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Yeah, I think I pretty much cleared out the remaining inventory of the new bulb sockets and doled them out all over the planet. Some went as far as Asia. I've been told the sockets are now out of production for good so it is go to the parts breakers and get used ones. Porsche used them in the tail lights and side markers. The old VeeDub Bugs used them in taillights. Some Audi makes used them also. If you can get the 944 taillight backplate for 10 bucks or so then you have 4 sockets per plate. Not a bad price.
While you can light up the dead North American tail light cells for brake lights I think the high mounted 3rd eye is a good idea as it will catch other drivers' eyes better.
What type of bulb you put in it is the next question. The stock bulb is a 21 watt #1156 incandescent. I also experimented with a 35 watt halogen that put out about twice the light. No problem on wiring and voltage drop but halogen do run hotter and I would be concerned if you are in stop and go traffic in the hot summer and stood on the brakes for over 10 minutes straight. The 3rd eye is a pretty small volume and you might melt some plastic.
I finally ended up using a "Sho-Me" 40 led array made by Able 2 that cops and emergency vehicles use. Fits in pretty nice with only minor trimming, quite bright, will last longer than I will be on this earth and doesn't give off much heat. Only problem is the thing wholesales for about $30 and retails at list for $60 so really isn't a cost effective solution. I got mine for free as a test sample but gave up on the idea of offering them for sale to others due to the high cost and all the hoops I would have to jump through to not step on other distributors' toes. This LED business really is a racket.
In summary, I would get the 3rd eye and use a 35 watt halogen if you can stay off the brake too long. If not I would probably drill some vent holes in the 3rd eye plastic lower case and run the 35s. But if money isn't an issue, go for the LED arrangement.
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