VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Horn problem on 51 chevy

Hi this is grease monkey 123 with horn problem. I think I have all the parts but not sure. I have horn wire which is good works when grounded. steel ring with concave facing steering wheel,3 plastic spacers in steel ring and a plastic piece on top with 3 screws. when I screw the componets to the horn ring the ring is tight and the horn doesn't blow. Either I am missing a part butI don't think so or the sequence isn't right. Any help would be appreciated Thanks Grease Monkey

Is this a Special with just a horn button or a DeLuxe with a two spoke steering wheel and a horn ring?

From your profile it appears you may not be a member of the VCCA. Too bad...a year or so ago we wrote an article for our monthly magazine about horn problems. As I recall the horn contacts are adjustable but will not compensate for play in the stering shaft. We traced the problem to the worm gear on the end of the steering shaft having loosened. This allows the entire steering wheel and shaft to 'rise' up toward the driver and then the horn contacts don't touch. Try pushing down (firmly) on the steering wheel, pushing the wheel towards the steering box. If the shaft slides down the horn contacts should work. The fix is to remove the steering box and secure the gear to the shaft. We welded the one we repaired.

HI Chevgene,
Thanks for the reply.The car is a stileline delux with a 2 spoke steering wheel and a horn ring. I have power thru the wire to the contact at the wheel ground it (horn blows) I think I have all the componets that are to be in there but I might not have them in the right sequence. when I put the steel spring in concave facing the wheel the 3 plastic spacers with long side facing into the wheel and then put the plastic piece with the 3 screws in and tighten it down the horn ring is tight with no movement and no horn. When I tighten it down I would think the ring should have movement. Any help Appreceiated
Greasemonkey

OK - Starting from the bottom. Large coil sping under steering wheel. Fits over steering shaft.
Then On top of wheel. First the large flat spring. Center raised part is up. Center contacts clean metal in center of steering wheel when ring is depressed. . Next the plastic ring. It depresses the spring when horn ring is depressed and the center contactsgrounds out the horn causing it to blow. The plastic ring with the three screws next, when properly adjusted this keeps proper tension on the parts.
When horn ring is depressed the thick plastic ring depresses the large flat sping contacting the center of the steering wheel, making a ground and completeing the circuit.

I was listening to the NASCAR race while typing the above. After some thought I recalled that I missed one little detail.
The horn ring sits on top of the thicker plastic pivot ring. The thin plastic ring fits on top of the horn ring. You may have figured that out by now.

I got your reply but I think by the way you say it either don't have enough parts or some wrong ones. The steering wheel is bolted on , the horn ring comes up from the bottom, in the center of steering wheel looking from the top goes the large concave spring, in that spring is 3 large holes that 3 plastic gromets or spacers go in, on top of that goes a plastic with 3 screws that go thru the plastic gromets or spacers and screws to the horn ring at the bottomof the wheel. I had to purchase the gromets or spacers. Maybe they are wrong qr I have another part missing.what is the total parts that go into this?
I did a 56 chevy over complete and never had this much trouble with a horn. But then i had a picture of the parts. Sometimes just 1 part wrong or missing can screw you up and i think that is my problem. Greasemonkey

Sorry about that. I was dreaming of the 1953 and up where the horn ring is on top of the wheel.
From the top you have the screws, the horn blowing ring spring washer, pivot ring, and lock ring that holds tension on the screws.

Thanks For the reply but still have trouble. I have only 3 pieces in this thing.
The round steel spring, the three plastic gromets that go into the big holes of the spring and the top piece of plastic with 3 screws. The parts houses tell me that is all that goes in there. You say there is a pivot ring. I know in the 56 with the ring there is the steel ring a plastic smaller ring with 3 cut outs and then the top piece with the screws. It seems to me there has to be another piece to make the horn ring pivot. with what I got when I tighten the parts down the horn ring is solid. Is the pivot ring you are talking about round with a hole in the middle and 3 other holes in the shape of a tee with part of the holes cut off.
I tried to find a drawing of this but no good. I can't understand the parts places telling me there is only 3 pieces. I did a 56 over top to bottom and had some problems but none so simple as this and it is starting to //// me off Thanks for bearing with me The Greasemonkey

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