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Some of the transmissions had a ball bearing in there too where they mounted the switch at a 90 degree angle from the lock out rod. The rod pushed the ball and in turn pushed the switch plunger. There were several switch versions depending on the application. I think the main reason for the switch was when you have the transmission locked out with the cable pull. It kept the shift solenoid from energizing after the governor switch closed. It couldn't shift but it was using up electrical current when it wasn't necessary. Most folks used the overdrive more than not so they discontinued the switch. The only time I ever pulled the cable out was in running up & down mountain roads in Colorado. In Kansas, we never pulled the cable into lock out unless we were towing a trailer. This was a 1951 Mercury application.