How to: 3rd brake light install

[tsuter]

I then installled the lights with 3M double side mounting tape from Home Depot to the underside of the widow in the recessed area.



And tucked/concealed the wires inside the Targa bar cover and under the rear side upholstery panels to the rear.



There was some question on where to ground the third brake lights so here is a close up of the ground behind the electrical panel in the rear. See the ring end on ground cable and post near the red/white wires. It is the bolt connection low and nearest to the fuel filter.

[tsuter]

And lastly here is a pic of the brakes lights OFF



And brake lights on



I have a strip of red reflector tape on my Targa bar as well in case you're wondering what that red line is above the four new lights.

Next project: consider rear mount high Amber or Red left and right turn signals up there. Saftey first!

[kfosburg]

I decided to take an external approach mount it to the rear grill. It looks pretty good although not quite as stealthy as an interior mount. It is nice and bright and will definitely help the tailgaters know when I'm stopping...

I spliced into the right rear brake wire (black/yellow) and ran the wire up the braided ground on the hinge and then along the top of the engine hood. It is grounded directly to the grill making a nice one wire install.

Opinions? Does it look too out of place on a 71?

Karl

[Peter Bull]

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that there are some rules to which third brake lights you are allowed to mount here in Sweden. Since I was not sure, I decided to get a TÜV approved one. Another important thing for me was that it had to be glued to the rear window so that it did not produce disturbing reflections in the rear view mirror.

Daniel Stern Lighting had an LED third brake light from Hella that looked promising. I hid the wire behind the headliner and was able to draw the wire along the c-pillar down to the engine compartment. It did hurt a little bit to cut a hole in the headliner, though, but the wiring looks quite discrete.



The brake light on the other hand is not very discrete in the rear view mirror. But I've decided to give it a try, and if it turns out to be too bad I guess I'll have to do something about it.



When turned off it is quite discrete from the outside, and when lit it is clearly visible.



/Peter

[hifeverz]

Peter:
How many LEDs in this unit?? Diameter(approx) of each LED?

thanks,
Hz

[Peter Bull]

Its 12 LEDs arranged in two rows of 6. I don't know exactly how big the LEDs are, but I think they are 3 mm ones. There is however a square lens behind each LED which measure about 20 x 20 mm each.

/Peter

[moneymanager]

I've been thinking for a couple of years about fabricating my own LED third brake light. But when someone referred me to Porsche unit on the Daniel Stern lighting site, I threw in the sponge. Look for the Hella LED center brake lamp kit. The price is good, and most of all the all LED unit is wonderfully bright. I've not seen this particular offered anywhere else.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by Peter Bull

I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that there are some rules to which third brake lights you are allowed to mount here in Sweden. Since I was not sure, I decided to get a TÜV approved one. Another important thing for me was that it had to be glued to the rear window so that it did not produce disturbing reflections in the rear view mirror.

Daniel Stern Lighting had an LED third brake light from Hella that looked promising. I hid the wire behind the headliner and was able to draw the wire along the c-pillar down to the engine compartment. It did hurt a little bit to cut a hole in the headliner, though, but the wiring looks quite discrete.



The brake light on the other hand is not very discrete in the rear view mirror. But I've decided to give it a try, and if it turns out to be too bad I guess I'll have to do something about it.



When turned off it is quite discrete from the outside, and when lit it is clearly visible.



/Peter

After almost having my '74 Targa rear-ended a couple of times lately...I just installed the Hella center brake light from Daniel Stern that Peter installed. It went in very easy...took about an hour. Everything I needed was included. Looks really good. Like it was factory. A huge improvement. I used some of the tips posted in this thread. I fished the wire into the engine compartment through the grommet where the defroster wires went through with a piece of coat hangar wire. I was able to go directly to the correct wire (yellow/black) since someone else had pointed it out earlier.

Daniel also recommended some brighter bulb for my tail lights, turn signals and brake lights. I installed them and they were also a big improvement. Probably 20-40% brighter. Looks like a modern car from the rear. Musch more visible.

