Let me update this to say:

This is an economical ($25-30 part), easy & fast (1-2 hrs to stick-on & wire into tail brakelights/harness) for a quick 3rd Brake Light addition. This light unit is enclosed with wires & adhesive face to mount it to your rear window - no screws nor clips needed to mount the light & no reflecting glare off the glass.

You'll need to look at your 914 wiring diagram to see where best to wire it, but they can be dropped down behind the rear backpad & into the trunk &/or engine bay to tie into the brake lights & pull off any easy existing screw to body for ground.

This part is probably also available elsewhere - maybe cheaper - & is on sale in Jan 2015 at GoWesty (they put them on sale a couple of times a year as Monthly Specials).

There are also several other more expensive & complicated solutions discussed below & with links by other posters, if this doesn't suit your liking. .....

This should also work well for those who want to add a 3rd brake light to their 914 at reasonable cost, but you may need some extra wire to reach the taillight buckets/harness to tie into.

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php...gory_parent_id=

Click to view attachment

I put it on our `88 Westy as per their instructions at the GoWesty website after my wife had gotten rear-ended in it a couple of years ago, & it works well & adds visibility to our "brick on wheels"!

Happy New Year!
Tom
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The rear glass angle on the vanagon is the same as the Volvo wagons. There led brake light can fit on the lip of the rear vanagon shelf or direct mount to the glass. Way brighter and way cheaper. I have one of the gowesty lights and not sure if it would fit in the 914? Or I would worry about reflection off the rear glass?
Jcl

I saw a great solution for a 3rd brake light at RRC. Ernie had a unit from an 80s or 90s Chevy Suburban or Blazer- they bolt on to the upper tailgate with 2 bolts and come off just about that easy. The 2 wires tie into the brake light lead and a ground while the existing 2 bolt fit through the grill in the engine cover and bolt back up. Easy! Simple! And looks pretty damn good... I know, I know, THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS!!! I ain't got any but go to your local boneyard. They've got at least 10 of em there and they're cheap. Hell, buy 2 and give one to a friend as a late Christmas present!

Hmmm... yes... I'd like to see some pix of this.

They're mounted on the tailgate surface so they're designed waterproof from the factory- wish I had pictures to show you. I was thinking maybe 2 of them, one on either side connected to the turn/stop lights so you've got both signals and brake lights visible from above the taillights. More visibility= more safety.

JCL -

The GoWesty one sticks onto the rear glass - so no reflection is possible - period. It's a clean LED unit & adds that is enclosed from the back (drivers vision) side.

Click to view attachment

This is on sale for $25 now - regular price is $30 - so I sincerely doubt that a Volvo part is going to be less than that!

I also doubt that the Volvo one is any brighter than this multi-LED unit.

It's an interior mount, so no need to be waterproof, although the casing appears to be similar to some other exterior trunk lid mounted ones that I've seen.

Really! .... REALLY!! ....

So you think bolting some truck lights on your engine grill is a better & cleaner looking solution - than just adhering one of these minimal height flat-n-wide LED units to the top of the 914 rear window just under the roll bar!!??

To each his own I guess.... heck why not just drill the rear trunk lid & bolt them on there L & R side!?

Geesh ... try to help some members out, & the peanut gallery comes out of the underbrush with the hillybilly solutions!

And I say that out of due respect, being a WVa Hillbilly & Indian myself!

You wouldn't want to do anything to getto this car, right?

Cold Epstein, very cold.

Tom, how is your 914 looking these days? Any upadates? Did you put one of these third brake lights on your restroom?

Ha! That should have read "restomod". Foiled by Apple autocorrect again!

I didn't realize you were pushing your solution as THE ONLY solution- I thought is was a suggestion. And a good clean suggestion it is! I've seen a few nice clean 3rd light installs on this site- yours isn't the first. Nor is the one I saw the worst (or best) I've seen, it was merely another idea that I'd seen. It really doesn't look THAT hillbilly- looks alot like factory solutions in the 90s. Come to think of it, some of those looked pretty backwoods too! Does the light reflect off the inner sail panels and rear deck? If it does, it's a distraction you don't want no matter how clean it looks... You haven't been sippin out of the Kanawha just down from the steel plant around Smithers have you??

Nice Tom!

Here's one of the other 3rd brakelight threads http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...er%27&st=20

Spoke's LED brake light conversion is one of THE BEST upgrades for visibility if you don't want to add a 3rd brake light.

