Forum Discussion

LosAngeles's avatar
LosAngeles
Explorer
Jan 03, 2021

mounting extra brake lights on 1.5” struts, NO drilling.

Hi all. I have a weird little project on the go.

For complex reasons I won’t bore you with …….

(don’t ask why I want to do this)
;-)

... I want to mount these 3” high x 8” wide light plastic trailer brake lights on these 1.5” truck camper tie down horizontal metal struts... down below the rear of the truck camper.
but I do NOT want to drill into the struts, nor bolt into them, for obvious reasons. :-)

I don’t own tin snips or a full shop (otherwise I could fairly easily make some custom metal brackets for the job ... that would quickly rust and be ugly)

I want to do this securely so they don’t rattle and fall off, and I’d like to keep the lights as sealed as they are, if possible.

The trailer tail light kit is less than $30 and I don’t want to have to spend a bunch of $ or time on the mounting.

One option would be to remove the front lens (on each)
Then drill small holes thru the back of the plastic box

Maybe about 2” apart... top to bottom that is. Maybe 6 holes total per box. (So 3 zip ties)

Use strong Zip Ties to secure the box to the struts

and then use a good outdoor caulk to re -seal up the holes from the outside - to keep road crud out of the back side of the boxes.

I thought about using bolts / pipe strap / wood / etc but all that gets more ugly and time consuming I think.

These lights will simply plug into the flat trailer lights outlet on the back of the pickup, so isolated from the main trucks brake lights.

Any other simple and clever way to mount these extra brake lights? Ideally something that does not rust or rattle.

The kit comes with a license plate holder that will not work in my situation, by the way.
Thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L073H8
  • update - thanks everyone for all the good ideas. Much appreciated. :-)

    So I think i like the idea of 3M VHB tape - 2 strips of 3/4” - to simply VHB tape the auxiliary brake lights to the *top* of the 1.5” strut… and the base of the brake lights are flat…. so this should work out well.

    It is cold (freezing and below) where I currently am…. so I’ll have to wait a bit to install… a quick internet search indicates that VHB tape won’t adhere properly around freezing…..

    I guess I could use a hair drier to first warm up the metal… but I’d be afraid that it would cool off too fast, and not bond as well as if it was warmer…..

    Here is the 3/4” 3M VHB tape I’d likely buy…… sold from actual Amazon, so less likely to be a cheap fake (that 3rd party sellers sometimes sell on Amazon)

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7E1CU
  • Why not just take the cover off and then use square u-bolts to clamp them to the struts. Don't over tighten or the bolts could pull through the plastic. One bolt per light should do the trick. A little bit of RTV or rubber gasket under a washer under the nut should provide plenty of seal.
  • I'm thinking of doing the same thing. I planned to JB Weld some screws inside the light and make a bracket to go around the TorkLift tubes. The sketch is crude but maybe you'll get the idea I have.
  • Don’t drill anything. zip tie the whole thing around the brackets.
    Or the magnet idea sounds good.
    Or good doubles sided foam automotive mounding tape if a flat surface on the back of the lights.
  • If the lights aren’t claiming good water resistance and mounting without compromising that resistance, I believe you’re wasting your time. eTrailer has a number of inexpensive weathertight rear lights

  • Epoxy strong magnets to the back of the light housing.
    Or, use your zip tie idea and caulk the holes to keep water out.
  • travisc wrote:
    Check your local truck stop for different lighting options and brackets


    Thanks.... nowhere near any truck stops... good idea tho! :-)
  • Check your local truck stop for different lighting options and brackets