Wrong Horn?

[turnjare]

Hi experts,

I'm confused about the horn on my 1949. It wasn't hooked up when I bought the truck. Now that I'm replacing all the wiring, I'm ready to hook it up. Problem. The wiring diagram I have shows that the horn should be wired to both the horn button as well as the positive terminal of the ammeter. The horn I have only has one wire coming out of it. (See pic below) can I still use this horn somehow?

[47 Fasttoys]

Sure, go from the positive terminal of the gauge to a relay + terminal, also jump this wire to the feed side of the relay. Take the wire coming from the column and send to the negative side of the relay. Use the output of the relay to power the horn. When you press the horn it will energize the relay and the power will transfer from the jumper to the horn. BEEP BEEP.
Rob

[turnjare]

That sounds like it should be pretty simple. . .

Can you dumb it down even more for someone who has always had an electrical learning disability? I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't speak "relay", "jumper", and "feed side". I am, however, good at following pictures!

[Dan in Pasadena]

Turnjare- Im right there with you on being an electric dunce. Somehow u can never make it "stick" in my mind.

A relay (as I understand it) is essentially an electronic switch. It's used so you don't send the full power - in this case from the column - thru the switch that operates the device you're trying to activate. Another example is the headlights. You use a relay on them so full power to run them doesn't go through the switch.

Rightly or wrongly I think of a relay as "using a switch to operate a switch"

[67GMCkid]

If your truck is a Chevy and still 6v there is no horn relay.
Just two wires one comes from the horn button the other from the +amp gauge ..

Your pictured horn is not the one from your truck, it looks much later and appears to be 12v

[mr48chev]

Originally Posted by 67GMCkid

If your truck is a Chevy and still 6v there is no horn relay.
Just two wires one comes from the horn button the other from the +amp gauge ..

Your pictured horn is not the one from your truck, it looks much later and appears to be 12v

Checking the wiring diagram above the power feeds from the + terminal on the ammeter or another always on source through the horn (which on the correct horn is not grounded to the engine or body) then the second wire runs from the horn to the horn button which grounds it. On your truck with the stock wiring I believe that you would need a relay to operate that horn correctly. Power to relay, wire from switched on post on relay to horn and wire from horn button to post that switches it on by grounding it. Normally that is just a run of the mill GM horn relay for the proper voltage.

By expanding the wiring diagram that was shown above, here are the two wires in and out of the stock horn"


Here are the horn feed wire and the horn button wires connected to the fuse block on the firewall:


Here is the horn button that shows it grounding the horn wire:



If that horn came with the truck most likely someone added it in the past and may have added it wrong.

[itstheshu]

That look like the horn that is in my 54.