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Can someone tell me where the brake light switch is on my 48 Deluxe. A picture would help - I have no brake lights Thanks

It should be screwed into the front of the brake master cylinder.

Don't have a picture of a 48 but here is one of a 51. Almost identical layout except I believe 48's have a bit more distance between the master cyl and the steering box. As Kev says, it is screwed to the front of master cylinder -- either on the side of the brass fitting like this one or straight out the front.

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A check, to determine if the switch is defective, is to lay a screwdriver across the contacts. If the brake lights come on, because you've then completed the circuit, the switch is defective. The thing that could negate that test is if both brake light bulbs have blown, but that's unlikely.

If you need a new switch, get an SL-134 from NAPA, exact replacement. Better yet, get one even if you don't need it now, no telling how long parts like this will available at such low prices.

Thanks to everyone - I see the switch - dont know if that is the problem or the wires , got to start somewhere. Could low brake fluid in the master cylinder cause this too ?

Could low brake fluid in the master cylinder cause this too ?

Only if it was so low that you had no brakes.

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If the fluid is low enough that you have no or very little brakes, yes. If there is a firm pedal and the car has brakes, probably not.

If the screwdriver test Mal mentions is not productive, next thing I would do is put a voltmeter on one or the other wires and check for 6v to ground. If none, it could tie in with your other problem since the feed for both comes via the same starting point.

That's good to know- I thought they were separate. Does that mean that the brake light goes thru the same circuit breaker as headlights and tail lights ? I was able to look up under the dash -everything looks nice and clean.

If your car is wired the way the factory shows, power starts at the battery terminal on starter solenoid & goes to ammeter. Out of ammeter to a splice which branches into separate feeds. One feed to the ign switch, one to the bat terminal on regulator, and the last to the bat or input side of accessory circuit breaker located on back of instrument cluster. From that same bat terminal on the acc breaker it then continues on to the headlight breaker input side. The brake light is fed from the output side of the acc circuit breaker. The tail lights from the output side of headlight breaker via headlight switch.