Finally attached an LED high mount 3rd brake light. Added a strobe module to make it really pop.
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Here's a short video of it in action. If you watch it in slow mo, you can see the LED lights come on significantly before the car's incandescent brake light bulbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaQ6msHbFbA

I drilled holes in the LED side mounts so I could use small screws to attach it to the underside of the targa bar instead of just the sticky tape on it. The small holes in the curved mounts' exterior allow screwdriver access to the screws inside the mount. I had to remove the engine lid to allow my drill to fit under the targa bar to drill the small pilot holes for the mounting screws. I ran the thin LED dual wire lead up through another small hole drilled through the LED mount and into the targa bar. Then the wire goes out through a small hole drilled under the rear targa bar chrome trim. After adding a dual wire extension, I ran the wire along under the rear targa trim to the edge trim, then down under that piece. I got the wire into the engine bay through a small downward hole under the side trim and through another small hole in the engine bay side near the trunk hinge attachment point. From there it was easy to follow the existing wire harness back to the brake light connection point. I put the strobe module in-line right there. Do not ground the negative from the LED light before reaching the strobe module since the module needs both positive and negative wires in and out. Ground the negative lead coming out of the strobe module. Finally, using a piggy back connector finishes the connection to the brake light lead without cutting any harness's. Btw, here's a link to the LED light at Amazon for $1.85 and free shipping! Don't know how the can do that!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Red-14-LED-Car-Aut...Nv4&vxp=mtr

And here's a link to the strobe module for $6.09 and free shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/CARCHET-Strobe-Contr...e/dp/B00I4J35HY

A little wire and $7.94 and you're in business!

nice work! very clean.

and super-necessary considering how low and invisible I feel in the 914 on a regular basis.

No good for me....it blocks the rear view mirror view.

That's what I was worried about too Mark. Here's a pic of the mirror view from my seating position. Unless you're looking for low flying planes, I don't think the view is a problem at all.
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What about flipping it over and mounting it to the grille on the engine lid cover? Putting it there would require no drilling, and should still be pretty visible to large vehicles behind the car.

Thought about grill placement. It just looked more appropriate to my eye under the targa bar, and I also figuered the higher up the better for visibility. Jmo.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, buy one of these. I have one on the 914 tucked up on the outside of targa bar which does not block visibility at all. No issues for 4 years. Also one on the SC inside the top of the rear window, with no impairment. I did not connect the running light wire since I didn't want the Cylon/Knight Rider thing. With the brake pressed, it provides a very bright 4 flashes before going solid red. Really like the small size, brightness and strobing. I attached with double sided 3M tape.

http://www.customdynamics.com/knight_rider_led_light_bar.htm

Props to the OP on his method and buget price since these cost $30 with free shipping. .

Pic of the light.

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Given the small size, I was thinking double sided tape to mount was a no brainer. It seems what these guys use. I'll check them out, for the bikes too! Don't want to add any holes to the 914.

Im going to try some of the little, high strength magnets, superglued to the light.

Here is my application with a 2 foot strip inside - upper four short strips are reflectors.

Oops! here it is.
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Looks great! Good job.

All 914's should have a 3rd brake light and probably should be mounted on the roll hoop to be as high as possible. Even then the 3rd brake light will probably only be as high as a wheel of some of those big SUV's.

A couple of things to consider if you plan on adding a third brake light. Based on some experimentation, if you mount the light inside the rear window, you will see the reflection of the bright LED's at night when it goes on, very distracting. And regardless of where you mount it, if you can actually see the LED's go on in your rearview mirror, it will be very distracting in your mirror at night every time you apply the brakes. Just some things to think about when choosing the type and placement of a third brake light.

I had the same issue with the 3rd brake light causing a lot of light energy to be observed hitting the engine lid and visible in the rear view mirror.

A solution to cut down on most of the unwanted light energy is to block off the top and bottom of the lens like shown below. Either with paint or tape. This will not diminish the light output to the rear but will cut down on the extraneous light coming back into the cabin.

Hey oakldalecurtis, a trademark infringement!! , you'll hear from my attorney. good blend in job !!

BTDT

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=212499

Wow Dangr, great minds think alike!

