VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 51 chevy horn

Hi there
Can enyone answer a few questions about this horn problem.
I had written before to make sure I had all the pieces.
I have the wire in the column
The three little plastic pieces that are in the steering wheel
The metal ring facing down
The plastic piece that goes from the horn ring
The screws that hold it down have round heads and are about a inch long
If I tighten the screws too much down the horn ring will not move
if i tighten them down and get the horn to blow and think i have it adjusted it works a couple of times . then i turn the wheel and it keeps blowing.
I am not sure if the screws are the right ones or the right length.
I would think that if the screws are the right length you could screw them down till they bottom out still leving play for the horn ring
I can't believe chevy would make this so hard being it is a simple
thing put together.
Any help would be apprecieted This is on a 51 chevy

After a steering gear rebuild I had trouble with the horn also. It would just blow when turning a corner, what I found was the aftermarket turn signal unit was mounted a little to high on the column and when turning an out of round condition in the bottom of the steering wheel was causing flex as it passed over the turnsignal.

Thanks for the reply and info but i don't think that is my trouble .I have a after market turn signal switch but it doesn't have anything to do with the steering wheel. I think it has to do with the screws but I can't verify it

You didn't mention whether you had the horn contact spring and insulating sleeve. These are the two main parts which make contact with the horn ring when pressed and keep the circuit open when the horn button is not pressed. Take a look on page 57 of the National Chevy Assoc catalog (also available online at www.49-54nca.com).
This might be the missing piece of your puzzle.

Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I just read it tonight but I was lucky and figured out the problem. The sleve that goes into the steering wheel was cracked and a piece missing from the end. the spring and the contact was short. It must have been broken and someone tried to repair it. I looked around and had one from my 56 chevy. When I compared them the sleve that went into the steering wheel was a little longer which made up for the broken one and the spring and contact was longer. the horn blows good but i think i will have to put a little loct tight on the adjusting screws. when I equlized them the 3 on the plastic ring the top one seems a little loose. i don't want it to loosen further. Thanks again

You're welcome, "Joisey."
The boss and I just got back from a nice relaxing five days at the S. Jersey Shore (Ventnor). It was great.

Take care.

The metal piece is like a spring that makes a connection and you have the convex part up towards the driver right?