One new tip...and I have also used this before with much success. If you have the usual loose bulbs in you tailight sockets...an easy fix is to melt a dab of solder onto the back leaded tip of the bulb to make it slightly larger. Works like a charm.

[Joe V]

This thread gave me the inspiration to tackle the addition of a 3rd brake light on my '84 Carrera Coupe. My project started with a visit to a local salvage yard (they used to be called junk yards, but the owners were making so much money, they couldn't call it junk any more) where an unsuspecting second generation VW Scirocco (82-89 with the rounded rear end) donated it's thirds brake light. Got it complete with bulbs and harness for about $5 (25 cents Canadian). The hardest part was fishing the wires along the c-pillar. After that it was a pretty straight forward operation. Seems to work fine but I can't tell since I can't jump out of the car fast enough after pressing the brake pedal to verify.

[fintstone]

Sounds like a good idea. Use a broom handle or sick to hold the pedal down.

[turbojem]

I just did this 3rd Brake Light Install Worked Perfect, I ended up buying a New 32 LED swivel light on Ebay for $10.00 - Also- I went to Radio Shack to get all the connectors i needed because the Auto parts stores didn't have much for 20 Gage wire. Feeding the wires.. The wires easily slipped into the rubber grommet and down into the engine compartment from under the rear deck. I did ground behind the fuel filter as well- And for me too it was the Black wire w/ Yellow Stripe at the connector and T-'d off of that for the hot wire. I started at 12:00 Pm all done by about 1:00-ish (pm) went surprisingly easy...
Thanks for the great post with Pics.

[Oh Haha]

I just did this as well. I followed the same path to the engine compartment as suggested here. I just used a different LED setup.

I found mine at Harbor Freight while wasting time before a doctor appt. this week and it was just what I had in mind.

$14.99

I mounted it to the upper edge of the rear glass. Commercial adhesive tape would not work so I ended up using Super Glue.


Here's how it looks with the factory lights.



I was concerned about getting a reflection or seeing the lights in the mirror but it is almost invisible when in the car.
I also wanted a stealth look to it and this fits the bill just right.

Thanks again for you guys that did this first. Your tips helped me save some time and aggravation.

[911 in SC]

I was @ Harbor Freight today and purchased the same lights. Hopefully I'll get a chance to install them in the next couple of weeks! I agree - thanks everyone for the tips!

Mike

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by 911 in SC

I was @ Harbor Freight today and purchased the same lights. Hopefully I'll get a chance to install them in the next couple of weeks! I agree - thanks everyone for the tips!

Mike

The wires are pretty thin and not long enough to reach the engine bay so you may want to pick up some extra wire/connectors .

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by fintstone

...

Daniel also recommended some brighter bulb for my tail lights, turn signals and brake lights. I installed them and they were also a big improvement. Probably 20-40% brighter. Looks like a modern car from the rear. Much more visible.

...

do you recall what he said to use?

they must be sourced locally, as I have not seen them on his web site.

[Swoboda]

I seem to recall that the bulbs Daniel Stern suggested were bulbs from Honda. He was clear that they should be sourced from A Honda dealer--it should be the OEM part, not a knock-off.

[911 in SC]

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

The wires are pretty thin and not long enough to reach the engine bay so you may want to pick up some extra wire/connectors .

Extended the wires as noted, and installed Friday Night. Very pleased with the install. BTW, I used velcro to attach them, as the velcro adhered nicely to the lights and the glass.

[RWebb]

has anybody installed one of those self-contained* motorcycle lights in a 911?


* it contains batteries & an accelerometer, so no need for any wires

[83_Silberpfeil]

Anyone contact Daniel Stern regarding 3rd brake light lately?

Sent him an email last week and have not received a reply --- not even an "automated reply".

If anyone knows another way of reaching Daniel Stern Lighting please advise.

Thanks!

[phiba]

Daniel Stern runs a one-person operation. Sometimes he's out. Give him a bit of time and he'll respond to your email. I've had excellent results with his third brake light and Cibie headlights.