Jump to content

39 Dodge horn assembly


garyp

Recommended Posts

My horn assy consists of the horn button itself then the horn ring next the brass piece with the wire in it that is held down by 3 small screws followed by the horn spring then the contact cup which on my 39 is a round piece with a hole through the center and a small lip on the edge which they call the contact cup but mine only has a small lip not a cup like it shows in the manual how is this piece a contact cup and what is supposed to make contact with it. The 38 Dodge is different not sure about the 40 any info would be appreciated. Thanks 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yours seems to be similar to what mine had, my car is an Oz 1940 Dodge however it has various 1940 Plymouth panels, fenders, chassis etc........however I have hotrodded the car 40 odd years ago and the only parts I have of the horn assembly is the horn ring that went on the steering wheel.....I do have a shop manual and can scan that and send it if that helps but in general the horn button on these cars is just an earth switch that operates when you push the button or horn ring and that makes the horn earth thru the coil spring that earths down thru the steering column...........there should or could be a brass "T" shaped thing that pushes against the spring when the button or horn ring is pressed.............I dunno if this is any help.........whats the problem with your cars horn?.............regards from Oz..........Andy Douglas     

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Andy the horns work fine when I hook them up to a seperate horn button. I replaced the wire that goes through the steering column  and soldered the wire to the brass t shaped thing but was just wondering about the cup that everything sits in. I will try the horn when I put the steering wheel back on I am waiting for my dash to come back from being hydro Dipped in a dark woodgrain pattern.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't  offer any help on this,  my 39 doesn't have a horn ring, just the center part to push on.  Original switch long gone, I adapted a push button switch to line up underneath the center part.  Works fine,  nothing worse than a horn switch sticking.  

 

                                                                                                                                     brian b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As Andydodge says, the horn button or horn ring is used to ground, or earth, the horn circuit.  It seems that with a pushbutton, the wire to be grounded would have a contact at the end of the steering shaft, and the pushbutton would push a grounded contact down against the horn wire contact.  A spring would keep the contacts apart.   My horn ring doesn't work that way.

 

For my steering wheel, with a horn ring, the horn wire to be grounded extends to a round gizmo that pushes down a large spring, which grounds itself against the metal steering wheel hub.  The legs of the gizmo are screwed to the steering wheel without being grounded.  Without intervention, the spring contacts the gizmo, and the horn would sound.   Push the spring away from the gizmo, and no horn. 

 

So the horn ring works full time to push the spring away from the gizmo.  The horn ring is insulated from ground, and has lugs which push the spring away from the gizmo.   Tilt the horn ring, and part of the sping can make contact with the gizmo, grounding the horn circuit.   (Or try touching a grounded wire to the horn ring.  The horn should honk.)    

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Andy & Donald,

 

Thanks for the explanation how the stock horn  circuit works.  Sounds like you would only have one wire through the steering shaft, and the horn would be insulated from the body.  My jury rigged set up uses two wires to complete the positive current to the already grounded horn.   The factory set up is a clever set up.  More than one way to skin a cat.

                                                    brian b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The grounding circuit from the steering wheel controls the horn relay, which switches the heavy amp power to the horn(s).  With the horn control circuit grounded at the steering wheel, the heavy wire to the horn is live, and the horn sounds.  The horn body itself is grounded, to complete that power circuit.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

O K Donald,

 

I think I've got it, thanks again for the explanation.  Unfortunately, the wiring on my Dodge is not its strong point.  Lots of the wiring has been replaced, disconnected, simplified, typical for a 60's hot rod. When i got the car the horn was a doorbell button screwed to the bottom of the dash, to give you an idea of what I deal with.  I rigged a switch as described to get the horn switch back in the steering wheel, but no relay, and yes, its a wimpy horn.  Wiring improvements are on the long list, particularly  the headlights, and with your explanation, some horn wiring improvements are on the list also.   You guys are a great group,  I learn something from this site every week.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                    brian b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use