Date:         Fri, 18 Nov 1994 09:51:34 -0800 (PST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Thom Fitzpatrick" <thom@tim.com>
Subject:      Re: '56 Kombi Progress - Welding & New Parts

> Your refer to that rectangular light in the engine lid as a third brake light.
> When I was just a kid, we had a '56 microbus. It had the center light that 
> you refer to - It was the ONLY brake light. The outboard lights which
> were quite small, maybe 1 1/2 inches in diameter, were turn signals only. It 
> had those cool looking "bullet" turn signals in the front. I think that other
> buses I saw back then that didn't have the central brake light, had outboard
> circular, flat lenses about 2 inches in diameter (the ones on our '56 were
> kind of bulbous).

You are correct, that is the only brake light.  I have the bubble lenses
on mine, also.  But you see, to "normal" people trying to explain how this
setup works, its simpler to describe it as the 3rd brake light, even though
its really 1 of 1.  And everyone I'd talked to in my search for this
thing knew exactly what I was talking about.

However, I have seen a few later buses (still splits though) that have 
put one on the engine lids on.  I those cases, it truly is a 3rd brakelight.

Thom
-- 
>> Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
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:    Thom Fitzpatrick                             Transamerica Info Mgmnt  :
:  Systems Administrator                          1860 Howe Ave            :
:  tfitzpatrick@tim.com                           Sacramento, CA 95825     :
:   fax (916) 921-6781                            (916) 565-3346           :
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All opinions expressed herein are mine and not necessarily those of TIMS!