LED Light Bulbs

[davearoy]

Has anyone tried using LED light bulbs? I will be adding a third brake light using a sealed LED bulb unit that I found at Walmart for $18. I will have to get creative for the mount to be taller then my spare tire. Thanks for the feed back guys.

Dave

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[Dave B.]

Dave,

Obviously, if you’ve decided to add a third brake light, you’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s not “authentic,” whatever that means.  Several years ago I replace the lights on my boat trailer with LEDs and I’ve always felt it was a wise move.  One of the great things about LEDs is that they draw so little current and you might get away without having to beef up the wiring to accommodate the additional amperage.  I wish you success.

-Dave

[davearoy]

Thanks for your thoughts Dave. One of my MG Car Club friends bought LED bulbs from Moss, for his original MGTC. He paid $26 per bulb. I am thinking an auto parts store, or maybe “Batteries Plus” store. They sure are a lot brighter, and yes use less current and last forever.

Dave

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[Dave B.]

Back in the late ’80’s I bought a ’78 VW camper.  I got the brilliant idea to add a third brake light, since all the new cars at that point were equipped with them.  Maybe a month or so after I added the extra light, I got rear-ended.  Go figure.

[edward ericson]

I used a single trailer light mounted atop the license plate bracket. Can’t hurt, I figure. It’s a plain 2-filament bulb that lights with the headlights and lights even more with the brake lights. 

I’ve not yet been impressed with leds for this application.

[billnparts]

I had originally used the lamp from a GEO Tracker mounted to a simple bent piece of flat aluminum. After the repainting I now have an LED as the center cap of the wire cover on the spare tire.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[davearoy]

Thanks for your comments on a LED third brake light. I will share my experience when I get it installed.

Dave

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[Bill Gould]

Ed: Could you post a photo or two of your center brake light arrangement? I was thinking along those lines, but haven’t found quite what I want.

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

[edward ericson]

[Bill Gould]

Hey, thanks! I think you’ve posted those before, now that I see them (again). Nice job on the TD logo.

1981 Lafer TI
1600 cc Type 1 engine

[edward ericson]

Thanks. The trailer light bolts to a 3″ piece of holed angle steel like you’d use to hold the tracks for your garage door. Steel bolts to the license plate bracket. Wires are spliced into the driver’s brake light wire.

[davearoy]

Thanks for the picture of your third brake light. I will try your idea out.

Dave

Dave
Lakeland, Florida, where we drive Topless every day

[edward ericson]

Correction/update: Mine just lights with brakes, not parking lights.

[HappyJack]

I took Ed’s idea and ran with it, with my own twist (naturally — none of us will ever do anything exactly like some other club member – or any one else for that matter…..!!!)

 Since the standard tail lights on the BCW kit are “original” meaning “Dim and hard to see” I wanted to add a 3rd brake light.

I found a New Old Stock license plate/brake/stop light on ebay for around $20.  So I took off the chrome license plate light and installed this one instead.

Now I can be seen and the install was pretty easy…as to the LED bulbs — I think the problem with these old lamp holders is the reflectivity of the unit, not the lumen output of the bulb. So changing out the bulbs for LED bulbs may not make that much difference in light output.  So on this car, I’ll stick with the stock 12v incandescent bulbs.

Thanks Ed for the idea……!!!!!

Jack

[Dave B.]

Nice job.  Really looks like it belongs there.

[edward ericson]

Yeah that’s much neater than mine Jack. Great thinking.:-)

[billnparts]

Very good idea.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[KentT]

billnparts wrote:

Very good idea.

Yes it is — and relatively simple, which I like…

Early FF TDr on 69 VW pan
Slowly coming back from the ashes...

[Paul Mossberg]

This is another great option.

I’ve seen cheaper ones (see below), but the retro look around the third brake light is a nice touch:

 

 

http://www.rodworx.com/product.php?item=769

 

A $20 option at Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Accessories-92595-Lighted-License/dp/B007LICGLK

 

 

PMOSSBERG2014-10-29 10:03:57

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)

[billnparts]

Gee thanks, Paul. Now I’ve ordered something else from Amazon.

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[Rosebud and Bill]

I just ordered this one from RODWORX.  Says it has 12 LED’s, hope it is brigter.  I’ll let you know how it works.  I think I’ll mount it upside down to get the LED’s up on top, easier to be seen.  Thanks for the lead to this company.

 

http://www.rodworx.com/product.php?item=467

 

Bill

 

(#37947) Chrome plated license plate frame features 12 inch SAE/DOT compliant LED light with 19 super bright red LEDs which add incredible visibility to the vehicle. Makes an awesome attention grabbing 3rd brake light.

Price: $37.95

 

 

Bad Bill

[Paul Mossberg]

My work here is done. I’ve created enough economic stimulus for one day.

 

Bad Bill…does the one you ordered have license plate lights also? I like the large array of reds. I suspect it is pictured as it is because it relies on the car’s license plate light.

PMOSSBERG2014-10-29 17:47:26

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)

[Rosebud and Bill]

I’ll let you know when I receive it, my guess is that there is no license plate light.

 

Bill

Bad Bill

[HappyJack]

I really like the one that Bad Bill found.  But I also like the retro-look one – wonder how bright it is…???

I still need something for Abby and these look like good possibilities.  If I got one like Bad Bill ordered and by mounting it as shown (LEDs at the bottom) I would preserve the existing license plate white light — and more importantly, I would not have to figure out what to do to patch up the holes left in the license plate mounting bracket that would be left on removing the existing light assembly.

Looking forward to finding out just how bright this turns out to be……so Bad Bill, please post your “brightness” experience after you’ve mounted the frame and used it for a while.

 

[billnparts]

Just received a notice of a new line of LED’s that aren’t just for show.

http://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-li/Vision-led.html

http://www.usa.philips.com/content/dam/b2c/category-pages/lighting/vision-led/master/pdf/PL1558_LED-Retrofit_Applications_Interactive_2015.pdf

Might have to try them.
PMOSSBERG2015-05-30 16:30:45

Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"

[Author]

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