Third brake light installation

Close call last weekend. I had to brake suddenly to avoid a car that unexpectedly pulled out and blocked my lane of traffic. The idiot on my rear bumper, who appeared to be trying to read the Jaguar script on the boot lid, likely never saw the brake lights. Inches. So, time to install the third brake lite that’s been sitting on the shelf…

I tried it at the top of the window, but it blocked valuable field of view in the rear view mirror. So next best for me was at the bottom of the glass. Fabricated some brackets from thin aluminum. The ends of the brackets slide between the rubber seal and the window glass (electrical tape in between). Plenty of support. The wires (in a shrink wrap tube) run along the lower window channel to the upper hinge, then are zip tied to the hinge, then drop into the hinge cavity, then out into the rear fender cavity for hook up. Fairly bright light but reasonably compact…I wanted it wide. While I hate cluttering up anything on the car, I find this one necessary for driving in the DFW mad house. Obviously one of several potential solutions. (By the way, the brake lights are not on in the second photo…it’s just the reflection from the flash.) FWIW



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You might consider a strobe unit - only a few bucks for one that flashes quickly, then slowly, then solid on - each time you brake.

Thanks…I’ll take a look at that. Also considering the Bob Skelly mod which adds the outboard lens section as both a running light and a brake/signal light (dual element bulb with a trailer module wired in). Doubles the running light and brake light lumens from the normal arrangement.

I used the strobe brake light bulbs: it ticked off folks who were following me, so I knew they were working.

I also use strobe lights.

But regardless of what tech you use, these days, you have drive to what’s behind you as much as what’s in front of you.

If someone wants to tailgate me, I give a lot more room in front of me to give them more stopping distance. I also check their level of attention if they seem distracted by putting on the brakes lights without really slowing the car to see if they are paying attention. If they aren’t I make sure to move away from them.

It’s the world we live in now with so many distracted drivers everywhere. I don’t want to be a victim.

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On the E:
Third brake light ? Check !
Strobe module ? Check !
What I find useful when driving my daily driver (a tip from my wife) and someone is “up my arse”, is to turn on the hazzard warning lights shortly. In almost all cases the driver behind you will get the hint and back off. If not I pull away or pull over.
I guess the strobing and flashing brake light on the E will have the same effect.

Yes, like horns. If they aren’t a bit annoying then they are probably not as effective as they could be.

I find on club drives that I’ll follow almost anybody but am particular about who is behind me.

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What is the source of that light?

It’s a truck topper/cap light (universal). Sells for around $25 on line. I selected the attached ad for reference because one of the photos shows the cross section, which slants at nearly the same angle as the FHC window…a feature that is difficult to find. Makes installation easier. I masked off the areas that would radiate light into the boot area. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Truck-cap-Topper-Leer-100-180-122-series-caps-LED-3rd-Brake-Light-AT-LED-36R-02/322284733507?epid=561290986&hash=item4b09aac443:g:dNMAAOSwmLlX4sLi:sc:USPSFirstClass!76016!US!-1&vxp=mtr

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Can anyone share their third brake light installation on an OTS?

I have two - one for when the luggage rack is in place and one for when it is not. Both are simple inexpensvie LED bars from eBay – I modified the feet to contain several rare earth magnets.

Here is the one for when the rack is in place:

The other one sits on the rear deck up against the rear edge of the top.

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For me to have the most effect, it has to be mounted as close to the line of sight of the driver behind you, so I opted for an early XK8 third brake light. Granted holes were drilled but I don’t see that as biggie.
You can just see it in this shot of my boot interior posted earlier today.

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The XK8 is a great light for that application. I note your boot sides are not panel board. Can you share with us what they are? I am intrigued…

They are made by a local upholstery shop using the original side boards as templates. I made templates for the vertical piece in the center of the picture and one you don’t see closing the “top” of the boot. All covered in blue diamond stitched black leather and he made the carpet as well.

Thanks Eric. Looks like a good choice for my FHC. My experience is Houston is even more nuts than DFW. I am beginning to really hate big nose-heavy, top-heavy pick up trucks. Last week at 4pm on the elevated portion of I-45 in downtown I got passed by one on the right shoulder so he could get 30 feet ahead and on to the bumper of the next car

David
68 E-type FHC

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Ole, are those a pair of gas springs I see in you boot to operate the lid?
Anthony

Anthony, they are gas dampners, to stop the springs from shooting the lid open to the point where you think it’s gonna fall off. Then to soften the final arch of the opening, I added some high density foam to the hinges where they meet the stop studs.
I initially bought and installed the wrong dampners before finding these.
Cheers … Ole

That goes for 'ol’s too :wink:
Cheers,
LLynn

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Last summer I had the opportunity to drive behind my series 2 while my brother was having a go behind the wheel. I was driving my Toyota FJ, similar to about 70% of the cars on the road these days, only to realize when I was within 10-15 feet of the car the car I couldn’t even see the series 2 tail lights under the bumper. I drive the car a lot and had already been planning to do the XKS LED conversion for added safety so I went about looking to fab a 3rd brake light that would look ok, not have to drill any holes in the car, and be easily removable. What I ended up with is a 3rd brake light from a 06-15 Mazda MX-5 (miata) I found on ebaymotors. I purchased mine last year (2017) for $41, although a recent search shows them going for more these days.

After shaving the bottom flat and re-routing the wires to the rear of the unit, I used some JB Weld to mount rare earth magnets flush with the bottom. Once cured, I built a little leveling rig, filled in any remaining holes to the lights with silicone. I then filled the hollow around the magnets with clear resin. When that cured I sanded it all flat again and applied a layer of 1/16” rubber using 3M weather strip adhesive. A pretty darn close paint match with TouchUpDirect.com and a little wet sanding finished it up. The light sticks to the trunk lid and the wire tucks around the trunk into the trunk where I tapped the brake light wires. It works great, looks ok, no drilled holes, and it’s going Nowhere unless you take two hands and lift it straight up. I’ve driven many hours at highway speeds and it hasn’t moved in the slightest.

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One of the nicest ones I’ve seen, thanks for the write up.
Cheers,
LLynn

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