911R style tail lamps for the 914, I found the info on who made mine Options

[basaltblack]

I would be in on a group buy

[campbellcj]

I got the LED bulbs today, from superbrightleds.com They are festoon-type 12-LED 42mm. I haven't tested them yet but suspect they should work nicely. I'll try to make progress on the installation tomorrow.

[bcheney]

The R tail light assemblies are very cool. Where can I see more pics of that radical blue 914R that Retrotech posted???

[campbellcj]

So this is one of those projects that is taking much longer than anticipated. I think ALL my projects go that way, LOL.

I found the culprit(s) preventing the running lights from working. One of the connector tabs on the front left assembly had broken-off. Just one of those old car things, probably exacerbated by the stiff suspension and track driving.



I finished-up the wiring harness prep so it was time to move to the fiberglass housings. They need a little bit of clearance for the outer bulb recess. I suppose you could cut/grind off some of the fiberglass but it is not very thick so I chose to clearance the body sheet metal instead. Air tools make this quick work. Cosmetics not important since the lamp housing covers it up.

[campbellcj]

Test fit of the housings before paint. They are now primed and have an initial coat of medium/smoke grey paint so we'll see how that looks tomorrow.

I also have to decide whether to use seals or omit them. This car is not water or windproof in any regard anyway.

[TurboWalt]

I'm in for a group buy!

[ArtechnikA]

Found these at Rebel racing product's website. 911 R lenses

Thanks for that link.
I'm building a "911RSR prototype" and those would be perfect.

I don't think that backup lamps are required in the US

Of course they are.
Do you think car makers would go to the expense if they were not a DOT requirement?

I have no doubt enforcement is localised and highly variable.
In PA, with annual 'safety' inspections, I'm sure they'd pick up on this, and I expect we'll have to go look through the vehicle code to find the year they were first required when I go get my '53 Coupe inspected (still several years into the future...)

[campbellcj]

OK, so according to my ultra-precise (not) postal scale, the stock assemblies are about 50oz / 1.4kg with lenses, bulbs, seals etc.

That is per PAIR so yes, they are quite light (no pun intended).

Re. backup lights -- you could use the dual-bulb lamps for both positions to meet this requirement. There are split lenses with half white. However, then you would not have a single dedicated red brake light, so I'm not sure that is viable either. Better may be to use a separate small LED or conventional bulb added to the fiberglass housing.

[Mike Bellis]

In California, I don't think there has ever been a documented case of getting pulled over due to reverse lights not working. I'm sure it could happen??? VW had some cool bumper mount backup lights that could be placed under the bumper if needed.

[campbellcj]

The most likely scenario is when you're being harassed and searched in a suspected DUI stop or at one of those 'checkpoints' that seem to be a more and more common sight around here lately. (Illegal interrogation and search as far as I'm concerned. No different from some of the things I saw in Russia.)

My car is rarely street driven and I'd be dinged on several aspects -- probably get it impounded -- if a LEO really wanted to throw the book at me. I would not have done many of the mods had it been a street car or certainly a daily driver. As if driving an orange car with race numbers and a loud muffler doesn't get enough attention. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[NC_Colfax]

Is that a fiberglass rear bumper??

[ArtechnikA]

In California, I don't think there has ever been a documented case of getting pulled over due to reverse lights not working.

First - not everybody lives in California.
Second - just because it's not widely enforced doesn't mean it can't be. And yes, it'd just be an equipment violation, but it's also one that can be easily seen, and not just when you're reversing. Do you really need to give a cop an(other) excuse to pull you over any time, day or night ?

In PA, you probably wouldn't get pulled over either.
But if they're not working and they oughtta be, you just don't get your annual inspection sticker. And you _can_ get pulled over for driving on nonexistant or expired inspection.

And yes, like emisions requirements in some states (PA and CA among them...), 'historic' plates eliminate the need for annual inspections, but the car still needs to meet the legal requirements of its vintage. Historic plates are not a free pass to do whatever you want. Part of the agreement you sign when you get the plates is that you'll keep the car essentially unaltered from its vintage condition.

And yes, I expect that agreement gets a bit of skirting as well...

I'm not the Lighting Police here - it's your car, it's your life, take the chances you want. On the spectrum of crimes, this one's pretty far down on the 'victimless' scale. So I don't care what decision you make, as long as it's an informed decision.

But I'll also mention this, since in many cases The Insurance Industry is happy to enforce stuff Lawn Forcement can't or won't - they don't need too many excuses to deny a claim (or make your life miserable until you simply drop the issue...) and if you've "knowingly modified your vehicle's lighting not in compliance with the law" - you have created problems for yourself.

I sometimes hang out on one of the Nissan Titan boards, and there are several instances of folks with 'smoked' or "decoratively" covered rear light assemblies who've had claimed denied after being rear-ended. Was it a factor? Probably not. Is the insurance company going to claim "blacked out" brake lights were an essential element? - You betcha.