Mark & Dave -

Unfortunately my 914 still looks the same as of now, although I've been able to source a bunch more needed parts for my resto (not a restomod) - which will be back to original CW & OE with only a few period correct accessories from dealers (Porsche Crest leather shift know, AM/FA/8-Track stereo, SSI HE's, as found on mine originally or added).

Hopefully to the shop this Spring!

In the meantime since joining here in `09, I've done a full resto or rehab on my son's 88 Honda Civic HB, my 85 BMW 325e & 88 Westy & some work on my wife's toy 1960 Avion T20 (like an Airstream) ... as well as a ton of renovation/resto work on our 1921 Craftsman house - so too many projects going at once!!

Oh & having to run my business in some very tough times!

So thanx for the dig Mark!

No, my wife's dad was from down there in Summersville & thereabouts, whereas my Mom's side was from Paw Paw & Berkely Springs over in the eastern panhandle area, then some relocated to Pittsburgh we I was born - still in the Alleghenies! Her Dad was an IE for J&L Steel there!
So we drank the water there.

Not pushing it as the only solution at all - but you & the other posters initially were commenting without even knowing what the unit was nor that it attached to the glass.

And - sorry - but no, I don't think bolting stuff onto your 914 is a good idea! Even those dang unneeded rear trunk luggage racks & rear spoilers are rust-baits!

For only $19.99 you can adapt this kit to do two 914s! And no bolting required, they are magnetic! This gives you the amazing flexibility of mounting on top the targa bar when the top is off which eliminates the glare/reflection issue, or stick it to the underside for that super stealthy look!




http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-magne...69626-8847.html

I can certainly see going to LEDs in the 914 F TS & R Tail/Brake/TS/Reverse Lites buckets as a great visibility upgrade. I did our 88 Westy in LEDs all around for that reason.

I also helped a member on here a while back locate that Corvette 3rd brake light at your link for his 72 /4 restomod/6-conversion (IIRC he's up to a Tangerine 3.2L -6 in it now ).

This GoWesty stick-on LED is a less expensive & easier to install without any drilling, but the con is that it is taller than the Vette one & blocks more view - unless you were to mount it behind one of the headrests which are blocked anyway (or 2 - 1 behind the L & R headrests). It's easily reversible by peeling off the light & pulling the wiring

The pro to the Vette one IMHO is that it is 1/2 - 1/3 the height of the GoWesty sold one & therefore blocks less in the window view, but the con is that requires drilling mounting & wiring holes into our 914's rust-prone sheet metal.

Having to battle the rust issues on my 73 since literally when I bought it 3 years old in 75, I'm reluctant to think of that as a good solution, & would instead try to do the Vette one as a non-invasive interior mount.

IIRC the Vette one I found for Scarlet914 was about $75-100+ (new/NOS), so for many using 914s as economical DD, this $25-30 GoWesty one is the more economical solution & easier/quicker to install.

If the Suburban LED is the same as the Vette one, then that has the same advantages, but I still wouldn't bolt it to the engine lid grill for the same rust concerns with the rubbing & blocking cooling air flow.

Also - since visibility is the reason to do this, on the engine grill the light will be 12-18" lower than if mounted in the rear window under the rollbar - inside or out - preferably inside without screws thru parts. But the rollbar's rear overhang may also conceal it from higher vehicles following when mounted at the rear window location.

IIRC Scarlet914 mounted his Vette 3rd lite without screws, so you could try PM'ing Andy to ask what he did to mount his, since he's not active much on here anymore & just a littl on 914club.

PS - GoWesty sources these from somehwere else & then marks them up, so you can probably find the same product elsewhere for the same or better price.

The primary reason I posted this here - as a new pos for anew solution, was that GoWesty had the 3rd light on their monthly specials (10%+/- off) which I check when I can, & had meant to put it on here for others in the past, but was just too damn busy on work BS - especially 2013-14.

The nicest third brake light addition was one that I saw years ago. The owner had incorporated a Ford GT light into the top roof railing behind the targa bar. It looked factory original. Unfortunately I cannot find a photo or remember the fellow's name, but perhaps someone else on the forum may have the information.

If nothing else, it would be fun to walk into a Ford dealer's parts counter and tell them you need a third brake light for a Ford GT.

I got them at Walmart for less for our trailer, when the 7-pin decided to pop out & grind in half on the way from ABQ!

So I've pulled over the 3 key solutions I see at the other link above, & this is nicely done (that's in the UK) & looks like a Mustang one George mentioned (& several other similar ones at that link):



Altho I like this Vette/GM setup better, but for price & mounting:



Or attach you own string of them from separate parts out there:



.

