The green Cipher gets a new gearbox and gets back it's reversing lights.
Having changed the gearbox to the later style Reliant one which has reverse positioned as lift, right and down, I realised that I could also reconnect the reversing lights up as the new gearbox had provison to add a reversing light switch. The Cipher originally used a LHD spec Reliant gearbox that had a reversing light switch in it. This feature had disappeared long ago as when I purchased the car it had a standard Reliant old spec RHD gearbox with no provision for a reversing light switch.
I've used a standard Lucas switch part no SMB420/39184 it's original fitment on series 3 Land Rovers and is 3/8" x 24 UNF thread, normally open and push to make switch.
The switch in this form is too short to contact the reverse gear selector shaft, so I've made an extension piece from 8mm diameter Nylon 66 rod. This is a similar approach to Reliants design I believe. The Nylon rod is 25mm long with one end rounded to contact with the selector shaft and the other end with a 3mm hole drilled in to it about 2mm deep just to provide a centre for the switch pin. In hindsight this last step is probably not necessary.
With the switch in place and adjusted, in neutral I get an open circuit, which is good so far.
and with it in reverse I get a closed circuit, so electrically it appears to work OK. So success so far, I'll have to wait to see how well it works once it's installed in the car and for how long. The switch I think should be fine, but I'm not sure how long the nylon rod will last sliding against the 3/8 unf thread.