That's how I attached mine . . . also a quick disconnect for the wiring. I can remove it all in a couple of minutes if I needed to. Going on 5 years with no problems.

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The light is from a Volvo V70 (I think), with the same strobe module as oakdalecurtis.

BTW, I used a piece of thin mouse pad on the magnets so they won't mar the paint

In my case there is no negative impact on my rearview mirror images - no issue.

I already have the patent. You owe me money!

Nice work!

I have always wanted to build one with an accelerometer in it.
If you apply the brakes nice & easy, it comes on same as the regular brake lights.
If you brake harder, it comes on strobing and brighter.
If you jam on the brakes it comes on brightest and blinking like crazy

This one is 38949B at Summit Racing and is 12 inches long and 0.625 inch high. Mounted below the roll hoop it is not visible from the rear view mirror.

Sounds a lot like the "Voevodsky Cyberlight." It was advertised in the back pages of Car and Driver in the late 1970s. I helped a friend put one on his 240Z just above the rear license plate back in the day. It was brilliant.

It was a rectangular black plastic box, about 12" long (same as a license plate), 2" tall, and about 2" deep. It had two 12-volt automotive bulbs behind an amber lense (red optional). The only connections were to ground and "+" signal off of the car's brake lamp circuit. Inside was a computer chip and a deceleration sensor (5 [?] mercury switches IIRC). The Cyberlight came on when the brakelamps came on, and it would flash at ~1x/second when vehicle was stationary. When moving, the Cyberlight's flashing rate depending upon the rate of deceleration, varying from the resting-rate up a "strobe-like" ~8x/second under heavy braking.

I followed his car up WA-167 from Kent towards Renton after the install--Cyberlight not only told me when he was braking, but the rising rate of the flashing told me how hard he was braking. Not sure why, but they went off the market before I could buy one.

Some interesting info about it here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forum...-questions.html

Interesting that BMW is introducing a "Dynamic Brake Light" on some of their European bikes:

http://www.sportrider.com/bmw-announces-ne...e-light?image=0

These need to be retina damagingly bright. Lasers? Phasers? Romulan disruptors?

If you are going that route, I want Deflector Shields!

I find strobing/flashing brake lights to be extremely annoying/distracting and a clear sign of a douchebag.

Not to mention they're contrary to motor vehicle regulations.

I always pull up to the driver's side to see if they're wearing the Bluetooth ear phone thing and having a conversation with their wife, Karen.

Not that I have strong feelings on the matter or anything...

If my strobe third brake light is annoying enough to keep you out of my tailpipes, you can call me “Douchy” all day/night long!

I think if you came to CA and drove around you may rethink your position. The people here, a lot of them, are so self-absorbed, me-first types, they think nothing of tailgating while talking on their phones which they still hold in their hand while talking. I have been rear-ended 6 times in the past 20 years and each time it was a young kid on his cell phone or playing with his stereo. So, yeah, I will have a 3rd LED brake light on my car and it will flash 3 times when I step on the brake. I hope and pray that will catch the attention of the douches behind me who are too busy doing other things to pay attention to the road while driving. Of course my car has stated value coverage so if the worse happens, I will get what I believe the car is worth. BTW, 2 of the rear-enders were by uninsured, unlicensed drivers of course. That should be a "go straight to jail and get you car seized and crushed" in the event of an accident. And if you are dumb enough to loan your car to someone w/o a valid license and they crash it, it should be impounded for a minimum of 30 days- enjoy that bill.

Just the ticket, I think, particularly in light of Clay's recent incident. BTW, I presume the one you've ID'd is the second row, middle light?

Lots of 3rd brake light threads. Here's mine. 24" across the targa bar. Autozone LED stick on lights. Still stuck down tight since 2009 on the car. Routed the wire through the chrome strip, down the sail trim, and into the trunk and wired into the brake light. Very bright night and day and I know it's saved me a few times.

Steve -

so how did Terri reach the brake pedal from her seat? ;-)

GN

Someone asked about how the wires went through the targa trim. One simple hole with a rubber grommet.

