VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Electrical - 6 volt Horn Button contacts

Hi,
Has anyone a suggestion on how to improve the contacts on the horn button?
I have cleaned and sanded the button contacts, do I need to get down into the column and if so, do I need to remove the wheel or is there an easier way?
Regards,
John

What year are you working on? There are several different types of contacts in the 6 volt era.

His profile shows he has a '32. Did they use the S wire & mast jacket bushing contact then?

The '32 Chevy used the mast jacket bushing with brass plate and attached wire. The horn button has two wire legs that contact the brass plate and ground it to the steering column, completing the circuit. If the wire legs are not long enough to contact the brass plate or the wire is broken it will not make the circuit. Never had a problem with corrosion on the plate or wire legs but could happen.

Yes it is necessary to remove the steering wheel to get to the bushing and brass plate. A really nice guy makes the bushings if you find you need one.

Yes.

Hi,
Yes it is a '32 roadster.
Chipper, your description is spot on.
I'll try and find my puller to get the wheel off and have a look at what is going on.
John

Try it the easy way first. I was able to clean my mast jacket contact area using a small screwdriver and a piece of Scotchbright pad with some cleaner. It worked amazingly well.

First thing to try in removing the wheel is pull up with your your thighs on the bottom of the wheel and tap on the center shaft with nut loosened. A brass drift or hammer is recommended so the threads are not damaged. If the nut is still in place it helps protect the threads as well as you chest, chin or other anatomy parts when the wheel comes off. Or you can have another person pull up on the wheel while you rap on the center shaft. Be careful and don't hit her chin on the back swing.

If that does not work, don't even think of using the puller (or similar) in the Chevy Repair Manual. It will put scratches or dents in the bottom of the wheel. Thread the holes for the horn button "legs" with a 10-32 tap and use long machine screws and a steering wheel puller to take off the wheel. I have managed to get some very rusty wheels off using that technique.

Sometimes I wonder about my reading abilities. When I read his post I thought he was going to pull the steering column. After reading it again it's obvious he was just referring to the steering wheel. I hate getting older but I guess it does beat the alternative.

Thanks Chipper,
I made a 'universal' puller device for various things on my boat. There is a puller that is basically a split flat plate, hole(various sizes available) and attachment point for legs, good for propeller removal. Smaller size would possibly work and not damage wheel.
I'll tap out the holes and do as you suggest. thanks,
Regards,
John

Of course in OZ or the rest of the civilized would you could use the appropriate metric tap and screws instead of US size.

Not so fast Chipper, I still prefer civilized language and have to convert for the other heathens down here.

Tony

Tony,
For fear of having this post determined to be political, I still post it.

Either I was not succinct enough or you misinterpreted my post. I was making reference to the fact that the USA is a holdout keeping an archaic system of measurement instead of the decimal based metric system. And the fact that it might be a lot easier to find an appropriate metric tap and screw than the USA size.

Hi,
3/16" BSW or UNC work perfectly. I would normally drill a 5/32" clearance hole for that size tap, and that is the size of the holes in the boss.
I am using a 5/16" whit. hex bolt in the centre of the puller.
So far it just won't come off, I'll just keep on soaking with penetrating oil, and giving it a tap.
We are extremely ambidextrous/multilingual down here, us old blokes can talk in any dimensions and frequently all in the one sentence. ie. 'can you hand me that 4meter length of 3 x 2 '.
Regards.

Tapping firmly on the center bolt is typically needed to set up enough stress or shock to pop the wheel loose. With the 5/16" bolt you can't hit it too hard or it will deform.

BTW I appreciate the mixed sizes and standards used. Am sure many will miss or not understand that. But having to deal with Whitworth and other non-US fasteners I can appreciate a teensy bit what you guys have to go through.

There are several cars here that have a mixture of thread and head types mainly metric/AF, the BSW and BSF threads are not that common these days. I have found the metric and AF tools will fit BSW fasteners with a few exceptions so I keep the uncommon sizes handy.
As I dont work in a dealership I need to have tools for all types including internal (single, double hex in metric and imperial), torx, reverse torx as a sample. I would not like to have to replace my toolbox in a hurry at todays prices and some probably no longer available.
Tony