Harold's '48 S10 LS1 Build

[Tikal48]

Got a crazy idea in my head to put a third brake light over the back window. I have seen them mounted below the window, but I figured it would look unique above. There is not much room there between the inside and outside metal. I removed the dome light, and I am going to leave an access cover to get to the light if necessary. I have an idea of adding a headliner console that will cover this up.

I first looked at buying a 3rd brake light kit, but for the price, I figured that I could fabricate my own cheaper. I purchased 1/2" thick plexiglass and a couple of 8" LED lights on Amazon. But I did not realize that the lights were coming from China. I got impatient and found a 12" LED light at my local WalMart that is really bright.

I fabricated a metal frame and installed it in the cab. I mounted the frame approximately 5° to 10° pointing slightly downward to try to minimize any leakage. I will need to seal the plexiglass to the frame upon final installation.

The made the plexiglass with a shoulder where it would bottom out when installed. I made a mistake of using a power sander that got the plex too hot. It had small check marks that were difficult to get out. I re-cut the plexiglass shoulders to allow a little more surface for me to skin, to clean up the checks. I ended up using a small wood plane that was set to a fine cut, to profile the plexiglass to the contour of the cab. After that, I hand sanded the faces with different grits of sand paper, until I finished it off with 600 grit. I flame polished the faces after that to a clear finish.