Upgrading an old stop light ????

[Thunder1]

I was wondering if anybody out there might have some advise on upgrading an old bus stop light I found? My plans are to use it as a third brake light on my 51 F1 someday. It's 7" in diameter & 3 1/2 deep. I'd rather just gut all the old electrical components and install a modern bulb fixture and wiring.

I need to keep it simple because I too am seriously wiring challenged. I have an idea to maybe buy an aftermarket third brake light like one of those you can mount to a truck trailer hitch and figure out a way to mount it inside the old bucket and then just run the wires out the back like usual. Pre-wired, new components, and cheap.

Any ideas? I'd appreciate them.

Thanks

Thunder1

Here's the light.

 

[Bonehead]

It is way cool. Probably 6 volt, as it is. Nothing wrong with your idea. But you can buy a socket for an old glass bulb for cheap. Or a old fog light style bulb. It is a single element bulb you are looking for. Just becareful it does not blink with one of the rear turn signals.

 

[dmw56]

Check out kelseydum's build thread where he rebuilt a tail light.

By the way cool light.

Cleaned up my tail lights/ blinkers... Bought some stuff to convert them to the 1157 double element bulbs (I'm just going to solder them in).

 

[Thunder1]

Thanks Bonehead & DMW56. Bonehead, I've been looking into your suggestions. I think I've got part of this figured out. With the wiring harness I'm planning on using I'll have to use a third brake light logic module to connect it right. Basically it splits the current from the left & right tailights (braking lights) to power the third light without causing the third light to flash.

I've seen those replacement sockets you mentioned at the parts store. They are single wire sockets usually with the spring under the socket/bulb contact. Not sure if they would work with what I want to do though?? I'll need a 12 volt set up. I'll check them out again.

Thanks again,

Thunder1

 

[Sam_Fear]

I used to have one of those when I was a kid. Thought it was cool, but never new exactly what to do with it. Now I have no idea what happened to it.

I think Boneheads on the right track. Get a simple socket. Heck, rip one out of a junk light bucket - turn signal or brake light, it doesn't matter.

The biggest thing will be, like Bonehead mentioned, getting it hooked to the wiring harness correctly.

If you have problems, ask. Electrical just takes a clear head and the right frame of mind to figure out. Just think like a Volt.

 

[dogpatch1]

light

really kool idea, i dont kno what kinda car your hookin this up to, but, i mounted one on a tbucket for a guy i built the bucket itself out of a older ford headlight bucket and turned it around backerds, i then used a universal socket out of a 12 volt fog light(cheap single element one) and riveted that inside the bucket. as for wiring it instead of buying a modual, i ran an additional brake light wire right off the brake light switch befor it entered the turnsignal(no flash when signals are applied.) its pretty easy to find said wire it is commonly refered to as the brake light turnsignal input wire, the easyest way to access it is right at or close to the brake light switch itself. hope this helps. dp1

 

[Sam_Fear]

If your brake light has 2 filaments, you will not need to worry about it, the turn and brake light systems are already separated. Otherwise Dogpatch's solution sounds the simplest.

 

[Thunder1]

Thanks Fella's! I really appreciate the input. I think that's the way I'm gonna do it dp1.

Thunder1

 

[Thunder1]

really kool idea, i dont kno what kinda car your hookin this up to, but, i mounted one on a tbucket for a guy i built the bucket itself out of a older ford headlight bucket and turned it around backerds, i then used a universal socket out of a 12 volt fog light(cheap single element one) and riveted that inside the bucket. as for wiring it instead of buying a modual, i ran an additional brake light wire right off the brake light switch befor it entered the turnsignal(no flash when signals are applied.) its pretty easy to find said wire it is commonly refered to as the brake light turnsignal input wire, the easyest way to access it is right at or close to the brake light switch itself. hope this helps. dp1

Well, I think your suggestion did the trick! I picked up all the components from the parts store today and put it all back together. No way to test it at the moment but I think it should work. I basically re-conditioned the entire light assembly. I took it all apart and cleaned it up, cut out a new lens gasket and rewired the socket and put in a fresh bulb. It should work. I'll wire it in close to the brake light switch like you said to and see what happens. Thanks again dp1!

Thunder

 

[dogpatch1]

you my friend are welcome post us a pick with the tires smokin and the brake light lit! lol! dp1

 

[Thunder1]

I just couldn't stand it after I worked on that brake light today. I was all geared up to do some more and figured I'd at least get my headlights torn down to see what I could do to start getting them overhauled. I bought a descent pair of late 1930's??? 9" Chevy "Twilight" headlights last year from a guy for $50.00. They used to be chromed but that was a long time ago. The buckets are pretty banged up and surface rusted but the lens' and rims are in good shape and they have the original mounts. Of course the rim screws were rusted solid and I had to cut them apart to get to the insides. They have dual high and low beam sockets. I think on these I might try & convert them to halogens??? I know it's not traditional but I'm dang near blind at night and I need all the help seeing I can get. There was an article in SR mag. last year that showed how to do it. It looks fairly simple to do. Now I have to hunt down that copy of SR. If it's not a rat rod magazine it usually gets low priority and thrown aside somewhere.

I'll try and do some pics as I get into the redo of the lights.

Thunder1

 

[dmw56]

Well it's good to hear your making some progress. You know the drill Pat, we need pictures.

 

[Thunder1]

Some progress is better than no progress right? My progress has slowed to a crawl here lately just when I was building some momemtum. Between the weather (cold & rain) which really cuts into my hours at work, and the resulting lack of much needed funding, I can't invest much into the truck right now. So I'm doing what I can to stay involved with it no matter how small the task. Also with x-mas right around the corner and needing to find another cheap but dependable daily driver since my wifes car died last week finances are really tight. Hopefully over my Thanksgiving break I can get moving on the headlights again - with pictures! I planned on using some 7" lights originally but these 9" lights are paid for and so I might as well put them to use. In true rat rod fashion my build is quickly becoming all about using what I can get these days opposed to using parts what I really want.

Thunder1

 

[Ol'Skool]

Thunder My stop light was a 6 volt single element. I changed it over to a duel element. You can buy it in any auto parts store. I use one as my running lite and the other as a stop lite with my 50 Pontiac LED lites Dan

 

[Thunder1]

Thanks Ol' Skool! Yep, that looks just like my light!! Your Model A is awesome!!

Thunder1