Look up a neutral safety for a 1986 F350, 7.5L, C6 it should do what he needs.

 

Giving me the numbers gives me a great head start. Without 'em, I need to try and find a picture of it, then go the Text section to find the part number. Can take a while.

 

In a stock 1980 wire harness the wire running to the Back-Up lamp switch is Purple with Orange Hash. From the switch to the lights the wire is Pink with Black Stripe.

The Back-Up Light switch is located in the engine compartment on the steering column for a 3-speed manual, top rear of transmission for a 4-speed manual, and on the side of the C6 automatic transmission.

If your C6 transmission mounted Back-Up Light switch has 4 wires, then it is also the Neutral Safety Switch. If only has 2 wires, then that is all it does. Your NSS will be a column mounted plunger style switch. This seems to have varied by engine type, year and C6 / AOD with little rhyme or reason.

According to the 1980 Electrical & Vacuum Trouble Shooting Manual the wires in and out of it will be Red with a Light Blue Stripe.

The balance of the "normal" wires that run to the back are:
Light Green / Orange Stripe - LH Brake & Turn Signal
Orange / Light Blue Stripe - RH Brake & Turn Signal
Solid Brown - From Headlight Switch (Taillights, license plate lights)

If your harness if from a dually, camper or trailer package truck there will be additional wires running off of relays

 

That's a real nice picture of an AOD switch. The dually has a brown/white wire for the clearance lights and this is also the color for the trailer running lights. I no longer have my 86 EVTM, I gave it to my son.

 

Actually, that is the switch listed for an 80-83 Small-Block / C6 and exactly what my truck is / has. But like mentioned, there were a handful year / motor / trans combinations that got these type of switches. Definitely more the exception than the rule.

 

I'm sure this is my setup as i only have the two wires off the rear harness for back up lights. I'll have to figure out where the nss is in the column and see if that is it for sure. I didnt have time to take off the c6 backup switch today but I'll post about it when I do and also see if i can find that column switch. I just have to figure out how to wire and cut up a four wire switch as i cant find a two wire one. Shouldnt be hard use the two i need and snip the others and adjust with the bit like in the haynes and chiltons. Still blows my mind that it has a mechanical lock that keeps it from turning the key in gear minus first and that column switch must be bad since it allows starting in first. Who knows with the 80 year. I saw that switch on jeffs bronco but thought it was for something i didnt have. Thanks for clarifying.

 

OK, straight from the parts book:

E0TZ-15520-B Motorcraft SW-1579 SWITCH ASSY. (BACKUP LAMP) Marked E0TP 15520-BC
Fits 1980/82 all pickups & Broncos (vans use a different one) w/C6 transmission



For 1983/86: Note the basic part number has changed, as has the description

E3UZ-7A247-A SWITCH ASSY. (TRANSMISSION GEARSHIFT NEUTRAL) Motorcraft SW-1828 replaces 4 predecessors
Fits all pickups, Broncos & vans w/C6 transmission

87/88 uses yet a different one as does 1989 (Broncos of this year use a different one than pickups & vans).


SW1579 (according to some parts place I found on the web):


Dennis Carpenter has 86

Klimesh Motor Sales Calmar, IA 52132 Tel 563-562-3241 has 1

There are a few other places that have one each, but Dennis has picked up the majority of them.

All this makes me think.... I wonder if a 1980 pickup even has a neutral safety switch.....

 

If you trace the Red w/ Light Blue stripe wire back off the starter solenoid you should find it. Hopefully you still have a Red / Light Blue stripe wire..... (and dont forget Ford used Solid, Striped, Hashed, and Dotted tracers)

My wiring has been spliced in a bit over the years. Not so much a hack-job, but the colors dont always match what the books say. I have taken to labeling them with heat shrink tubing run through a label printer.

 

It just occurred to me....

The parts catalog is stating this right in front of me, but it just now clicked....

While looking at the Neutral Safety Switches, it tells me - in big, bold letters at the top (which didn't mean anything to me 'til now)....

1980 pickups & Broncos have the NSS integrated into the ignition switch (it doesn't say it in descriptive English like that, part of why I didn't catch it)

Which means the OP needs to dig into his column to figure out what's wrong there and why it's starting in gearshift positions it's not supposed to be.

The backup lamps are controlled down at the transmission (we already knew that).

I will go look up the ignition switch stuff if ya ask me to, but not tonight....