The Ford Barn

slatgrille · 09-06-2022, 10:08 PM

I picked up a replacement 'Ahooga' horn at our club's auction this summer. It looks the part, so I'm going to use it...I hope. It has a single wire coming out the back. I tested it with my charger and it sounds really good. My question is....how do I hook it up? I mounted it to the light bar, but when I touched the yellow wire from the harness it went off (as it should) since that wire comes from the genny cutout (to battery). I suspect that only the blue wire (with tracers) should be connected????? When the button is pressed it will complete the circuit I assume.....there's that word again!. Not really sure what to do.

I'm tempted to just hook up the brake light with a connection from battery to switch to light with a separate ground to frame and forget the lights completely....and never drive in the dark for sure...lol

Craig

Chuck Sea/Tac · 09-06-2022, 10:43 PM

You will need a relay. The horn is hot all the time, and the horn button grds it, which completes the circuit. So if you use the light bar as grd and then hook up the hot, it will be energized all the time. Hence a relay energized by the grd horn button to energize the hot .
You could use another horn button, like a doorbell to energy the hot, and dispense with a relay, and your stock horn button.

slatgrille · 09-07-2022, 06:18 AM

Would it be possible to insulate the horn mounting bracket from the light bar so I can use both original wires?

Craig

Mike Peters · 09-07-2022, 06:49 AM

Insulating your horn from the light bar would work, but I can't think of a way to do it that wouldn't result in a poor mounting that wouldn't vibrate and shake like crazy. Your horn would need to hang on some sort of rubber/ plastic mounting from the light bar, which would flop around. Chuck's idea of using a separate switch, like those cheap horn button switches from auto supply stores would work well. Just mount your new horn button on the steering column. I did that on our 35 Ford, and it works well.

slatgrille · 09-07-2022, 07:38 AM

So, two horn buttons?????

Mike Peters · 09-07-2022, 07:43 AM

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Yes. But the original button in the center of your steering wheel would not be used.

rotorwrench · 09-07-2022, 10:51 AM

Find a horn relay from the 6-volt era say 40s or 50s Ford car or truck and mount down in the frame area where the headlamp wires are run or in the engine compartment on say the radiator shell or engine pan. The horn power wire from the generator will be the power wire and the horn grounding wire will be the ground for the relay. A person would only need the one power wire from the relay to the horn. Not too big a problem. It all ties together in the light switch. A person just needs to know the terminals to connect to.

This link shows the diagrams.
https://www.mafca.com/downloads/Semi...ex%20Janke.pdf

Bruce of MN · 09-07-2022, 02:06 PM

The auction site has "6v horn relay" for sale.

slatgrille · 09-07-2022, 04:12 PM

I may just 'bite the bullet' and purchase an original style horn, OR go the relay route....spent a lot of time rebuilding the horn button and straightening the original rod, so I'd like to still use it.

Thanks for all the suggestions Fordbarn!

Craig

katy · 09-08-2022, 10:36 AM

Remove the cover off the horn and see if the wire that goes to ground can be easily "ungrounded". If so, problem solved.

Doug Linden · 09-08-2022, 03:18 PM

If you take to back cover off the horn you will see the power wire for the horn motor is connected to the field winding of the horn. If you look closely you should see the other wire from the field winding stuck into the frame of the horn. You may be able to carefully pull that ground wire out of the frame, if not you may have to cut it. Once you get that wire exposed that gives you the second wire you need to connect to the standard horn button. Once you get this far I'm sure you can figure out how to make all the connections. Good luck.

slatgrille · 09-08-2022, 03:33 PM

Thanks katy and Doug....never thought about that! May give it a try. The horn sounds great and looks the part, although aftermarket. Only cost me $15, so definitely worth 'tinkering with'.

Craig

Herb Concord Ca · 09-09-2022, 10:14 PM

Katy and Doug's suggestions will work, that's what I did on my one wire horn years ago.

slatgrille · 09-10-2022, 05:07 PM

They sure did! Once I figured out which wire was grounding the body (small solid wire), I cut it, then 'wire nutted' the remaining short braided wire to an extension which I hooked to the ground of the wiring harness. Works like a charm....on the cheap too....just labor.

Took the old girl for its maiden voyage about 5-6 miles on the back roads.

