1965 Brake light switch, help needed!!!

ok, on to my next issue... the brake lights werent working when i bought the car, i looked and the wiring was disconnected from the brake light switch.. i plugged it in and the brake lights were stuck on.. so i figured id replace the switch.. i did and now they wont come on... is there some kind of adjustment? i know the new switch works because i activated it with my hand, this has got to be the worst design ive ever seen, but at any rate, anyone with some experience with these please share!!! thanks in advance!
 
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hey I just replaced the one on my 66 which I am assuming to be the same and there was no adjustment needed they weren't working and then they were working immediately. That is definitely an interesting one though.. maybe there is a short somewhere down the line or something.
 
brake light switch

Maybe its on back wards... Just a thought,,, Here is a picture of a clutch and brake assembly off a 1966 Mustang that I'm selling.. it still has the brake switch on it..
 
hummmm. no its not on backwards, and there is no short, its seems like it may be something to do with the brake pedal itself, i mean the brakes work good but the pedal has almost no travel.. i dont see how moving the pedal down the slightest amount is supposed to activate this switch... id hate to have to take this thing to my local mustang shop just for this :(
 
brake switch

OK,

Here what I would do, first I would check the Master Cylinder to see if its the correct one, and the Master Cylinder ROD...... Then just for the hell of it, I try to bleed the wheel Cylinders to see how much the pedal would travle when you cracked up the bleed screw.. strange..... good luck
 
Better to seek help when you need it than have someone plow into the back of your new car. No harm in asking for help when you need it. Get them to show it to you and then you won't have to ask the next time. Learning to work on these monsters is a on-going process. I've asked for help many, many times and I'm slowly learning.

Yes, you are right. The brake switch is, probably, one of the ****tiest designed things on the car. Still, you keep it long enough, you'll be amazed that they are still on the road! Every now and then, it is very obvious that Ford didn't intend for these cars to be around longer than 10 years or so. (Hopefully you won't have to play with a cowl. That HAS TO BE the worst designed part of the car. No paint, prone to plug up and rust and 180+ spotwelds to cut out to get to them to replace!)
 
i agree, i dont want to get run into, but i wont be driving it on the road until this is fixed... this is a project car anyway, by no means a daily driver.. The master cylinder looks correct, but who knows, the place i bought this thing from is a little shady sometimes on stuff like that, so it could be the wrong pushrod or master cylinder, but it appears to be the standard all drum screw on cap non power unit. maybe i will take it in in the spring and havethem check it out.. good ol KAR Mustang here in columbus.. thanks for the help though.. im not very good with drum brakes so i dont know if wanna go bleading anything yet!
 
Yeah, KAR is awesome. they did my engine installation. Very nice work, kinda pricey, but u get what you pay for. they also have a lot of nice cars for sale, way out of my price range though. we're talking almost perfect original or fully restored cars, no rust allowed at KAR. plus there showroom has everything you need to restore a mustang, NO SHIPPING!!