OK ... here is a minor frustration, but frustration nonetheless.
For any of you who have followed my FrankenBenz project, you'll know that this car is anything but "original". I am currently in the position of buggering around with the tail lights.
For some reason (probably many reasons given what I have done to this poor old car) my tail lights are a little confused. When the car was completely rewired for my nefarious purposes, somehow the tail lights got it in their little electrical head that when I step on the brakes, the amber portion of the light will come on as well as the brake lights. I put the amber version of the tail lights in thinking it was a much better look for the car I was building. The turning indicators work fine. The backup lights work fine. The brake lights work fine. The tail lights work fine at night. It is just this weird little quirk that is throwing a monkey wrench in the works. (by the way, if this is also a clue as to what is happening, the license plate lights only come on when the brake is on also.
Now, a solution for the brake/turn signal problem would be to replace the amber style lens with an all red lens. I have spoken with people who sell repro all red lenses, but they tell me that their lenses won't fit the reflectors I have. I have the plastic bulb holder and I am told I need the metal bulb holders as well as new reflectors. All in all, a pretty pricey gambit when all I really functionally need is a set of all red lenses.
So, the ultimate question here is ... what are the consequences in using all red lenses with my existing bulb holders and reflectors? I'm obviously not averse to doing "unusual" things to the car. But what is it about the all red lenses that would be such a catastrophe if I were to try to mate them up with my existing reflectors and bulb holders? Not having a set of red lenses in my possession, I can't see what the big deal is. I am told that the backup light part of the lens is different on the all red lenses and the amber style lens. So what? Functionally this is not a big deal for me. Asking the people who are selling the red lenses results in absolutely no response.
Can somebody please explain the situation to me like the relative 8 year old that I am in this situation? If the lenses physically fit and fit over the existing reflectors and have the bulbs in approximately the same position, what's the big deal?? I just don't want to spend a couple of thousand dollars where I can spend a couple of hundred if I end up with the 98% solution.
Ideally, I would have liked my electrical guy to have figured it out, but there have been several people involved in the wiring of this car, most of whom are no longer reachable with the last guy telling me "the problem is up front, not in the back" meaning the way the car was wired, he believes that both the brake lights and the turn lights were somehow connected together somewhere even though the red part of the tail light does not glow red when the signals are engaged, however the amber part of the light does light up when the brakes are applied.
I have attached a photo of my current lens, bulb holder and reflector. To me, it appears that I should be able to simply swap out the red lenses with the amber version lenses and, with more than likely a little light leakage from the backup lights, it should be easy-squeezy. I don't really care if the signal part of the light comes one when the brakes are applied ... red lights are red lights. But amber coming on when the brakes are applied, to my mind, is not cool.
Now remember .. this is NOT a Mercedes 113 wiring harness ... this is an aftermarket wiring harness necessary for all of the modifications done to the car. I know there are those of you out there thinking "yeah ... it serves you RIGHT for what you did to this car". Understandable, but not helpful
Hopefully this made some sort of sense to someone out there.
Thoughts??