There are plenty of other choices out there & most are more than the $25-30 for the quick & easy GoWesty one, & I still say it's a choice of "to screw or not to screw" & your tolerance for additional rust chances from same.

Cheers All!
Tom
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These other solutions in the pix in my prior post above & at the links others have provided are all more expensive (parts) & involved to install than this quick stick-on & wire in solution from GoWesty, which can be easily done in an hour or two - leaving the rest of the day to !!

So I updated that to the first post with that info for anyone looking at it anew.

Tom - I'm in. What other restomod ideas do you have?

You know, laugh though you may.....

I think you just solved my plow truck backup light problem.

I never thought about temporary lights to get the job done, until now.

I am gonna go mount up the big ass driving lights on the back, but in some temporary way so I can put them on only for plowing.....

Rich.

I did this; Got the idea from another members post and the light from banggood.com for less then $10 shipped (might have been less then $5).

Ran wires through trim and into engine bay then to trunk. took maybe a couple of hours total. another possible solution.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

No glare, under cover and works great. no turn signal, just a third brake light with 26 LEDS.

How did you attach it to the underside of the roll bar?

BTW - the GoWesty one is brake only too.

It had the sticky pads. so if need be you can remove it, but then will need to get new glue pads. I got a roll of 3M outdoor adheasive strip for maybe $5.

We also used this on my buddies 356 and attached it to the inside of the window. you can adjust the angle of the light. On his you can see a reflection on the glass when it is on but it doesn't affect the view out the back. its just a red glow.

I did the ones on Kermee using $25 strip LED's from Autozone. They have adhesive backing & stick really well under the Targa bar. They're tied into the wiring back at the rear tail light harness. A bit of noodling around with a couple of RadioShack diodes on each side provided turn signal functionality as well.

That's a good way to go then & easily reversible for the CW crowd - same with Kermee's solution too. Both are probably good cost effective & easily installed options along the lines of the GoWesty option.

When the time comes, then I'd like to find a way to have one I can quickly install & remove in mine, in order to have nothing showing for concours events (maybe quick connects at the wiring that I can tuck behind the back pad), but then have it in & operating for the drive to & from.

Geez, it's dang hard to type this while watching Steelers v. Ravens!
Go Stillers!

This is always an exciting thing. Which shop are you taking the car to?

Oh and the whole tough business climate thing is fully understood. You have really stood tall in the days after the whole Travolta in the hotel thingy. Probably most of the members don't know what you do for a living but now at least they know you have a limit.

Good luck with taking your 914 to a shop and let's all pray for a happy ending.

Huh?? > "You have really stood tall in the days after the whole Travolta in the hotel thingy" I don't know what you're referring to on that Dave??

I think maybe you've got me confused with somebody else. I do real estate development consulting, which had been slow since the crash, & only now for 2015 picking up for small guys like me. In 2013-`14 & `12 I got jammed with other BS which interfered with actually getting & doing new business, so you can guess which a-holes do that "interfering BS"!

I'm going with the shop that did my Westy windows-out repaint last year & the 1980 repaint of the 914 - but this time it will be a bare metal full CW job, as opposed to the rolling resto DD level job in `80.

Drivetrain will go back to my guy Hans in Huntington Beach since 1975, which we were recently discussing will be 40 years come this summer, since he started PPIs on 10+ 914s before giving my 73 2L his blessing in Nov 75 & I closed the deal & financing 12/26/75 (2nd owner).

As you can see in Mark's 2 pix of my 914 in that earlier post, I have front & read damage dating from May `85, when a sorority bimbo ran the 914 into a wall/column in the parking structure while I was in my MBA classes - just a year after completing the 1980-84 rolling resto & driveline/suspension rebuild, plus the ravages of rust while sitting for 25-30 years in my garage.

Hopefully I'll get the other cars & trailer work under control, & the "honey doo list" additions limited ... plus some good business projects to work on for the bucks, then the 914 will move forward well.

I was originally hoping to be done for the 2014 Monterey Parade ... but that didn't even get close!

I just have too many projects to get done now before we reach retirement age (only partial for me) here in a few!

Best!
Tom
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Looks like a nice solution.

Just this weekend I did a 3rd brake light on my own 914 using one of these,

http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Dynamics-Knig...ag=theampfor-20

I mounted it facing down, underside of rollbar chrome. (will post photo later).

