Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Body parts, seats, dash, headlining, windows and stuff!

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MetBlue
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Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by MetBlue »

Been pondering a 3rd high level brake light today,
I've decided to redo the head lining ( not sure on material yet, nor if I might put panels in the roof).
If panelling, the rear half can only get direct support from 3 sides, so was thinking about adding a cross rail at the rear, along the lip of the rear screen.
Then I thought " Maybe a good time and place to fit a high level brake light". :!: :!: :!:
Well : It's in the Chapman ethos of one item doing 2 jobs.
Quite like the idea of white LED's, so starting a search for a low profile unit. About 22 mm high is the best i can find so far - Workable - I think...Watch this space.
Tony
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Johnwindwood
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Johnwindwood »

Some earlier cars did have a rear bar to the headliner-we got one for ours thinking that it should have one, but it didnt need it.
Kind regards

John

John Windwood

1984 Lotus Excel (1985 MY wide body)
1952 Austin Sheerline A125 Harold Radford Shooting Brake
1949 Austin Sheerline saloon (Parts car)
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Hawaiis0 »

I tried a strip of LEDs across the roof line. You need a way to eliminate the cabin glare and some thing to keep the prostitutes away

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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Pete Boole »

That looks brill! How did you stop the cabin/glass glare?

Pete

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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Hawaiis0 »

I didnt!
It was ok in daytime. Not so after hours.
If i try again i have idea on how to solve it
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MetBlue
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by MetBlue »

Definitely got that "Amsterdam look".
Think I may be a little more conservative about the length of the light. The ones off the current Mini generation look a possibility.
Tony
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Excel SA »

I made up a former on the weekend to make up a cover strip for the back - did a small test piece to see if I have the profile right, now I can see an amendment to include a brake light...project creep again!

I imagine the fitting will need to allow the lights to be recessed to stop the light going everywhere.

Neil.

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Hawaiis0
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Hawaiis0 »

I used 2 pieces of plastic conduit 1 cm wide U-profiles glued back to back.

The LED strip sits in the rear facing one and the forward one is used to clip into the roof to screen gap.
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CID
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by CID »

Luckily you do not have to follow CE compliance anymore in the UK :D :D :D ...

But I was wondering: Does the MOT allow these none automotive alternatives?

Rgds Curt

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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by CID »

By the way: Here is how I did my Head lining renewal
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8268

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MetBlue
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by MetBlue »

Some progress : I have a white LED light from an R56 Mini. Only about 18mm high, so nice low profile and building a few ideas about mounting in a cross rail.
Think will work quite well, but putting on the back burner for now.

For the roof lining, I got several samples from various sources, but nothing was the right colour or suitable material. In the end, rang Woolies lunch time on Friday, and 3 samples ( Beige, Cream and Oatmeal) with me by midday Saturday. Impressed. Any of the 3 would probably be OK. Oatmeal is maybe closest to the mucky stuff I'm removing, but I think I'll go with Cream, as it seems a better contrast to the new gold colour of my leather, and also looks better against the black highlights I'm adding in various places. This was also the first material that had any degree of stretch for those tricky areas.

Old lining is now out ( and didn't get too messy in the end). On the front roof section, there is ( was) a foil sheet bonded to the Fibre glass ( full panel size), then the lining was glued to that.
Any one got ideas about it's purpose ? I guessing something to do with Radio suppression or aerial reception ?, but appreciate thoughts. Need to decide if I'm going to raid the kitchen draw for some Bacofoil on rebuild. :D .
-- or maybe it's there to make double sure something comes unstuck and the lining can do hammock impressions.

Tony
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Hawaiis0 »

Foil is for the radio antenna reception (plastic body etc.) and to protect from ET
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Pete Boole »

The foil acts as a "ground plane" for the aerial: It lets you get away with an aerial half the length (ie half of a full dipole)

Pete

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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by Alan_M »

Would it be just a plain foil or is it Mumetal?

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MetBlue
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Re: Head lining and 3rd Brake light

Post by MetBlue »

I was about to ask the same question, except I'm not clever enough to know what mumetal is 😊😊😊
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