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Center High Mount Stop Lamp - CHMSL - retrofit?

72VETTE454

Well-known member
Joined
May 30, 2004
Messages
82
Location
MI
Corvette
1972 Convertible LS5 4spd
Has anyone installed a third brake light on their Vette? I know I've seen this somewhere. But I'm not sure if it was a magazine, or this site. I'm pretty sure the new Corvette uses a bolt on plastic piece, just wondering how something like that would look.
 
I don't see a link in your post, but I put a LED 3rd brake light on my '74. I bought a small unit from J.C. Whitney for about $12. The housing is about 5" long, black, and attaches with double-sided tape. I attached it just above the rear window and ran the wires under the window weatherstripping (I retrofitted the 68-72 window to mine). Being under the halo panel overhang it's very subtle at casual glance, yet is very visible from behind. It can even be painted to match the color of your car.
 
Purple, you have any pics of that. Sounds like a pretty clean setup.
 
I apologize for not replying sooner - I've been working on another Corvette project and haven't turned the computer on in a few days. Anyway, here's a couple of pics of what my CHMSL looks like. Let me know what you think.
BrakeLight.jpg
BrakeLightZoom.jpg
 
That looks good, I'd bet folks that weren't intamately familiar with C3's would think it was stock. Nice work. So you ran the wires b/n the window and the frame?
 
:w Vince,

I just gotta ask... What kind of seats did you put in your '74??
They look nice and I bet a whole lot more comfort than the old stock seats ;)

Bud
 
Ruby76, I did run the wires between the seal and the window. I had to cut a narrow slit in the seal at the top right behind the CHMSL housing so the window would seal properly. It doesn't leak at all. Just be judicious with the size of the slit - you can always trim a bit more out, but can't put any back! The rest of the wire is behind the interior trim, and I ran it staright off the brake light switch. That way it avoids the annoying problem of blinking with either of the turn signals, and doesn't require some sort of logic circiut to be installed. Rare81, as for the seats, believe it or not, they are out of a 1994 Saturn sedan! I got them from a local salvage yard for under $150 for the pair. Yes, they are infinitely more comfortable than the originals (which were shot). I can adjust the angle of the seat back and the headrest height and angle and even driver-side lumbar. They did require a bit a massaging to fit. The Saturn tracks are integrated with the frame, and sat about 5 inches too high. I rigged up a jig to mount the original seats and tracks to in order to hold the correct bolt pattern, mounted the originals to the jig, and removed the seat frame from the tracks after measuring height. I then carefully cut the Saturn tracks off, and trimmed the frame as low as I could and still have structural integrity. I then used some 1 inch angle iron to fabricate adapter brackets from the Corvette tracks to the Saturn frames. I also had to remove the Saturn seat belts - the buckle side attaches right to the seat frame. A little paint touch-up, and they were ready to install. They work great! One additional benefit is that they do sit about 1" higher than the original Corvette seats, offering slightly better forward visibility. On the flip side, that same height now means I cannot autocross with the driver's t-top in - my helmet hits the glass in the tops! Oh, well. at least I only have that problem 3-4 times a year. Very much worth the more comfortable ride!
 

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