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3rd brake light swap/mod

Joeairforce

Full Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2012
Messages
124
Location
WPAFB, OH
I couldn't find on this to my liking so here goes. Has anyone modded the factory panel the 3rd brake light is in to be able put the longer EXT 3rd brake light in? This is an idea I'm toying with for my '02 since my neon light doesn't work instead of just replacing it with led.
 
I have seen threads where some have talked about modifying the panel to accept EXT light but don't think anyone has successfully done it. Most owners who have done the swap have either used the EXT panel and lived with the gaps at end or they have done a full blown swap of all the EXT cladding in order to eliminate gaps and end up with smooth painted upper cladding too.
 
Yeah, that's pretty much all I found. I don't care for or want the smooth painted cladding from an EXT though so my options are replace stock, modify for EXT or something completely custom (just no idea what yet though). Hmmm......
 
It's going to be very hard to modify the texture housing to accept the EXT light.
 
This is something I have toyed with too. I think with A LOT of patience, a dremel, and a heat gun, a person could make it look like it belongs there. I have not had one out of the ext housing to hold up to my cladding though.
 
wyotonka said:
This is something I have toyed with too. I think with A LOT of patience, a dremel, and a heat gun, a person could make it look like it belongs there. I have not had one out of the ext housing to hold up to my cladding though.

That was my thinking.....
 
Being a person that actually did this type of mod. The cladding on the 3rd brake light has no support.

Unless you have some skill with fiberglass I would not try it.


index.php
 
Does anyone have pics of the EXT cladding backside and or pics of the cladding piece with the light removed?
 
Well I found an EXT cladding piece for the light for a decent price and I have an extra Avy piece already from where I bought a brake light and it came with the cladding it goes in so we'll see what happens.....
 
To give you a idea here is my 3rd brake light in the bottom of the picture is a actual ext light.


I fiberglassed in the top part and made a bracket from aluminum and riveted it the cladding.


IMG_20140519_184432_858_zpsansvitom.jpg
 
MS03 2500 said:
To give you a idea here is my 3rd brake light in the bottom of the picture is a actual ext light.


I fiberglassed in the top part and make a bracket from aluminum and riveted it the cladding.


IMG_20140519_184432_858_zpsansvitom.jpg

I like those lights you grafted into the bottom of it.  (y) What brake light did you use?
 
Joeairforce said:
I like those lights you grafted into the bottom of it.  (y) What brake light did you use?

The Brake light is here
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,83084.0.html

The white lights are 6 1/2 inch oval Semi truck backup lights

http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,115153.0.html
 
Escalade (not an EXT) 3rd brake light in stock avalanche cladding, smoothed, obviously.









 
The EXT piece FINALLY got here today and I already have some expected and unexpected results.

Expected results: The panel separates into 3 pieces.

Unexpected results: The panel is just held together with 2 screws and 4 strips of double side tape.

More to come later.......
 
And the brakes may have just been put on for this project..... The opening for the light on the EXT piece is 46" with the whole piece being 47 1/2"...... The Av piece is only 46".......  :E:

MIGHT be able to get around that by modifying the brake light itself but won't know until I can afford to get a light to play with......


This would be soo much easier if I didn't have a cladded truck. lol
 
No one said it was easy, welcome to the Modding world where we make it fit.  :laugh:
 
MS03 2500 said:
No one said it was easy, welcome to the Modding world where we make it fit.  :laugh:

I'm definitely not giving up, just putting it on hold until I can get my hands on an actual EXT light. The support from inside the EXT piece will brace the AV piece nicely regardless of what I figure out with the light.
 
I have to admit putting that light in was one of the hardest mods I have done.
 
MS03 2500 said:
I have to admit putting that light in was one of the hardest mods I have done.

My hardest one up to this point anyway was swapping a 4L80E into an '89 Suburban that had a 6.2L diesel in it meaning it didn't have ANY sort of computer in it at all to begin with. Worked like it came from the factory that way when I was done with it.
 
Ok, so I guess I can be added to the list of the guys that tried and didn't do this after all. Finally got my hands on a light and the guy that had the light also had all the rest of the EXT cladding that's primed and ready for paint and he's giving me a heck of a deal on it just because he wants it out of his garage. So I guess I'm gonna end up with smooth upper cladding after all.  :laugh:

I still have the other pieces so I may mess around with it again at some point in the future.
 
That is how I got my ext cladding too, the guy had it all including the bed panels. He told me to take it all.
 
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