'86 Cab custom third brake light with flasher

[Autoban]

When I purchased my '86 Cab in 2012 it came with a third brake light in a box. One of the previous owners added a Carrera tail to the car and attempted to make the original "ET" style light fit the new deck lid with the tail added. The owner I purchased the car from took the light off since it had big holes in the bottom housing.
I was thinking about a third brake light for some time since there are just too many drivers out there not paying attention and the regular brake lights on our cars are just too low to the ground.
I was looking into aftermarket lights but nothing really fits our cars (in my opinion). Then I starting looking again at the original light. I cut out the bottom part of the housing which mounts to the lid. Then I reshaped the housing to make it sit as low on the deck lid as possible and used fiberglass to fill all the holes and to reattach the bottom of the original light. Here you can see the lower part of the housing with the mounting plate fiber glassed back to the housing and the holes closed and the LED light bulb I purchased on Amazon to use with the flasher.

This image shows how the light is sitting nice and low on the lid.

Our cars are much lower than the most cars driving around us. Even with the light mounted low on the lid it is very visible from behind. I held the camera about the height where the eyes of a driver in a regular sedan would be

As far as the flasher goes, it takes Amazon a whooping six weeks to ship it. I will update this thread with a video after I get it. The flasher is suppose to give three fast flashes, then three slower flashes and then goes steady until you hit the brakes again. That should get everyone's attention.

Juergen

[BE911SC]

My '84 Cab has an added "ET" brake light and if it weren't for all the idiots who drive behind our beloved Porsches I'd have it removed. This seems like a cleaner alternative.

[Ramp]

Autoban - you just convinced me to try and fix my own 3rd brake light. I have an ad listed to buy a new one but now I'm thinking I can fix this.

[Autoban]

Originally Posted by Ramp

Autoban - you just convinced me to try and fix my own 3rd brake light. I have an ad listed to buy a new one but now I'm thinking I can fix this.

With a little fiber glass and resin you should be able to put this back together. You need to make a paper template to make sure the two threaded brass pieces are in the right place after you are done.

Juergen

[Ramp]

Originally Posted by Autoban

With a little fiber glass and resin you should be able to put this back together. You need to make a paper template to make sure the two threaded brass pieces are in the right place after you are done.

Juergen

Was hoping to try epoxy. Thanks for the template tip. Do you have pics of how you reset your brass inserts ?

[Autoban]

Originally Posted by Ramp

Was hoping to try epoxy. Thanks for the template tip. Do you have pics of how you reset your brass inserts ?

Epoxy might work, I had to close holes in the bottom of the housing. The holes were there from customizing the fit to make it sit as low as possible. I started out with a light from a none spoiler deck lid. The bottom of that housing looked different than yours. The brass inserts are not just attached to some ribs but inserted into a bottom plate.
I just looked it up, a new brake light will set you back $451, so it is definitely worth a little epoxy and work to fix yours.

Juergen

[Ramp]

Autoban - what happened to your pics ?

Can you give some detail on the LED replacement bulb ? I'm not inclined to go the blinking route but an LED replacement may be a good idea.

[Autoban]

Originally Posted by Ramp

Autoban - what happened to your pics ?

Can you give some detail on the LED replacement bulb ? I'm not inclined to go the blinking route but an LED replacement may be a good idea.

Not sure what you mean about my pics, they show on my browser. I purchased the bulbs on Amazon, but after I received them I realized they are not much brighter than the regular brake lights. The bulbs have 800 Lumens. If I would buy bulbs again I may step up to this 1,350 Lumens bulb: Amazon.com: Cutequeen 2 X 1156 S25 Ba15s White 1350 Lumens Super Bright 54smd 54-smd 2835 Chipsets LED Car Lights Bulb Backup Signal Blinker Stop Brake Tail Light Bulbs 12v - White: Automotive. Let me know what you do and if you buy the 1,350 Lumens bulb how much of a difference you see.

Juergen

[Autoban]

Originally Posted by Ramp

Autoban - what happened to your pics ?

Can you give some detail on the LED replacement bulb ? I'm not inclined to go the blinking route but an LED replacement may be a good idea.

This is the bulb I purchased: Amazon.com: JDM ASTAR Super Bright AX-2835 Chipsets 1156 1141 1073 7506 LED Bulbs ,Xenon White: Automotive. I think when I researched the bulb for our third brake light was a #7506 and this is the reason why I picked this one. However, as I mentioned before, the brightness is very similar to the regular brake lights.

Juergen

[Autoban]

I received the flasher module from Amazon today and hooked it up to the LED third brake light. Here is a short video of it:



We will see if this gets the attention of distracted drivers.

Juergen

[rothaus]

Hallo Juergen, das video geht nicht.

Cheers
Engelbert

[Autoban]

Originally Posted by rothaus

Hallo Juergen, das video geht nicht.

Cheers
Engelbert

Hallo Engelbert, habe gerade nochmal von meinem Büro und meinem I-Phone versucht und es hat funktioniert. Bin mir nicht sicher was ich da machen kann.

Engelbert couldn't play the video in the thread. Has anyone else had problems playing it? I just tried from my office PC and my I-Phone and it worked.

Juergen

[rothaus]

It's working now, I think it's my tablet.

Anyway, the light is great. Nice job.

Cheers
Engelbert

[BE911SC]

Love the flasher. "Hey dingbat, I'm stopping so please look up from your phone to see why there's a red flashy light going off in your peripheral vision."