Homemade spare tire brake light

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
You will need a planter saucer. Depending on wheel size and the number of led’s you want use will dictate the size you get. I picked up a 14” saucer.


Spray paint it black. I used Krylon Flat Black for mine. You will notice small circles on the back side. Use them as a template for drilling.



You will need some cheap led’s in red. A 3/8” and 1/2” drill bit.


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Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
Drill our your holes with the 3/8” bit. I used 8 led’s.


Insert led’s


Thread the nuts and use a bit of loctite to prevent them from backing out.


Drill out your mounting surface pattern. This will vary due to different types of carriers. I used a 1/2” bit and then cut slits around it so it would slide on to my tire carrier.


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Last edited:

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member

Put the brake light behind your tire on the mounting surface


Make sure to properly tighten your wheel down. Be careful to not hit any of the led’s when doing this as they can break.


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Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member

Here is the finished product. I will redo the wiring in a few weeks. So all my connections are temporary.


All done. I spent about $12 on this entire set up. When looking at them at retail outlets they go for $80 and up. Anyhow, I hope this helps you guys out. Let me know if you have any questions.


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El Sanchimoto

Jeep Owner
Really cool & simple idea!

I've had terrible luck with spray paint sticking to plastic even after priming, so the only thing I would change is to use a plastic paint. I've used Krylon's version of it with great success on a number of plastic pieces (both interior and exterior) on my Jeep and it's held up remarkably well over the last couple years.
 

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
I work for a coatings company and handle the industrial coatings for them. The krylon we used was there Maxx and it had great adhesion. The fusion version will give you adhesion, however it does not come in flat black.

But to your point El Sanchimoto, an ordinary coating will not work. It needs to have some sort of adhesion promotion in the mix.


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El Sanchimoto

Jeep Owner
I work for a coatings company and handle the industrial coatings for them. The krylon we used was there Maxx and it had great adhesion. The fusion version will give you adhesion, however it does not come in flat black.

But to your point El Sanchimoto, an ordinary coating will not work. It needs to have some sort of adhesion promotion in the mix.


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Informative. Thanks for the details. It's always nice to get the 'why' behind the 'how'.
 

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
Informative. Thanks for the details. It's always nice to get the 'why' behind the 'how'.
No problem man. To be honest, another reason I love MC parts is the Zinc. They do a great job a preventing the corrosion from spreading. This would be a huge deal for the folks up north.


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pallendo

Jeep Newb
Hey, can you also put in where you got 3rd brake signal from? I am currently wiring in my 3'rd brake on a tire carrier and I want to make sure I don't have my 3rd brake flashing with the right turn signal.
 

Pthorpe84

Moderator
Staff member
Hey, can you also put in where you got 3rd brake signal from? I am currently wiring in my 3'rd brake on a tire carrier and I want to make sure I don't have my 3rd brake flashing with the right turn signal.
I just used the wire that was connected to my factory brake light. Just snip it and connect your new light.

If that isn’t what your looking for, let me know.


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