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Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:01 pm

I've been kicking around an idea for a while and I'd liek to get some input on what people think. My mom has an '08 malibu with little marker lights just in front of the rear door like so:

They are kind of a neat little light, and while I have my Thing apart and stripped, I'm kind of wondering what something like this may look like on it.... I did a quick cut and paste in paint on a red Thing I found in the gallery ( I apologize if I ripped of someones photo :lol: ). I'm looking to paint my car red, and I would recess the light so the face was flush with the body lines of the car. It would have to be clear I think like on the Malibu pic I posted, as orange or something would look weird on a red car I think. I'm running the smaller Euro style front and rear lights on my car, so a turn signal/running light would not be as visible as it is on a stock car when viewed from the side.

Any input?

Fri Feb 24, 2012 1:14 pm

I'll take a stab at it.

Sure. The north American style turn signals have a small second bulb in them that is a running light which is visible from the side. In theory, it would be illegal to run your car with the European style turn signals as they lack this feature. What you suggest is a reasonable fix for this.

Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:04 pm

Option code M46 was for side mounted flashing indicators (Denmark, Norway, Italy). From chassis 183 2346 525.

Pictures courtesy of Doc's 181 blog.

Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:31 pm

I would inbed them into the upper rib.

Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:37 pm

Hey this is a great idea... I have these on the front fenders of my Volvo, and they are a clear as well.
I never thought of running them on Our Thing, BUT since I've swapped to the little early front fender lights then I should look into them....I wouldn't sink them into the sheet metal though, or your light isn't going to be as visible(except directly to the side)...
I see these more as added feature for lane changes to make sure other vehicles notice your intentions...
My $.02.... There are plenty of vehicles with those lights... I'd searcj around and see which have a shape/size that is complementary to the Thing.. Wiring would simply be a piggyback off the fender light and a ground...

Fri Feb 24, 2012 7:54 pm

Some early Type 3 side markers would really look the part:

Fri Feb 24, 2012 9:28 pm

GI Joe wrote: Hey this is a great idea... I have these on the front fenders of my Volvo, and they are a clear as well.
I never thought of running them on Our Thing, BUT since I've swapped to the little early front fender lights then I should look into them....I wouldn't sink them into the sheet metal though, or your light isn't going to be as visible(except directly to the side)...
I see these more as added feature for lane changes to make sure other vehicles notice your intentions...
My $.02.... There are plenty of vehicles with those lights... I'd searcj around and see which have a shape/size that is complementary to the Thing.. Wiring would simply be a piggyback off the fender light and a ground...

Let me ask you a question, because it may be that the wiring is not simple at all.

The normal North American style turn signals have two bulbs, with three filaments between them. Two of the filaments are in the larger bulb, and one is in the smaller bulb. When the lights are turned on, the filament in the small bulb and one of the filaments in the large bulb light up. The second filament in the large bulb lights up when the turn signal switch is actuated.

The reason that the N.A. Thing has different turn signals front and rear is to accommodate a D.O.T. regulation about having running lights that can be seen from the side.

So, for you guys with the smaller European style turn signals: my reading of the European wiring diagram is that the Euro turn signal housing has one bulb in it, with one filament only, and that that filament only lights when the turn signals are on, and not when the light switch is turned on. Is that correct? If so, your car does not meet D.O.T. regulations. I don't care one way or another. I'm just saying. For folks who live in a state that requires periodic vehicle inspections, though, it could be problematic.

The reason I ask is that one justification for adding the lights on the side panels is to comply with the D.O.T. requirement for a running light that can be viewed from the side. Adding a side light would replace the two filaments missing from the European style turn signal housing. But if the sidelight only works with the turn signal, well, it wouldn't satisfy that regulation. (BTW, it should also be amber, or a clear lens with an amber bulb, but not red.)

Ideally, if I had that side lamp, here's how I'd want it to behave: With the light switch off, I'd want both side lights to be off and have only the appropriate one come on with the turn signal (if that's even legal.) When the light switch is on, I'd want the side lights to both be on, and then have the appropriate one flash with the turn signal.

It's doable, but it's not simple.

Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:01 pm

The small lights from a 67-69 US beetle had both circuits.

Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:51 am

Captain Spalding wrote: GI Joe wrote: Hey this is a great idea... I have these on the front fenders of my Volvo, and they are a clear as well.
I never thought of running them on Our Thing, BUT since I've swapped to the little early front fender lights then I should look into them....I wouldn't sink them into the sheet metal though, or your light isn't going to be as visible(except directly to the side)...
I see these more as added feature for lane changes to make sure other vehicles notice your intentions...
My $.02.... There are plenty of vehicles with those lights... I'd searcj around and see which have a shape/size that is complementary to the Thing.. Wiring would simply be a piggyback off the fender light and a ground...

Let me ask you a question, because it may be that the wiring is not simple at all.

The normal North American style turn signals have two bulbs, with three filaments between them. Two of the filaments are in the larger bulb, and one is in the smaller bulb. When the lights are turned on, the filament in the small bulb and one of the filaments in the large bulb light up. The second filament in the large bulb lights up when the turn signal switch is actuated.

The reason that the N.A. Thing has different turn signals front and rear is to accommodate a D.O.T. regulation about having running lights that can be seen from the side.

So, for you guys with the smaller European style turn signals: my reading of the European wiring diagram is that the Euro turn signal housing has one bulb in it, with one filament only, and that that filament only lights when the turn signals are on, and not when the light switch is turned on. Is that correct? If so, your car does not meet D.O.T. regulations. I don't care one way or another. I'm just saying. For folks who live in a state that requires periodic vehicle inspections, though, it could be problematic.

The reason I ask is that one justification for adding the lights on the side panels is to comply with the D.O.T. requirement for a running light that can be viewed from the side. Adding a side light would replace the two filaments missing from the European style turn signal housing. But if the sidelight only works with the turn signal, well, it wouldn't satisfy that regulation. (BTW, it should also be amber, or a clear lens with an amber bulb, but not red.)

Ideally, if I had that side lamp, here's how I'd want it to behave: With the light switch off, I'd want both side lights to be off and have only the appropriate one come on with the turn signal (if that's even legal.) When the light switch is on, I'd want the side lights to both be on, and then have the appropriate one flash with the turn signal.

It's doable, but it's not simple.

These would be LED lights, which are made to be side-marker lights. I'm not sure if they are a dual or single set of bulbs, but if they are singles, I plan on running a relay that would allow both bulbs to be one with the lights. When a turn signal comes on, it would over-ride the light signal and allow it to flash. When the turn signal goes off, the light turns back on steady. Depending on how bright it is, I may run a resistor inline in order to limit the voltage and dull down the brightness.

Sat Feb 25, 2012 9:20 am

Since many of us your the hinge mount mirror support, I have always wanted to use the stock mirror mount hole to mount a a side marker /turn signal light. I found a bunch at motorcycle shops that have a nice teardrop snap and are fairly low cost. You could create a plug for the wiring when you wanted to remove the door.

Sat Feb 25, 2012 6:30 pm

I'd plan on running rectangular sized lights, as I think rounded edges would just look wrong on a car that is nothing but a big box :lol: It would have to have square edges to go with the lines of the car.