[Krank]

In my neck of the woods the "Federalies" are hammering any type of Rod, Custom, Muscle or Classic car (they are looking for reasons to support a shiney new helicopter). We are also required to pass a government vehicle inspection that contains quite strict rules about all types of required vehicle lighting. It was stated in a previous post the amount of square inches of lighting surface for tail lights. This value differs from US to Canadian standards but it is in black and white so you should try to meet or exceed this value to save the possible hassle on the road. Also what has not been mentioned is the requirement for a reflector of types (amber front and red rear) and on the sides of vehicles manufactured, oh, after 1963 or so. The reason I mention these items is that they are listed on the inspection form so we pay attention to some seemingly small details.

If you happen to be in the process of painting you vehicle this is one neat thing to think about. These tiny little side markers (they are used as rear clearance lights on some semi trailers so they would be acceptable as side marker lights...I think). check it out here
http://www.truck-lite.com/webapp/wcs/store...atentryId=32153

Here is one thing a '72 Dodge Challenger owner in Winnipeg
http://www.autoclubs.ca/gallery/2008/080907b/img_0054.html had his paint shop do for him. You can't see it in this picture here but what he had them do was mount these lights as flush as possible with the surface of the fender and lay on some stick on reflector around the light after paint but before clear coat. The paint shop then began to build up the clear coat over top of both items so that after he was finished both the reflector and the light were underneath the clear coat giving a smooth topping over the light and reflector. His choice of colors in that area was black so that in the day time you can't even see light or reflector from 5 feet away. Now this is mainly a show car but he does have it plated and drives it to and from the local car shows. If there was a light failure it would be kind of expensive to fix as the clear coat would have to be re-done on the entire fender after the light was replaced. Most of these LED lights are warranted for something like 100,000 hours so unless they take a hit they should last for a very long time. But the same effect could be used without laying clear over top of the light making it a little more daily driver friendly.

[campbellcj]

Is that a fiberglass rear bumper??

Yep, and it has some quickie repair work due to a trailer unloading incident. I have a new one but I'm not terribly happy with it and will probably just fix this one a little better at some point.

[roadster fan]

The most likely scenario is when you're being harassed and searched in a suspected DUI stop or at one of those 'checkpoints' that seem to be a more and more common sight around here lately. (Illegal interrogation and search as far as I'm concerned. No different from some of the things I saw in Russia.)

Hmmm, where to start? Lets see.......The last time you went thru a DUI check point did they "search" your car? Were you in custody (ie wearing handcuffs, sitting the rear of a police car)? If not then it is not an interrogation. Driving is a priviledge not a right and as such you are subject to more "intrusion" by law enforcement while driving on public roads.

That being said, I think most would do ok with no backup lights. Never heard of someone getting busted for that, though it would probably happen at an annual safety inspection if required where the owner lived.

Yep i'm a cop. Let the flames begin about checkpoints and illegal searches. Fire suit on, I can handle it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

And back OT I really like that style light, keep up the good work.

Jim

[campbellcj]

Jim,

I don't want to get overly political here, and I certainly appreciate and support our law enforcement personnel; however, being stopped on a public thoroughfare with no suspicion of wrongdoing to be questioned by an officer shining a flashlight into your vehicle and perhaps into your face, and making you late by virtue of the resulting traffic jam, is a violation of civil liberties IMO. That said, drunk drivers are way up high on my shit list (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ar15.gif) so if these tactics work then I'll just...keep avoiding the checkpoints. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Yep I have been cuffed and questioned in the back of a squad car before too, way back when I was a kid, but that's a story for another day. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/shades.gif)

Anyways, work keeps getting in the way of progress but I finished a reasonable 10-foot rattle can paint job, assembly and installation of one side. I think the grey will look decent and will post a full-car pic soon. Worst case, the way I wired them up, the stock assemblies can be easily swapped back in place in a few minutes.

I will try to do an A/B test of the LED brake light vs. incandescent too -- the LED 'looks' very bright but it's hard to tell unless they're both lit up side-by-side.

[campbellcj]

Oh yeah - the tremendous weight savings? Maybe 2lbs...I need a better scale, but clearly it's not much.

[dw914er]

Since the DMV does not require vehicle safety inspections in California anymore... I'm sure it's "legal"??? CA only cares about smog MONEY now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) Not about safety (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Fixed it for ya...Calif doesn't really care about smog or whether people on the road actually know how to DRIVE. The gub'mint here just wants our CASH so they can spend it like there's no tomorrow.

No, they care about smog, it's just smog and money go hand in hand. Out of violation (or even the possibility) and it's expensive.

[dw914er]

In California, I don't think there has ever been a documented case of getting pulled over due to reverse lights not working. I'm sure it could happen??? VW had some cool bumper mount backup lights that could be placed under the bumper if needed.

It's against the CVC, and DOT requirements, but on the list of viewable offenses it's down the list: Two working taillights/brakelights is much more important. You also technically need a little light in the corners (which is why the US spec tails had em).

If you were to make the car a more street-able driver, I would mount a rear backup light just in case since you only need one anyways. Other than that, a speciality car that might see one weekend of driving is probably fine.

[dw914er]

btw: this looks sweet!