I have to say that it is a definite attention grabber and it looks factory installed. I used the mounting tape and did not cut or tap any wires as I picked up some piggyback quick connects at Radio Shack and simply used the existing brake light spades. Ran the wire underneath the chrome strip and through trunk. Needed a bit of extra wire but since these are LED, you can use 18-20 gauge. Again, you would really have to look for anything that looks not original. Took me a total of maybe 30 minutes.

Tom
Not sure but the one I got from go westy had the same angle as the rear vanagon. Mounted in the 914 to point straight back would leave a gap that I was thinking could reflect. They might have changed design?
The Volvo ones are 6 bucks at most wrecking yards and yes it is about twice the light out put as the go westy one. It will light up stop signs 2 blocks away. It's done thru focusing lences over the LEDs. I can send you one if you would like to compare in the vanagon.

Pm me a shipping address. No joke.

Jcl

Thanx for the offer. I'm okay, as I've got one in the Westy already & my 914 won't have that 3rd lite unless I can come up with an unnoticeable quick removal solution for concours.

Someone else on here should take you up on it to try it out & post pix here for others to see it installed on a 914.

The GoWesty one I have on the Westy has a swivel in it to adjust the LED unit some up & down. The Vanagon rear hatch glass slopes back towards the top, while the 914 rear glass is just the opposite, so I was thinking that someone using it would mount it to the 914 glass "upside down" relative to the Westy/Vanagon mounting orientation.

I can see how the lenses you mention would enhance the rear lighting, which is even more important on the low sitting 914s!

That's comparable time/ease on installation to the GoWesty one, & it too is also reversible in using the adhesive double-stick tape.

Please do post your install pix here when you get a chance!

BTW the GoWesty kit included the piggyback connector also for the Vanagon/Westy install, but I suspect you'd need extra wire for it on the 914 case as well.

I noticed in the description at your link to the item above, that it also includes the TS flashing + 3rd brake light function, so that's an added benefit.

I wonder if it could also be installed inside the cabin under the rollbar?

Contrary to Mr. Epstein's on resto-modding & the PT Cruzer pic - I am NOT planning any "mods" to my resto, except the typical period correct accessories I've had since it was new & some SSI HE's I got to replace my holed OEM HE's.

However, I would consider adding an inconspicuous (from the interior & when removed for concours events) 3rd brake lite in a removable set-up for more safety when driving.

I'm also noodling how to convert a spare old ashtray into a mount for an extra pair of gauges for engine monitoring - CHT & Oil Pressure would be nice additions to the OT & Volts at the center console - with a hidden quick connect in the back of the dash from the ashtray slot & down to the center console to the tunnel & out of sight. That way I can disconnect & remove the CHT & OP mount & put in the stock ashtray for concours events & keep it all correct to stock, but have the benefit while driving!

I'll also add a hidden digital player adapter from Woody's Customs, to the back of the original OE dealer supplied AM/FM/8-track unit, so I can plug in modern media for my 50's, 60's & early 70's Oldies music!

All would be out-of-sight & able to present the restored car as original when desired, but to also drive it with some inconspicuous added conveniences & safety features.

Buuuut ...... I gotta get the dang thing to the body & mechanics shops first!!

There should be no argument discussion on which 3rd brake light solution to go with on your 914. They all NEED a 3rd brake light. If you don't have one on your 914 you should be looking into a solution.

Don't wait until this happens to your 914 before installing a 3rd brake light. The 3rd brake light may not have prevented the young girl from slamming into my 914 but the 914 would have had a larger brake light footprint.

Click to view attachment

Now I'm using United Pacific 38949B - United Pacific LED Taillight Bar available at Summit Racing. They come in 6, 9, and 12 inch lengths. This is the 12 inch model.

My goal was to be minimally invasive to the car and not cut or splice anything into the wire harness.

The light doesn't block any rear view as it is hidden because of the interior roll trim.

Click to view attachment

I used 2 right angle supports to attach to the roll trim. A little filing of the rear of the roll trim for the angle brackets are the only modifications to the car. The wiring is run behind the roll trim.

Click to view attachment

Ground attachment behind the relay board.

Click to view attachment

Used a piggyback spade connector to tap into the brake circuit.

Click to view attachment

Lots of light.

Click to view attachment

Great pix Jerry, I'm sure those looking at this will appreciate them!

I realize now that I should've done a mock-up of the GoWesty one on my 914 for pix for others before mounting it on my Westy, so that others could see that alternative too.


Tom
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I do want a 3rd brake light, I installed one in my '67 bug, pretty sure it makes a difference. I also have a bike flasher (4short, 4 long then on constant) on the 3rd light only, I don't know if this works or if it's just annoying. Also don't know if it's legal.

