At the Winter T34 Meet in early February, while cruising in the T34 caravan with 10 other T34s, I noticed that it is very difficult to see the T34 brake lights on original 6 Volt T34s. In the daylight, the bottom half of the lenses barely glow when the brakes are pressed. Since I drive my original 6 Volt T34 at least 4 times per week, and sometimes in heavy Los Angeles traffic, I decided to make my T34 a bit easier to see for typical traffic-hounds and ensure my T34 survived another 35 years.

All Type 3 VWs came standard with dual back-up lights in 1967, and I knew that finding an original one would not be too difficult. Sure enough, Scott Perry had one for sale at the T34 Meet and I bought it for $20. It was a nice aluminum light with a clear glass lens, with one threaded stud for mounting to a rear bumper. There was only one wire coming out of the light so the unit grounded to the bumper.

Since I needed a red lens for this light, I called Darren at BFY Obsolete Parts to see if he had one. To my surprise, he had a new repro Hella red lens to replace the clear one for $20. Bill & Steve's may have used original back-up lights.

I removed the right tail light from my T34 and marked the three wires. I cut a long piece of fresh wire and ran it through the rubber grommet inside the tail light opening which seals the license plate light wire. I split the brake wire and joined the fresh wire to it. I then reattached the brake wire and replaced the tail light. I ran the other end of the fresh wire thru the bumper bracket and along the inside edge of the bumper. I used duct-tape to keep it in place.

Next was to decide where I wanted to install the 3rd brake light. I held the light up against the bumper in several different places and decided that I liked it best right in the middle of the underside of the bumper. I marked the center and drilled a hole in the underside, which was undetectable from behind the car. I mounted the new brake light and used new metal washers on either side of the bumper blade to ensure a good ground contact. Connecting the new wire to the brake light wire was simple and I tested the brake light to make sure everything worked.

Next was to detail the inside reflector to get the brightest light. I removed the two screws and saw that the reflector was in need of a fresh repaint with chrome spray paint. I removed the reflector and sanded down the surface. Primed and chrome painted it a couple minutes later and I was in business. I replaced the old 12 Volt single filament bulb with a new 6 Volt one (18 Watt, same as the turn signal bulbs). Everything got reinstalled back into place and the new 3rd brake light looks stunning and more importantly … provides my T34 with an added security feature. The whole process took an hour and cost me $40 total. Fast and easy … and another T34 accessory!