The good old days of invisible brake lights 

"Bob LeDrew" (bobledrew1) 04/17/2015 at 10:11 • Filed to: None

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I’m old enough to remember that at one point, there was a booming business in adding on a high-mount third brake light to your car, and even insurance discounts if you did. The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , when I was 20.

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And !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , “(I can’t drive) 55”, reminded me of just how badly designed some brake lights were. Check out the CHP car and the location of the brake lights in the rear bumper:

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But it got worse. Check out this video of the car that I learned to drive on, a ‘78 Le Mans Safari. This one was being sold out of Montana, and you have to hand it to this guy for showing the car warts and all.

But look at where GM located the brake lights:

Who would have thought that this was safe? What car do you think had the WORST brake lights ever?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 10:15

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Same on the El Camino. Hands down, what I consider to be the worst design feature.

Two Drink Minimum > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 10:41

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I left the country to study abroad in January 1986 and returned in July. I remember coming home and being confused by all the cars outfitted with high-mounted brake lights.

jariten1781 > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 10:54

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Remember when this was a thing in the 90s? (at least in OK and TX)

Yeah, that was the worst. This one is a well done example where the lights are shaved, but they actually sold little colored panels that people would just put over the regular lights (and sometimes you could see the glow around the gaps if the panels weren't installed well) and then the guys would just put tiny ass lights somewhere in the tailgate or bumper. Haven't seen one in a while, but they were awful.

Bob LeDrew > jariten1781 04/17/2015 at 11:05

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Was that legal?

jariten1781 > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 11:15

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In most states, yep. The laws for brake lights are way wide open usually only requiring a single stop lamp that's visible from XXX feet away that's either red or amber. It would not have been legal to sell from the factory like that since that's DOT domain, but once in private ownership you can make your rear lighting very sketchy and not fall foul of laws. Not to say a cop wouldn't ticket you, but you'd get out of it if you just brought in the statute.

Here's SC's for example:

SECTION 56-5-4730. Signal lamps and signal devices.

Any motor vehicle may be equipped, and when required under this chapter shall be equipped, with the following signal lamps and devices:

(1) A stop lamp on the rear which shall emit a red or yellow light and which shall be actuated upon application of the service (foot) brake and which may but need not be incorporated with a tail lamp; and

(2) A lamp or lamps or mechanical signal device capable of clearly indicating any intention to turn either to the right or to the left and which shall be visible both from the front and rear.

A stop lamp shall be plainly visible and understandable from a distance of one hundred feet to the rear both during normal sunlight and at nighttime and a signal lamp or lamps indicating intention to turn shall be visible and understandable during daytime and nighttime from a distance of one hundred feet both to the front and rear. When a vehicle is equipped with a stop lamp or other signal lamps, such lamp or lamps shall at all times be maintained in good working condition. No stop lamp or signal lamp shall project a glaring or dazzling light.

ACESandEIGHTS > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 11:15

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The word "legal" doesn't have much sway in the parlance of lowriders and hotrodders I'm thinking.

Anyone ever applied the "purple dot" to the inside of a brake light cover? It was designed for the effect of having the light appear red until the brake was engaged, when the whole assembly would glow purple. Cops loved seeing these 'cause it was an instant traffic stop and then they could pretty much toss everything out of the car and sit everyone on the curb.

desertdog5051 > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 12:21

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Congrats, you old fart. Do you remember the bolt on lights people put on their grilles? Sort of a precursor to daytime running lights. We used to call them "Hoosier lights".

Bob LeDrew > desertdog5051 04/17/2015 at 12:50

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I do and I don't. In Canada, our cars had legally mandated daytime running lights as of 1990. Although I seem to remember before that there were lots of cars with "fog lights."

desertdog5051 > Bob LeDrew 04/17/2015 at 13:21

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They seemed to be most popular in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. They were just a bolt on, 3 inch light with a tail light type of bulb that was wired to come on with the ignition on. It was a thing for a few years and then faded away.