The issue I have with the under the bar light shown is it would obstruct the line of sight out the (my) rear view mirror. Would anyone comment on this point?

The corvette light might not work either as I'll be using a GT hood.
But keep the ideas coming as I will have a 3rd light one way or the other.

flip the Vette light upside down and mount it under the roll bar. The biggest issue will be fishing the wire through the roll bar ( which is doable ) and the possible visual obstruction for you

I wondered the same thing. I did a search here of all the 3rd brake light threads and someone else had come to the conclusion that the interior roll hoop trim already obscures that part of the rear window. You can't see it at all from the driver's seat. The one I used is only 5/8 inch tall.

You can simulate adding a light on the bottom of the roll hoop on your car by cutting a strip of paper 5/8 inch by 12 inch and tape it to the bottom of the trim.

The rollbar upper pad also has a little bit of space between it & the glass which may allow one or any of these to tuck up in there. Maybe the Vette, Volvo & simple LED light strips & Spoke's unit can get all the way up there clear of view completely, but I think the GoWesty one is taller. That keeps them out of the weather & wiring can be dropped behind the backpad & threaded out back thru the main harness grommet.

PS -

This is the GoWesty sold unit by itself for size comparison to the others on here:

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

I just measured mine on the Westy, & the overall unit is 9" W x 2" H - which includes a 3/8" flat flange all around for the sticky strip to adhere to the glass, & the back housing is 8-3/8" L x 1-1/4" H & 1-1/4" D - with a standard 1/2" H x 8" L LED strip that swivels within the housing to keep it level to face out properly (so no need to invert it for the 914's back-sloping rear glass).

I think that you can tuck the upper mounting flange up between the 914's interior upper rollbar pad & the glass, & simply trim off the lower flange if it intrudes into the vision area too much. Anyway, that's my thoughts.

Because this is set up to mount to glass & swivel to any angle of rear window slope, I'd bet that they are also available elsewhere online, FLAPS, etc. as well.

.

And any of them could be mounted as a pair - left & right for 2 behind the headrests - for even more light & visibility, with zero rearward view restriction being behind the headrests anyway.

Kermeee had that set-up plus a L & R down-leg, which I assume the verticals are the turn signals portion at the L & R sides.

A lot of good ideas & options coming up here - far more than I realized were out there.

Keep them coming, as I'm sure those looking now & searching in the future will appreciate the data bank here!

Frankly, as low & small as our 914s are compared to the typical road behemoths - we really need need a dozen big ole yellow rotating beacons all over them .... & then some would still hit it while distracted!!!!

I can't believe how many airheads miss our Westy & pull out in front of it, or others who don't pay attention when we're towing our trailer & start to pull behind the tow vehicle to change lanes into the trailer!!! Fortunately they've all caught themselves in time!

I mean really - how do you not see a big ole 20' long 9' tall 8' wide silver twinkie on wheels!!!!!!

So Jerry, our Steelers blew it yesterday! ..... Dang!!!!

I see you've switched to a 'Quins logo now.
..... You need both + Bucs in your avitar!

I remember the Hornets waaay back when I was there waaay back when!

Best!
Tom
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IMHO, it's better to mount the third brake light low (on the engine lid) because the upper part of the roll/targa bar seems like a good idea until you realize how much it can block your rear view mirror.

The corvette unit can be polished as well. We did it on a customer car.

Very nice. And it hardly blocks the view as much as the license plate.

We don't have eyes in the backs of our heads...only our mothers do

We don't have eye in the backs of our heads...only our mothers do

I did not enable the running lights (just snip and insulate blue wire). The flashing stop light feature definitely commands attention. I put a piece of black electric tape along the window side so that it does not light up the cabin. If I were starting over I would probably just use some flat black model paint on that side. Given that the 914 sits so low, I like the fact that the light is mounted up higher where SUV's and minivans are more likey to notice.



Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Mark my corvette brake light on my GT lid.

But, won't you know it's not concours correct?

But, won't you know it's not concours correct?

Oh, but that would be concours correct under PCA's rules, with the additional "exposed in use" items out & only the hidden wiring in.

When this is mounted on the inside, top, of rear window, I'm wondering if it obstructs the rear view mirror?

I wonder if a person could use those strip lights in the same position on the inside, but maybe could make/find some sort of housing for it to be mounted in, and stick them in, and would be a lower profile?

Do those strip lights have an adhesive on them?