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How to make noise with horns?

Hello all...

I have some horns that I salvaged from a 1977 Cadillac before it was stripped out for a demolition derby. Long story short I needed the front end fiberglass and headlights to repair a wrecked car and the two horns looked interesting, so I grabbed them.

What I've never been able (read: daring) enough to is power them. I'd like to see if they work, but I'm not sure how go about wiring them up. Specifically, I only see one wire going into each horn. I would assume this is a hot wire and that the case is grounded somehow. Anybody ever wired vehicle horns up outside of the vehicle they came from? If so, how did you do it? Was there any current limiting or other special stuff required?

In the event I don't ever get around to powering them, here's what I'd really like to know...what happens if you play around with the input voltage? Does the sound change or will the horn just burn up (high voltage) or not work at all (low voltage)?

Thanks in advance for any help...

William

Reply to
William R. Walsh
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The original horns were grounded at the location it was mounted to the frame by the bolt that holds it down. If you drill a new hole and bolt it down the horn only needs a wire run to a switch and then to the battery. Press the switch and the horn should work. Before trying to mount the horn, try to hook the horn directly to the battery and ground the housing to make sure it works. Make sure you mount the horn so water does not enter the horn or it will not last long.

Sarge

Reply to
Sarge

Hi!

I figured that's how it might have been done...but the metal seemed to be all pretty well painted on that car. The horns on the car I was repairing didn't work although the relay would click. I didn't have voltage out to the horns, so I wasn't sure how they worked. Might have been crash damage...hard to say...the car I repaired had hit a deer.

(In fact, the whole car that the horns came from was in pretty good shape. I gave serious thought to buying it because nothing was really wrong with it, but I got there too late...kind of a shame. I always liked those older Cadillacs.)

I'm thinking they will be used as the signalling devices in a basement flood alarm. I have thoughts of mounting them to a wood board with the battery and other electronics up nearby the ceiling.

William The Guesser

Reply to
William R. Walsh

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