any ideas for substitute backup lights?

Years ago on our old wagon, I moved the rear turn signal function to yellow bulbs in the backup light housings, making all the red bulbs brake-only. (Great effect, now drivers in the next lane can tell you're signaling, rather than braking. Though if you're driving in Massachusetts, the result is the opposite of what you're trying to achieve by signalling.)


I never did figure out a good place for the backup lights, and I'd like to figure that out before making the same change to the new wagon.
I do not want to cut holes in the bumper, though a smooth-fitting light on the corner (Buick) chrome might remotely be a possibility.
But I really want to do something that does not require 'surface' changes.
I've dismissed a number of ideas that involved housings mounted somewhere behind the rear window for reasons of being in the way of loading/getting in if not mounted on the glass, and being in the way visually even if they are.

I've considered reducing the center brake light to the middle 50% of that housing, flanked by two small backup lights. I haven't had much luck with the LEDs for the brake part of this yet, so I hadn't really tried anything for the backup part there, but satisfying both signal and illumination requirements there may be difficult.

I've thought of putting a second bulb in the turn signal housing. As it is now, the turn signal has the backup light pattern, which involves a lot of light down and backward, so that could be improved. If the backup bulb was secondary, that would not help its pattern either, whereas a stock backup bulb flanked by an amber turn bulb perhaps mounted slightly lower might give a better turn pattern without disturbing the backup pattern too much. Something to block the light between the bulbs, even if just an upside-down T of alu. foil, or reflective paint on one side of the turn bulb, might be necessary to cut down on yellowing of the backup light's light.

Or how confusing could sharing the bulb be? White turn signals (not legal in AL) , or amber backup lights (legal?)? The latter might work because a non-red non-blinking light at the rear is probably always interpreted by the unthinking onlooker as the back-up light.

Adding clear-housing amber LEDs to the backup housing would provide proper light color either way (though reduced reflector area for the backup light), IF one can squeeze enough LEDs in that spot.

Very neat would be using the tiny blank section of the white lens that's underneath the inner red reflector strip. Unfortunately, there isn't much room between the lense and the flat reflector plastic there, so cutting of the reflector and building something to protect whatever bulb would be needed. I'd considered squeezing an H1 bulb (perhaps left and right in series to reduce heat and output) in there, but gave that up after the interior damage I cause setting down a no longer powered H1 bulb after test fitting.

My parents' Renaults weren't designed with backup lights in mind and thus had one add-on light mounted under the bumper, but since so many US driveway/gutter dips are designed without proper-sized US cars in mind, that's obviously not a practical approach.

I'm not entirely sure what to use that might satisfy both the illumination and daytime signalling requirement of the backup light. Being in the process of refurbishing our garden lights, I've come across the smaller 12V interior/landscaping halogens with integrated reflector probably which would shine nicely, but can a pedestrian see them off-angle? (Considering the way that in bright sunlight, headlights are much harder to see then signal lights when you're not looking near the beam angle.) And it appears that they are made for 12V AC, so 12V DC will run them at higher W and burn them out quickly.

Anybody here tried any of this?

It would seem that when GM did this for the euro market they just added auxillary lighting under the rear bumpers

what about a licence plate frame with lights. i think i saw one before where above the plate was a light that ran the full lenght of the plate. maybe a light off of a ford pickup they have a center white light with brake lights on each end

That's what I was thinking, lights on both sides of the license plate. Remember how the C4 Corvette's had their lights there??

couple of lights set into the tailgate,. like an elcamino.

Nick

I like tail-light mods. When I was younger and into Citation X-11's one of the first mods I did was to make all four tail lights work.

GM cheaped-out on the Citations (in so many ways...). From the factory the outer lights lit up, and served as the brake/turn/and tail lights, the middle "lights" did nothing, they were just blanks, and then the back-up lights were the inner-most lights by the plate.

To make all the lights work, I'd go nab two more light sockets at the salvage yard and splice them into the exisiting light wiring, and then drill a hole for the new sockets in the "deadlight" area. The middle position was set up just like the outer, with a silver reflective housing behind the lense....but the hole was just never drilled.

Once installed all I had to do was put a heavy-duty flasher in, and then I had all four lights in the rear active, and it looked SO MUCH less cheap, and so much better at night.

I love goofy afternoon mods!!



-Mike

phantom 309 wrote:

couple of lights set into the tailgate,. like an elcamino.

Nick

Like this??

Beautiful Elky!!

Forget El Camino...



But he already said he didn't want to cut.

buickestate wrote:

It would seem that when GM did this for the euro market they just added auxillary lighting under the rear bumpers

Probably not. The ones above were most likely imported by individuals after the fact as the fixed mirrors won't fly with most Europeans safety requirements for pedestrian impact.

For the export wagons, GM used a panel that integrated the euro license plate, reverse & rear fog lights into the rear gate:



This one is perhaps the best adaptation of the export taillights:



Agreed that punching hole in the rear gate is a bit much, but adding the grommeted style into the rear bumper cover
may be an acceptable compromise:

Grote 62601

- J

Yep the bumper lights look best. Those mirrors are UGLY.

You can try this just a thought haven't done it

add a long White White flexible Led strip your choice in length under the tail gate for the reverse light.The reverse light now can be change into a clear amber turn signal.I haven't used these yet CREE Q5 LED High Power in amber and red for brake (not white) for the brake recommend only red will give it a deeper color red with the lens.I do not suggest getting anything under 100 lumes these put out close to 400 lumes and a bit pricey and KOOL..