Joe C

i'm planning on removing the center mounted 3rd brake light on my 90 coupe in favor of the rear bumper mounted style. it's just a preference thing - i always thought it looked like an afterthought, and i never understood why the coupes didn't have the convertible mounted assembly/configuration. i think the roofline is so much cleaner without it - like the 84-85's. so, has anyone done this, and does anyone have pics? opinions, comments...

PAINTER MAN

You will have three holes to fill.

Chuck Tribolet

The correct term is Center HIGH-MOUNTED Stop Light.
Emphiasis is mine. That's why it's up high.

Aardwolf

It's gone on mine. I do think it looks much better without it. I did not add another brake light in the bumper, there's four there already!

RetiredSFC 97

There is a law here you have to have the third brake light. For whatever reason. They were an afterthought. The government made them do it and that's where they put them..

Joe C

- well EX-CUUUUUUUSE me! emphasis is mine!

tonymax2

Go for it, Joe. I've had that little mod on my list since I first discovered it didn't have to be there, i.e. make it like the 'verts. I have a couple of other little problems to get right first and I'm gaining on them but removing that cancerous lump is pretty high on my list. I haven't taken the top light off yet to see just how to plug the holes but I figure some plastic hole plugs or machined aluminum plugs will do.
If I get it done before you do, I'll post pics. I wouldn't just remove it without putting one in the center since it is required by law and any accident, like a rearender could automatically put you at fault. Also, it gives a sharp eyed cop a reason to screw with you and 'Vette drivers don't need any more of them.

Aardwolf

Do you have a source for that?

This is what I know of in WI:

347.14 Stop lamps. (1) No person shall operate a motor
vehicle, mobile home or trailer or semitrailer upon a highway
unless such motor vehicle, mobile home or trailer or semitrailer
is equipped with at least one stop lamp mounted on the rear and
meeting the specifications set forth in this section. The stop lamp
on a mobile home or trailer or semitrailer shall be controlled and
operated from the driver’s seat of the propelling vehicle. A stop
lamp may be incorporated with a tail lamp. No vehicle originally
equipped at the time of manufacture and sale with 2 stop lamps
shall be operated upon a highway unless both such lamps are in
good working order.

The extra light is not required in any WI law that I can find. If your state is different I would be curious to know!

I highly doubt the majority of officers are going to know the C4 is suppose to have a lamp up there and look for it then cite you for it's lack.

pologreen1

There are many cars out there even today with out a brake light on the roof.

Aardwolf

I looked on your state's DOT site and didn't find that. Do you have the article number?

Aardwolf

I found it! If you want to stay perfectly legal here is the regulation:

entre High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL)
LED CHMSL retrofitted on a 1974 Valiant

In North America since 1986, in Australia and New Zealand since 1990, and in Europe (with the exception of Ireland) since 1998, a central brake lamp, mounted higher than the vehicle's left and right brake lamps and called a Centre High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL), is also required. The CHMSL (pronounced /ˈtʃɪmzəl/) is also sometimes referred to as the centre brake lamp, the third brake light, the eye-level brake lamp, the safety brake lamp, the high-level brake lamp, or the Liddy Light (for Elizabeth Dole, who as U.S. Secretary of Transportation presided over its introduction in the United States[50]). The CHMSL may produce light by means of a single central filament bulb, a row or cluster of filament bulbs or LEDs, or a strip of Neon tube.

The CHMSL is intended to provide a deceleration warning to following drivers whose view of the vehicle's left and right stop lamps is blocked by interceding vehicles. It also helps to disambiguate brake vs. turn signal messages in North America, where red rear turn signals identical in appearance to brake lamps are permitted, and also can provide a redundant brake signal in the event of a brake lamp malfunction. The CHMSL is required to illuminate steadily; it is not permitted to flash except in certain cases under severe braking.[51][52]

On passenger cars, the CHMSL may be placed above the back glass, affixed to the vehicle's interior just inside the back glass, or it may be integrated into the vehicle's deck lid or into a spoiler. Other specialised fitments are sometimes seen; the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Freelander have the CHMSL on a stalk fixed to the spare wheel carrier. Trucks, vans and commercial vehicles sometimes have the CHMSL mounted to the trailing edge of the vehicle's roof. The CHMSL is required by regulations worldwide to be centred laterally on the vehicle, though ECE R48 permits lateral offset of up to 15 cm if the vehicle's lateral centre is not coincident with a fixed body panel, but instead separates movable components such as doors.[15] The Renault Master van, for example, uses a laterally offset CHMSL for this reason. The height of the CHMSL is also regulated, in absolute terms and with respect to the mounting height of the vehicle's conventional left and right brake lamps.[53] Depending on the left and right lamps' height, the lower edge of the CHMSL may be just above the left and right lamps' upper edge.

Edit, it's a federal law. From what I remember the bumper light for our cars will need to be very high. Note this when making the hole for it, per the last sentence above.

j-vette

Whether you find the law on your DMV, BMV, etc website locally or not, it is federal law passed in 1985 and required since 1986. Quick quote says:

“Center High Mounted Stop Lamps (CHMSL) have been standard equipment on all new passenger cars sold in the United States since model year 1986 and all new light trucks since model year 1994, as required by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108.”

8valve

Has anyone seen a high intensity LED conversion for the CHMSL on our C4's

8valve

c4cruiser

IIRC, a member used a 9" LED lamp that he got from Harbor Freight.

8valve

Do you mean he removed the LED's frpm the Harbor Freight light and mounted them in the stock CHMSL ?

8valve

jeffs40thgtp

that is the one thing i am glad about my 91, its the first year they didnt put that crapy looking light up there lol

Goldcylon

I like it. But I replaced the blubs with the LED replacements corvettehid.com. I think the placement is right as the corvette sits so low. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary. GC

corvettej

I got two of the 9" red LED strip from harbor freight and tested them to make sure they were working, using some duct tape I laid the 2 LED strip together and cut away the excess tape so it look like one piece. I disassemble the brake lamp, remove the 4 bulbs and placed the strip between the red lense and the white shield, routed the thin wires from the strip to the circuit board at the back. I then solder the wires where the other ones were. I did not cut or removed the other wires just in case I wanted to return it back to original. Replaced the cover. It's a lot brighter and it compliments my Halo LED taillight. Total cost for 2 LED strip were about $20. Not bad. Now in the process of installing HID headlamps. Good Luck

8valve

Thanks, that will do it.
8Valve

Aurora40

A high-mounted brake light was required on all 1986 MY cars and newer. I don't remember anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a law the fed introduced with short notice. So the C4 was not designed with one in mind. It is a tack-on, no doubt.

The '86 convertible I believe uses a different bumper than the coupe, so they went ahead and molded it in. If they use the same bumper, then I've no idea why they didn't change the coupe over. I suspect retooling cost is the only reason it stayed up high on the '86-90 coupes.

They also designed the ZR-1 bumper for 1990 with the brake light up high. I don't know if that was to keep the look closer to the base coupe? But they did decide to make the convex bumper that they were planning on refreshing the base car with. So who knows what the thought process was there. But all ZR-1's, 1990-1995 still have the high-mounted brake light on top of the car.

I kind of like it. I definitely like that the brake light is up as high as possible, since the car sits so low compared to all the SUV's and minivans out there. And I think the rear bumper looks cleaner without it.

Edit: looks like I should have kept reading before replying, the '86 aspect has been discussed. And the law was passed in '85, classic federal gov't! Why give automakers any time to plan?