Here's mine. I live is a Sumer tourist area and although I don't have first hand knowledge I'm sure there are a few impaired drivers on the road. Found these at Walmart of all places in a 2 pack. Gave the other light to OLAF who did the same mounting. Double sticky 3M holds it in place on the backside of the Targa trim. No need to remove it when I take the top off. Routed the wires under the trim and exited into the engine compartment. Butyl from the windshield install was used to hold the wiring in place. No glare and no rearward visibility issues.

Would love to locate a module to make it flash a couple of times before staying on. Any inputs folks

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LSC-400A at www.superbrightleds.com--I've had good luck with it. I like that it stays steady after the initial pulses. Makes it a little easier on the person stopped behind you.

You can find it here: https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/st..._waApQkEALw_wcB

There's a video of it about half way down the right side of the page.

Hope this helps!

Steve A-

one option for a flasher:
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/st...module/195/845/

@Spoke
Hey, Spoke.. that one does not strobe, right? I like the dimension but would prefer a strobing unit and don't see one (in that brand) that's described as such.



.

Rear view mirror? First rule of italian driving!

What's Behind Me, It's Not Important!

@Literati914 - i *believe* if you find an LED that you prefer you should be able to add the flasher unit that I linked (or similar) and it will function.

@Literati914

No this one is just an LED strip. No strobing. The strobing mostly is done in standalone modules and can be quite inexpensive. The strobes just go right in between the brake wire and the LED. Easy to add anywhere in the 3rd brake light wiring between the brake light wire and the 3rd brake. I haven't looked into the brake strobes to know which ones work best.

I've ordered this from ebay - unfortunately, not sure when I'll be able to get to the 914 but the plan is either inside or outside the rear window -probably at the bottom - but it all depends on how the adhesive is oriented. Worth a shot for $14. Single mode - simple mirroring of brake lights.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/40inch-Car-LED-Cen...872.m2749.l2649

I think the strobe modules I have I got off ebay china for $5 each, works fine for my bug 3rd light at least 5 years now. I have a module for my 914, for if I ever install a 3rd B light, but I don't think I'll use it.

Jerry -

Thanks! Like that one the best!

GN

You made my day! My goal is to annoy the shizzle out of people behind me. Appreciate the validation

Don’t tell my wife about Karen.

An accelerometer is a great idea.

As for " contrary to motor vehicle regulations." Typically in most states ,the main issue is if the lights continuously flash red. Ones that flash prior to going solid red are allowed. But of course check your state and local requirements.

The modals I have strobe 4 times fast, 4 times slow, then is on steady till you release the brake.

I just installed the 3rd brake light from Custom Dynamics, $30 + shipping for the nonstrobing model: 3rd Brake Light
It also illuminates with the running lights.
No glare in the cabin when it's on and I also ran the wires behind the trim. No permanent mods necessary.

Given that this topic has seen a renewed interest, I asked them about a group buy and they came back asking how many I thought would be interested. I'm happy to try and set up a group buy discount if there's enough interest here.

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SSSSSHHHHHH

Narp 914 3rd Brake light.

Best, IMHO

Check this light out. My friend uses these exclusively at his Hot Rod shop here in SoCal.
Super small, practically invisible, but SUPER BRIGHT. I am going to install on all of my 914's. I opted for smoke lens.

https://luckybike.com/products/taillight-led-strip-flexible

Oscar





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This is what I have and got it from @georgerud .. Someday I will install it.. Closer to when I am ready to drive it.. Click to view attachment

[quote name='ValcoOscar' date='May 19 2020, 09:49 AM' post='2816836']
SSSSSHHHHHH

Narp 914 3rd Brake light.


Oscar, do you cut into the trim to make that fit?

[quote name='mgp4591' date='May 19 2020, 09:25 AM' post='2816850']
[quote name='ValcoOscar' date='May 19 2020, 09:49 AM' post='2816836']
SSSSSHHHHHH

Narp 914 3rd Brake light.


Oscar, do you cut into the trim to make that fit?
[/quote]


Hey Mike-

On my V8 car I deleted all targa trim so I ran wire underneath sheet metal in place of trim. Careful not to burn wire as I welded metal strips. I ran wire through existing sail trim hole into to trunk, spliced into brake wire. Bingo...done.

Other 914's will get these mounted straight onto rear glass.



I bet they would look sweet cut into moulding



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