Where's the best place to find power for a center brake lamp?

[duodec]

Now add to this the poor quality of electronic components coming from China & some folks resistance to a cheap logic module seems more "logical"....

Thanks for this conversation.  I've had a retrofit unit on the shelf for 25+ years, with thoughts of using it in the Challenger if I can make it fit and look nice.  Since I'll be wiring from scratch with some new, some re-used harnesses I've been considering putting one gauge size up on some of the long lighting runs to the rear of the car if the terminals used in the connectors are available; the service manual lists the brake light wires from fuse to tail as 18 gauge, which seems a little light for four bulbs (plus whatever load the third light adds). No decision yet on switching to LEDs in the tail lights for a number of reasons (including crappy chinese bulbs and legal issues), as neat as some of the retrofits ended up looking.

Sadly true about country of origin, however not much choice in many cases; current cars (got a late Challenger?) probably have a lot of chinese made stuff.  I'd bet currently available ignition modules and parts, as well as a large chunk of the reproduction/restoration parts also source there.  I'm probably going to need to buy some of them too, darn it.

So what center high mounted stop light are you going to install, however connected?  Pretty much all the alleged third brake lights on Ebay, like the cheap LED units posted earlier, are universal-fit chinese cheapies that, as noted before, will leak light into the interior of the car and almost certainly won't meet DOT/NHTSA specs.  So the logic module itself is not your only worry, chinese electronic component-wise.  Maybe a real light from another car would make a nice retrofit though; that is worth considering if you really want to add the third light to your Mopar.  At least it would have met minimal standards for quality, visibility and illumination in its original application...

You could build your own module, though its likely some of the components would still be china-sourced.

Or you could search for one of the old retrofits, like this one, which happens to have been made in the USA.  Logic components might still be from Taiwan (which was generally ok by then) or even North America.  And it will hood up against the window and not leak light into the car.   Or this one, which although a "stick on" unit, can adjust to different window angles.  Don't know where it was made from the listing but it _does_ carry the DOT approval so probably at least North American.  And you could use either of these with that new wire from the brake switch too.

[duodec]

I hear ya.

I guess I'm surprised  that quite a few of us on here are willing to tear into an engine, replace an exhaust system, or spend a day tuning a carb for a few more horsepower but then I see resistance about removing some interior panels to run a single wire for a modified brake light.  Yes, it is much easier to work in the trunk. I see it as either buy a part to allow you to work what you want in the trunk, or run a wire to make the part function correctly. 

If you run the power feed off the brake light switch, no, it will not blink with the flashers or turn signals. That is the point of running it from the brake light switch, only the brakes energize the third light, nothing else. Attaching it to a feed in the trunk without a logic module or using a third brake light without one built in, will result of potential blinking with either turn signal or  e-flashers.

Not blinking with the turn signals was understood and is the whole point of the module; whether or not the third light flashes with the 4-ways is a separate issue (it would with the ones I've looked up the last few days).  That was acceptable behavior for the retrofit units (some of which had DOT approval) even if factory third brake lights do not flash with the 4-ways.  After all a car with no rear amber turn signals would be flashing red lights to the rear already with the four-ways.

After reviewing the wiring diagrams, it looks like 18 gauge wire from the fuse box to the tails, with stops at the stop light switch, turn signal, and harness connector in between.  4 bright bulbs, and tapping current off for another makes me wonder if its too much load on that many feet of 18 gauge wire with multiple connectors in between, so using a separate wire for the third light has that going for it.

All I wanted to do was point out that the aftermarket had provided a solution for putting these lights in older cars already, though they're not quite as easy to find any more so many years after all new cars had to have them, and that they included a viable solution for vehicles with combined stop/turn lights, that the same solution is still available today for use in trailers, plus noting issues with light leakage, legality, and possible glare that the currently available universals on eBay could present.

[70chall440]

Or you can use an old drag racing tip and put the 3rd brake light on a toggle switch so you can flip it on when someone is tailgating you... just saying

(bracket racers used this to fool their opponent that they were braking out of their bracket and needed to slow down which caused the opponent to think he/she was doing the same and letting off the gas and perhaps hitting their brakes).

[duodec]

Or you can use an old drag racing tip and put the 3rd brake light on a toggle switch so you can flip it on when someone is tailgating you... just saying

(bracket racers used this to fool their opponent that they were braking out of their bracket and needed to slow down which caused the opponent to think he/she was doing the same and letting off the gas and perhaps hitting their brakes).

A friend did this on his hopped up Pontiac back in the day.  One switch cut the brake lights (so he could slow down when he saw police without signaling that he was slowing down) and one to flash the high mount light.  Worked until a cop saw him hit the wrong switch on the street and got a pricey ticket once the mods were uncovered...

[Aracer]

The problem stated before, is that at night the interior brake light is glaring into the mirror. So that switch is handy, unless I put a rolled up towel against it. The new red led tail light bulbs are plenty at night anyway. Sun glare is what I'm trying to over come for safety. I think I'll hang one under the bumper on my 1974 cuda with a switch. Corney looking, but I'd hate to get tail gated after all these years.