3rd Brake light

[Steve Crites]

Hey Gang;

Mark, sorry ’bout the name mixup, there was a 2nd 6 pack involved that had my name on it!

Anyway, as has been said before, we are driving what amounts to a motorcycle with 4 wheels. One of my other winter projects was to add a little safety edge when cruising. BIG difference, esp at night.

Here’s without and with.

Later, Ringo

[Paul Mossberg]

Ringo,

What a great idea…hiding the 3rd brake light inside the spare!

Wouldn’t work for my stock rims with TD hubcaps. But anyone with wires should copycat you!

PMOSSBERG39873.5661921296

Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica Roadster

If you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)

[Rich Bellefeuille]

Ringo,

Looks great! I’ve been thinking about doing something like that. Unfortunately like Paul said, that light positions requires REAL wire wheels, so I won’t be able to play copy cat either

I might be able to rig something that fastens to the Wire Basket with a quick disconnect though.

Rich

[Mark Hendrickson]

There are also 3rd brake light license plate frames available. Lot’s of hot rodders use them.

Great idea Ringo…it sure makes a difference. Your car has VW taillights and mine has the real glass MG-TD assemblies. I may try LED bulbs as well as a 3rd brake light.

My 40 Ford has little Chevron shaped taillights. Some aftermarket companies are offering them in LED now too. What a difference!

[newkitman]

How many members have the 3rd Brake Light? And where are they located if you do not have wire wheels? Trying to decide if I will add one. Thought has crossed my pea of a brain several times.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

[Bill Gould]

Moss Motors offers this (Part No. 116-115) for about $80:

RodWorx.com has several, including this (#38048) for $15:

Rodworx also has a plate frame (#37947) for about $45:

 

I’ve never dealt with Rodworx, so can’t vouch for them.

 

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

[edward ericson]

I put a 3-inch diameter trailer light (something like $6 at Auto Zone) on a bit of galvanized angle steel I had left over from a garage door hanging. Bolted that to the license plate so the big light sticks up.

This was one of the first things I did to the car, so small and weak and low are the TD’s tail lights.

So far, so good.

edsnova40854.5218402778

[Bill Gould]

Hey, I like Ed’s solution — especially with the TD trim. Very slick!

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

[Paul Allain]

This is how I added a third brake light.

Not the prettiest, but as far as I’m concerned safety comes first.

[MGLondonRoadste]

A third brake light is a great idea.  It cuts down on the follower’s braking reaction time and saves accidents and lives.

[Marc Lipsius]

If you really want to increase visibility and be noticed, get a brakelight modulator which very easily plugs into the wiring. It flashes the light 4 or 6 times over 3-4 seconds when you hit the brake pedal, then stays on as a continuous light if you keep your foot on the pedal. It is available online from many manufacturers, usually put on the rear of motorcycles. Search for brakelight modulators on Google. Cost is ~ $40-50 if I remember.

[Scott A Chynoweth]

My 2 cents

The person behind you needs to be watching whats in front of them,3rd brake light or even a 4th is not going to help when they are too busy texting.

I would invest in more mirrors so I can see them coming and always watch for a forward escape route.

They do add a nice touch though for the ones that do pay attention to the road.

[Mel Zeiger]

[newkitman]

Now that’s an idea that’ll work no matter which wheels you have. Thanks for posting this Mel.

Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The Shack

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