VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 horn

Howdy
my 37 master deluxe 2dr sedan has an after market horn button which works fine but would like to get back to the originsl.I removed the steering wheel thinking that I could get at the wiring but not so. the old wire is still coming out of the column in the engine bay. can anyone tell me how to pull a new wire into the col so I can then use the orig horn button?
Thanks
RAYz

The horn wire is vulcanized to the mast jacket bushing that is inside of the steering column mast jacket. To replace the mast jacket bushing and the horn wire you must remove the steering column mast jacket and then press out the mast jacket bushing.

Sounds like a big job. Other forums are warning about tearing the headliner. It must be a tight fit pulling out the col.

I guess that's why you see so many horn buttons on the dash.

Rather than pull the steering mast to replace the horn wire.
Do what I have done several times. #1 If the present wire is frayed coming out of the mast at the bottom, clip the terminal off the wire and slide shrink wrap tube over the old wire so it goes into the mast a short ways, that is where the old wire may ground and blow the horn. #2 It may just be the mast is slightly out of adjustment. That reguires loosening the mast at the bottom and the dash clamp inside the car. Then adjust the mast down a fraction so the horn contacts are clear when the steering wheel is turned. More times than not it is just the adjustment. Good luck!

Hey There Dog
Thanks for the info, I'm not afraid to try anything,just wondering if pressing the bushing out could be done simply by pushing lets say a wood dowel long enough to reach the bushing and then applying force from the bottom up to push the bushing out of the column shaft cover. After the bushing is out can a new wire be attached to the bushing??
Does that sound like a plan??

Thanks
RAY P

Hey Walt
The shrink wrap idea sounds really good to me!! I'll give it a try before I go to removing the column shaft cover. I bought my 37 6 months ago and a aftermarket horn button had previously been installed so I don't know if horn blowing was the problem, but I guess I'll find out now!! There is approx 6" of the old frayed wire coming out of the hole near the bottom of the shaft.

Thanks for the info
RAY P

Ray
There is also a possiblility that the wire has worn through on the shaft somewhere inside the jacket. If this is the case the bushing will need to be removed. When the bushing is out of the jacket a new wire can be attached to a stub of the original.
Tony

Hi Tony
Thanks for the input! If I end up pulling the mast, would my idea of using a long wood dowel work if inserted from the bottom and forced "gently" upward to push the bushing out of the jacket?

Thanks again
Ray

The contact on the top of the bushing is critical for your horn to work correctly so make sure you measure or mark the depth of the bushing before removing it so you can get it or a new one set to the correct depth.

I have the same problem as RAYz, the previous owner snipped the wire at the mast jacket and installed a button for the horn, I bought another bearing but haven't got around to intalling it I guess I was hoping someone would figure out a way to remove it without removing the mast, anyway my question there is a lip on the bearing isn't it pressed all the way to the lip? I thought I better ask before I do it.
thanks Ken

Icefisher and kens41
When I replaced the wire in my 38 I used a dowel larger diameter than the steering shaft but allowed room for the old wire from the steer box end, held the mast clear of any hard surface and used lots of "light" taps with a medium sized hammer. May not be correct but worked.
Refitting was the reverse but used a larger dowel but slightly smaller than the bush, I made the replacement wire much longer than required and put extra insulation sleeve over the the full length of the wire. I havent put it all the way down yet as I want to measure required depth with the wheel in place as this could vary when fitting jacket to steer box, wheel onto shaft and new button to wheel.
Tony

To answer Kens41 directly, in the 38 shaft cover housing there is a very small triangular cut-out, with the nib bent inward, inside the shaft; this acts as the "stop" at the correct depth for the bushing. When you push/drive the bushing in, be careful not to drive it deeper than this little stop (which might be possible if you use too much force). When it seats there, you should be at the correct depth.

Jim

Jim, that's the information I was hoping to see. I've not replaced the bushing on mine (I used the shrink tube through the hole trick myself) but I've read posts from folks who's bushing wasn't at the correct depth and had trouble getting the horn to work right because of it. I wondered what mechanism, if any, was there to allow one to accurately place a new bushing in the jacket.

thanks jim I will on the lookout for that tsb when I remove the bearing, mind looks to be pressed aganist the lip on the bearing that may have been the problem.

ken

I haven't got to pressing the bearing/bushing out yet, but when I do is there a wiring diagram available for the entire horn circuit? Any help would be appreciated, I dont know where the wire goes after it comes out of the opening in the mast jacket as it was previously disconnected and just hanging out of the jacket!
Thanks
Ray

Hello Tiny
Thanks for the wiring diagram!! I think I'm ready to roll now!!
I see where the power is coming from, the ammeter!! Ground must be supplied when pushing the horn button, thanks again!!
Thanks everyone else for the help!!
Ray