09-06-2022, 10:08 PM	#1
slatgrille Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Limerick, ME Posts: 158	Aftermarket one wire horn I picked up a replacement 'Ahooga' horn at our club's auction this summer. It looks the part, so I'm going to use it...I hope. It has a single wire coming out the back. I tested it with my charger and it sounds really good. My question is....how do I hook it up? I mounted it to the light bar, but when I touched the yellow wire from the harness it went off (as it should) since that wire comes from the genny cutout (to battery). I suspect that only the blue wire (with tracers) should be connected????? When the button is pressed it will complete the circuit I assume.....there's that word again!. Not really sure what to do. I'm tempted to just hook up the brake light with a connection from battery to switch to light with a separate ground to frame and forget the lights completely....and never drive in the dark for sure...lol Craig

09-06-2022, 10:43 PM	#2
Chuck Sea/Tac Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Between Seattle & Tacoma Posts: 2,354	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn You will need a relay. The horn is hot all the time, and the horn button grds it, which completes the circuit. So if you use the light bar as grd and then hook up the hot, it will be energized all the time. Hence a relay energized by the grd horn button to energize the hot . You could use another horn button, like a doorbell to energy the hot, and dispense with a relay, and your stock horn button.

09-07-2022, 06:18 AM	#3
slatgrille Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Limerick, ME Posts: 158	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Would it be possible to insulate the horn mounting bracket from the light bar so I can use both original wires? Craig

09-07-2022, 06:49 AM	#4
Mike Peters Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: South East Wisconsin Posts: 1,279	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Insulating your horn from the light bar would work, but I can't think of a way to do it that wouldn't result in a poor mounting that wouldn't vibrate and shake like crazy. Your horn would need to hang on some sort of rubber/ plastic mounting from the light bar, which would flop around. Chuck's idea of using a separate switch, like those cheap horn button switches from auto supply stores would work well. Just mount your new horn button on the steering column. I did that on our 35 Ford, and it works well.

09-07-2022, 07:38 AM	#5
slatgrille Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Limerick, ME Posts: 158	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn So, two horn buttons?????

09-07-2022, 07:43 AM	#6
Mike Peters Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: South East Wisconsin Posts: 1,279	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Yes. But the original button in the center of your steering wheel would not be used.

09-07-2022, 10:51 AM	#7
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,436	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Find a horn relay from the 6-volt era say 40s or 50s Ford car or truck and mount down in the frame area where the headlamp wires are run or in the engine compartment on say the radiator shell or engine pan. The horn power wire from the generator will be the power wire and the horn grounding wire will be the ground for the relay. A person would only need the one power wire from the relay to the horn. Not too big a problem. It all ties together in the light switch. A person just needs to know the terminals to connect to. This link shows the diagrams. https://www.mafca.com/downloads/Semi...ex%20Janke.pdf Last edited by rotorwrench; 09-07-2022 at 11:06 AM.

09-07-2022, 02:06 PM	#8
Bruce of MN Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: VA Posts: 1,410	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn The auction site has "6v horn relay" for sale.

09-07-2022, 04:12 PM	#9
slatgrille Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Limerick, ME Posts: 158	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn I may just 'bite the bullet' and purchase an original style horn, OR go the relay route....spent a lot of time rebuilding the horn button and straightening the original rod, so I'd like to still use it. Thanks for all the suggestions Fordbarn! Craig

09-08-2022, 10:36 AM	#10
katy Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Red Deer, Alberta Posts: 5,046	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Remove the cover off the horn and see if the wire that goes to ground can be easily "ungrounded". If so, problem solved. __________________ If you don't hear a rumor by 10 AM, start one!. Got my education out behind the barn!

09-08-2022, 03:18 PM	#11
Doug Linden Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 259	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn If you take to back cover off the horn you will see the power wire for the horn motor is connected to the field winding of the horn. If you look closely you should see the other wire from the field winding stuck into the frame of the horn. You may be able to carefully pull that ground wire out of the frame, if not you may have to cut it. Once you get that wire exposed that gives you the second wire you need to connect to the standard horn button. Once you get this far I'm sure you can figure out how to make all the connections. Good luck.

09-08-2022, 03:33 PM	#12
slatgrille Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Limerick, ME Posts: 158	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Thanks katy and Doug....never thought about that! May give it a try. The horn sounds great and looks the part, although aftermarket. Only cost me $15, so definitely worth 'tinkering with'. Craig

09-09-2022, 10:14 PM	#13
Herb Concord Ca Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Concord CA Posts: 637	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn Katy and Doug's suggestions will work, that's what I did on my one wire horn years ago.

09-10-2022, 05:07 PM	#14
slatgrille Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Limerick, ME Posts: 158	Re: Aftermarket one wire horn They sure did! Once I figured out which wire was grounding the body (small solid wire), I cut it, then 'wire nutted' the remaining short braided wire to an extension which I hooked to the ground of the wiring harness. Works like a charm....on the cheap too....just labor. Took the old girl for its maiden voyage about 5-6 miles on the back roads.