In a nearly unacceptable deviation from past performance, I had the 1600 roadworthy with a week or so to spare before heading off to
Vintage at the Vineyards. I considered breaking something, forcing myself into a right-up-to-the-last-minute repair scenario, but I decided to break from the norm and tackle a few small convenience tasks. The first of these two was a third brake light.
As many have noted, the 1600/2002 brake lights are not exactly bright. Some overcome this with a modern-style third brake light in the rear window, which I find to be a little too modern-looking. Others use a vintage, European, bumper-mounted red fog light as a source of extra braking luminescence. I prefer the latter option, but vintage fog lights are usually around $100.
Enter: K-Mart. Behold, the $4 trailer light.
I painted the white, plastic backing of this thing flat black and wrapped a stainless steel tie around it for a little accent. Of course, the next step was to mount it, so I pounded a mount out of 1-1/2" flat stock. I shaped it to bolt between the bumper and the body, so I wouldn't have to drill a hole in my European-style bumper.
After painting it, I installed the mount. only to realize that I should have made it a bit taller.
I also made this little bracket to attach the light to the bumper bracket.
With a small extension piece to correct the hieght, I mounted and wired up the light. Since it grounds to the mount, I only needed to run one wire through the license plate light wiring grommet to the brake light circuit.
Next up was the console. I wanted to update my accessory and radio functions, so I threw this console together.
The old speaker grill conceals a newer-style stereo.
Also, I modified the driver's side engine mount to limit lateral engine movement.
Gratuitous engine shot:
