I probably should have posted this in the electrical forum, but this is more of a regional thing I think, lol. So, since I'll be doing all of that legal lighting sometime soon here in the states before shipping my 3rd gen to the UK when I move, I thought I'd post a request for pics. If you have them, could any of you that have added side markers and/or rear foglights post pic's of the location? I just want to get an idea of how good, bad or OK it will look, lol.

I'm kind of stuck though. If I don't really need the flashing side marker lights, I wont ruin my fenders with them. But then also, I don't want to not fit some on the car and have to by the time I move in the next year or 2 after school.

27 and going to college, how crazy is that. Actually, that may not be the crazy part. 27 and going for a minimum of 6 years(2 in the states, 4 in the UK) to get a masters in architecture is the crazy part, lol. Oh well, it'll be fun.

I don't have any pictures of the rear fog light because I removed mine the day it passed the MOT....but you could always do what I plan to do and convert the passenger side reverse light into a fog light. Simple wiring job to incorporate a switch, and a red bulb (available through me if you want one).

I'm assuming it would be illegal, but what about putting a strobe in with the foglight? Not one of those r1cer strobe kits though lol. I'm talking high powered emergency vehicle type. The mail trucks and school buses have them here also. Too much work to put in the 3rd brake light, but would be good for like what you said about using the reverse light. Just a thought.

Not sure why you'd want to install a strobe light on the rear of your car, but you are correct in saying it would be illegal. Rest assured, you won't need to alter things on your car in order to be different!

Well, I was thinking of the strobe since in some fog it is still a little hard to see the rear fog's on some of the new cars here that have them. Ehh, it was just a thought, lol.

An excellent idea, strobes would be a lot easier to see than static lamps. You'll soon find, however, that 99% of people in the American car scene over here only have a fog light fitted for legal reasons. It's so rarely foggy in the majority of the country that most people forget to switch their fog lights on anyway!

Talking about the side markers, do you mean the little amber lights on the side, just in front of the front wheels? If so, I was unaware that not all thirdgens had them. Unfortunately, all vehicles made after 1986 are required to have side repeaters/side indicators.

The flasher would actually be in addition to the one on the lower part of the fender. These would be above the body line/door guard on the door side of the fender. Like most BMW's, Audi's, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Saab, etc. Mostly newer cars 80's and up I'd say. Some have it on the rearview outside mirror as well. If you need, I can dig up a pic somewhere from one on another kind of car.

Here is a pic of a Volvo for an example.

Right, we are talking about the same lights then. Do yours not blink with the flashers? Mine are wired so that they are permanently on with the headlights/running lights, but still blink with the flashers. I'm not entirely sure how this is accomplished exactly, but I can certainly find out for you if you like. It is not necessary to have the running lights if you choose to make them into side repeaters only, but they are nice to have if you can possibly keep them. Your car would look a lot cleaner without additional side lights, too.

That kind on the fender isn't on my car, so I'll have to fit a pair I guess. I have a friend in my car club that installed some on his car. His are wired so that they flash opposite of the factory signal lights and stay on with the parking/headlights. I guess just a matter of messing around with some relays is all that was done.

Below is a pic of what I have, the factory signal marker only. I'll install something similar to the Volvo pic I guess.

Don't mind the hanging air dam, lol. And boy do I need to get a new digital camera.

lol...I could see that was a Volvo. The side marker lights on your car can be wired to blink with the flashers, just as your friend has done. That sounds like what mine do.

I'm sure you could, lol. I just was using it for an example, lol. But that's what I'm really looking for pic's of for reference before I dig some up. I'll probably get some for free. But I think I'll look for some to fit flush with the body so it doesn't stick out and less to hit my fingers on when washing it, lol.

si_camaro, how did you install the temporary fog lamp? Where did you put the switch, and how did you hold it in place at the back? I don’t want to ugly my car up with a permanent fog lamp at the back so I am planning to do exactly what you did.

I bought the unit from Halfords, I believe it was £5. I used a piece of Meccano to attatch it to the car, if you look underneath the rear of your car you'll see the rear bumper is held on by lots of bolts. I removed one of those and attatched the foglamp to the stud on the car.

The switch is just a rocker switch from Halfords too, I installed it in the dash below the light switch. Note that it MUST be an illuminated switch or it will not pass the MOT.

Hi Si,

When you do the reverse light mod, let me know exactly how you did it. I think it is the best solution. Would the red bulb suffice or would you need the lens red too?

Cheers,
Felix

I have already experimented with this idea without permanent modifications, and it appears the red bulb will suffice. The only issue I see becoming a factor is the only red bulb available is a twin filament variety, which means it has staggered locating pins rather than the straight ones the reverse bulb has. Once I find a sensible solution I shall document it here for all to see.

Si

What about an LED bulb for clear tail lights? I'm not sure if they make them in an 1156(?) style, but it might be worth a look. I had them on my Dodge Neon a few years ago, but they were the blade type/2057, which is a different socket. But you could use a socket from a different car if the 1156/1157 style isn't available. Hmm, this might work out if the bulb type is out there. I think they are, but not sure.

EDIT: Yep, there is one. Here is a pic and web link. I found it in a search and it was on a motorbike parts site. You could use a universal brakelight housing from a motorbike with a bracket.
1156 LED light bulb link
More LED bulbs.

OK si_camaro, that sounds simple enough... I'll do that, I don't like the idea of a crappy fog light sticking out of the bottom of the car all the time. I have seen one Firebird like that and it looks terrible.