevent the starting in gear, and do turn on back up lights, without a relay. The 1996 instructions explain this and it did work for many years without the relay.

These instructions then state: "Some models will have 2 additional wires (orange with black, and black with white)" Do NOT join these wires, tape each end to prevent accidental grounding" then says, "With the factory shifter these 2 wires are switched together in Neutral and Park positions. This circuit locks out the converter clutch and changes the idle speed. This circuit may be restored by the addition of a relay (not provided) operated from the Neutral Safety Circuit. See wiring diagram"

The above paragraph is what I am asking about and DO NOT Understand.
i.e. If I don't have the ECM or ECM controlled carburetor and distributor and related emissions wiring, I'm assuming the converter clutch will not lock out, and the idle speed won't change. Further, I guess my refined question is, would the addition of the relay do something electrical, in addition to the switch mounted on the shifter, to prevent the car from starting in gear if the mounted switch fails, given that I don't have any ECM related components.
thank you
Tom

 

I got the wiring diagram from the 2024 instructions of the relay here. Unfortunately, I am not too keen on electrical and wiring, so hopefully someone fills in for me and answers that question.

 

Thank you for your reply - I'm giving up on this as I am now convinced that the 2 wires (orange/black and black/white) that are not needed to hook up the neutral and backup switches on the Mega, if hooked up with the relay as shown in the diagram would not "lock out the converter clutch and change the idle speed" without the ECM and related wiring to the carb and trans. Thus, the relay (or those 2 wires) would not do anything in my situation, except provide experience wiring in a small cramped space.
Thank to all for your help
tom