Buggy Brake Lights

[MrGoodtunes]

Brake lights are especially important when you're driving a plastic car! Samba member Gearhead Keith has a brake pedal switch kit in classifieds, but it won't work on my relocated pedal cluster. So I went with a Harley-Davidson pressure switch which activates with very little pressure to bring brake lights on sooner. Info here:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9737248&highlight=#9737248

A few years ago, I mounted a high center 3rd brake light using a production automotive LED panel. Info here:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9013594

Recently, I noticed that the LED center light comes on much quicker than the two old incandescent filament bulbs in my buggy's Camaro tail lights. Video here:

https://youtu.be/tmx1rHVhE-Q

Been thinking about LED tail lights for decades, but did not go for the early sort of dotted ones (even tho they're really very cool, it's not worth the effort 'cuz they just don't seem likely to do their really crucial job when a panic stop is suddenly necessary):

I also couldn't go for the next early LEDs with the standard 1157 base, because they lack'd the glass bulb; so, were not as well protected as I have learn'd is needed for my application. Here's a comparison with both types on the lower wattage parking marker lights (LED's higher wattage brake light was too bright to capture with my camera).

Today, there are LED replacements available with bulb-like protection at reasonable prices.

From left to right:
(1) Standard 1157 incandescent filament
(2) Early replacement, was ~$40, now just $3.
(3) Red LED with full sized glass bulb
(4) Xenon white with smaller plastic bulb

Decided to go with (4), but it was not so easy as just putting it in; because, due to all the troubles I was having back when getting started with this car in 1976-77, I solder'd hot leads directly to contacts at bottom of bulb, and solder'd ground lead directly to socket metal base:

I was living in Detroit, where they bring out salt trucks at first sign of snow flurries. And the Mini-Camaro body was just a shell, allowing wheel splash and mist to spray all over! Soldering work'd; and has been working for over 4 decades and several hundred thousand miles with the same bulbs until a few hours ago. Buggy now has splash baffles fiberglass'd in around all 4 wheels, so I can go with normal sockets that allow easy bulb changing. It was hard to find sockets not made in China. Finally found one from Taiwan. Better? Well, it has longer lead wires, has more bulk than others, and costs a little more. It has a nice soft rubbery gasket. The fit is tight; bulb fits tight, and socket fits awful tight in tail light housing. Found it on Amazon from a company call'd Retro-Motive.

So, my buggy has LEDs for all 3 brake lights now; quicker, brighter, safer.

[oprn]

You are correct in your concern about our tail and brake lights being critical pieces of safety equipment.

My Buggy came to me with old school trailer tail lights. After following one of our kids who was driving the Buggy into town, I was shocked to find I could not see the brake lights in full daylight! That HAD to change and right away!

The only reasonable solution locally available was these big truck LED tail lights. Ugly as sin but they can be seen!

There is a downside to LED lights, they produce very little heat so in snowy winter conditions they do not self clean, get covered up with snow and ice quickly and become invisible. This is not an issue on open cars that like mine are not road drive in the winter but those of you with full bodied cars that do drive year around, be aware of this problem!

I see it all the time here in the winter, vehicles with LED tail light conversions cannot be seen from the rear on a snowy night!
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[MrGoodtunes]

[EVfun]

When swapping in LED taillights I recommend 2 tests.
1. Certainly make sure they as bright or brighter than an 1157 brake lamp.
2. Check and verify they have good contrast with the taillight function. A number of bright LED replacement bulbs have taillights so bright that when they are on it's hard to notice the brake lights.

You are right about LEDs and mechanical switches both speeding up the brake light response time. I have a mechanical brake light switch that comes on before the pedal has started pushing the master cylinder piston. I still run incandescent tail lights though.

Some of the best lighting options I see are any Bug taillights from '62 up, and reproduction 1950 Pontiac taillights for standard 1157 bulbs with glass lenses. There are some good '60's American car taillights too.
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