Like Tigers, Cobras were equipped with hydraulicly actuated brake light
switches. I don't know what kind were used on Tigers, but Cobras had
Ford switches, even thought the rest of the brake and clutch systems
were made by Girling. I added a pedal switch after nearly getting run
down by a monster truck. The problem was that the hydraulic pressure
required to activate the switch was so high that unless I really stomped
on the brakes, the brake lights wouldn't came on. This was rarely
necessary in traffic because the car's gearing allowed engine braking to
do most of the work. I used to get lots of honks and yells from people
telling me that my brake lights didn't work.
At first I thought the problem was due to a defective switch, so I
replaced it. But the new switch actually required more pedal effort
than the old one to turn the brake lights on. One possible explanation
for this might be the switch's location- it screws into a tee located at
the rear of the car which splits the line between the rear calipers.
Perhaps it's due to the pressure drop in the line this far from the
master cylinder. Since there is no way to adjust this, I opted for the
mechanical pedal switch. I also installed halogen brake light bulbs
because the originals were a bit on the dim side. Now I have brake
lights that come on no matter how lightly I press the pedal, and can be
clearly seen even in bright daylight. You know, like most modern cars!
BTW, I used a normally off limit switch purchased at a local electronics
supply store and was able to mount it without drilling any holes or
fabricating any special brackets, so everything is easily reversible.
But I'll leave that to some future originality freak.
Roland (in California)
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