The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Brake switch

I need to wire up some sort switch to activate brake lights. What would be the best way to go? Use a pressure switch in the brake line or a micro switch some how on the brake pedal? Dave

Either one really. But the micro or lever switch is easier to troubleshoot and replace.

What year is your truck Dave

I'd use a T fitting in a brake line and a hydraulic switch. Simple, pretty much idiot-proof, and no adjustment required.
Jerry

It's for my 41 coe that will sit on a 2001 chevy 3500 cutaway van. So far things are matching up quite nice. Dave

If I plumbed in a pressure switch it would leak. Find something that moves to trip this.

A thousand ways to use this:
Click

If I were fabricating something, I would go with electro-mechanical. The switch on my '57 LCF is still working, the pressure switch on my Harley is NOT working.

It was mentioned early on, but I'd go with a micro-switch. Easy to make a mounting bracket...a small piece of angle aluminum will do it. Set it so the brake lever closes it when the brake pedal is at rest and wire it so the normally open option is taken. Cut the mounting holes oval-shaped so you'll have easy adjustment. That way when the brake pedal is pushed, the switch's internal contacts will close and the brake lights will go on. The one in the image below was made in Switzerland, is about 1 inch wide and will handle up to 5 amps at 250 volts and I've seldom had one fail in the 60+ years I've used these. Good luck.

Thanks

What kind of switch was on the "2001 chevy 3500 cutaway van"? Does it still exist?

I don't know what was there, guessing it was a micro switch.

Are you using the stock brake pedal and setup from van or something custom? Can you post a picture of your brake pedal setup

It would have had this type of switch on brake pedal

We keep throwing this term "micro switch" around. They are not the correct switch for a 1941 COE restomod on a 2001 9900 GVW Van. If the van or the van column has a switch, that would be OK. If not, Use something like I posted. The one I have linked was used on many older trucks and works just fine. Already has a mounting bracket and uses two bullet terminals. Just mount the era correct Chevy switch where the pedal arm or brake linkage will activate. Bend the arm if necessary. Add a "trip" bracket, bolt, post/feature.... on the pedal or brake linkage if necessary. It is a normally closed switch.

Some micro switches are not suitable for outside of cab, hard to mount, may need to solder wires to it....no good. Too yuppie.

THISis an example of what Jerry is talking about, that works too and may be a lot less work. Find a place on the master cylinder or it's output line. You may need a tee that has one or two flare ports. This is basically an electro-mechanical switch. So is a micro switch which we used to call a Cherry Switch. No one has suggestd anything but Electro-mechanical.

Like said, if you are still unsure/undecided, post a lot of pics of pedal, M/C and etc. so we can help figure it out.