The top amber and red lights are prime candidates to turn into additional brake lights (rear reds) and additional turn signals (top ambers). The front reds have no fathomable use.
Has anybody done this and how did they do it? I can just pass wires down from the back lights to the backs of the lower light assemblies for power. Is there a cable fed from the front to the back and where is it?
-bump-
Somehow your thread ended up on the second page with only 15 views and no replies.
I am not sure how your bus is wired, but I don't see any reason why you couldn't tie the top lights into the turn signals. Anybody know if it would be easier to make the connection at the control panel beside the driver seat? The left and right sides should be run separate all the way up to the flasher underneath the control panel beside the driver. The flasher for the turn signals is probably close by.
Most of the school bus conversions I have seen had the top lights removed and the holes covered with sheet metal.
- Jesse "Spark"
Many new trucks and trailers have LED clearance lights that have two brightnesses so you can make either a brake light or turn indicator out of it. It is very effective to have-it really catches you eye. Good Luck, TomC
Just remember that the very top lights, at the top roof line, are FMVSS conspicuity lights and must be on at night. Front and rear clearance lights, and rear identification lights (the middle group of three identify a vehicle wider than 80") are federally mandated. I can't find anything that says they can't also be center high brake lights or turn signals, but also nothing that says they can be so used.
Brian
I plan on using my Weldon 2020 rear red high flashers as extra brake lights. I'll need to run their 85W sealed-beam lamps through a relay, because obviously the present brake light circuit can't handle an extra 14A. The relay will be driven directly from the present brake lights, and I have a 12V feed at the back that can power it.
That's the easy bit - the legality of doing this is more complicated! The federal standards allow for one centered third brake light, but don't seem to specifically allow or disallow what I want to do. Because the existing brake lights will remain, I see no difference compared to tow trucks that have extra brake and turn lights mounted on the cab roof. Some while ago I saw a tour bus, but I couldn't see what make, with a pair of extra high-mount brake lights near the rear cap, so I guess it's OK to do so? Some of our transit buses here have an extra pair of high-mount brake lights, but they're not as high as mine will be. Besides, why would a cop pull you over for something that improves safety?
John
Quote from: bevans6 on December 21, 2014, 10:21:21 AM
Just remember that the very top lights, at the top roof line, are FMVSS conspicuity lights and must be on at night. Front and rear clearance lights, and rear identification lights (the middle group of three identify a vehicle wider than 80") are federally mandated. I can't find anything that says they can't also be center high brake lights or turn signals, but also nothing that says they can be so used.
Brian
Actually there is an allowance if there is insufficient room at the top. There was a point in time that ALL the Stoughton brand trailers in Canada (imported from the US) were going to be recalled because they put their ID lights at bumper level on all their high cube trailers and CMVSS officials did not catch it for a year or so. I am guessing that Stoughton won the challenge based on the lighting location on flatdecks.
I did this: (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kFBcV78cN-4/TfAu8xZ_5ZI/AAAAAAAABG8/h7oAuJ2NAL8/s800/060811182419.jpg)
On our 1964 skoolie, we don't have the 8-light system because it a California bus. I removed the front lens covers, bypassed the heavy duty flasher and added a switch to use the front ones as an off road light.
Your light wires probably run above the windows in a conduit on the drivers side. Brake lights up high would work. Maybe wire the Amber to be an extra back up light.
Siberyd
The three lights in the middle are upside down-but if you can see them at night from the ground, you're alright. Good Luck, TomC
I don't know if they're original, I suspect not, but I have three side lights - an amber up high and central with the shield so poorly placed that the light is not visible, an amber down low by the door and a red down low near the back.
The two lower lights don't work at all. I've got suspicions as to why not. They're installed in a pretty hillbilly way with holes bored and filled with some kind of putty. In fact, I keep coming across questionable workmanship. The hillbillies that had the bus before me were poor workmen but Carpenter wasn't consistently good either.
Regarding the amber and red flashers, wired as turn signals and as brake lights respectively, I don't see that they're going to be too powerful for the wiring. The fuse might need to be upgraded though.
The idea of wiring it all through the console is interesting. I like that idea. I've not gone into the console. I'm a bit nervous about doing that because I really don't know what to expect.
Using a relay is interesting. If I did that, I could have the amber flashers working as turn signals or as hazard signals.
On one of the pictures above, clear domes were shown. Where do you get the clear domes? I could set the front reds with clear domes as extra sidelights.
Regarding bulb power - I expect I'll have to put reduced power bulbs in. Are there any LED bulb replacements that would consume less power so I won't have to update the fuses etc and which will emit lower lumen levels in order to match the levels of the real indicator lights?
I dont remember where I got the clear lenses. I have since that picture replaced all my marker/brake lights with LED's.
The clear lense maybe a special order. Believe it or not, but they use them for ceiling lights on ambulances.
Siberyd
ooh... Any specific model of ambulance?
Didn't that model of Carpenter use the Can wiring system with a chassis computer ?
Quote from: siberyd on December 22, 2014, 09:23:46 AM
The clear lense maybe a special order. Believe it or not, but they use them for ceiling lights on ambulances.
Siberyd
I have them in my bays for lighting
Mark
One major concern is that the School Bus Warning lights, at least at the rear, are now being used as additional Brake and tail/running lights? Approaching from the rear, is it possible that some dim witted, (pun intended) idiot driver may miss-see your new brake or tail lights as being on a still commissioned School Bus ... and NOT as a Bus Conversion?
Then that unknowing person slowing way down or stopping ... thus creating an unsafe environment or condition? Just wondering. On my old Crown Supercoach ex schoolie, the red school bus lights were removed and "plated over". The school bus yellow also had to be broken up with green and red stripes to meet silly Oregon law. HB of CJ (old coot)
My bus is now gray. Nobody can mistake that. As far as people slowing down and stopping behind me when my brake lights are on, I'd really rather hope they would.
Just a thought-- Would it be possible run them at half brightness as running/tail lights? You would have to move the reds to the rear and the ambers to the front. That is not a problem since you already have four of each color.
That's a very interesting idea