Speaking of c clips, there are 2 c clips stacked on one another at that column spot and I wonder if there should be only 1. The top one is barely engaged in the slot. I'm not sure 2 are the way the factory wanted it.

The ground reaches the steering bearing area but nothing above it so this is not easy.

I don't know how they intended to get ground to a floating wheel through a greased bearing. It seems the column itself is what the ground should be but the bearing is where it stops being a good ground.

 

This is the closest to a solution as I have time for. The steering column is the ground for the horn but it goes through a bearing to the steering box so if those are loose then there might be horn problems.

I suggest using a direct ground to the battery to start your detective work.

For me, these 3 lock tabs that get hammered down were exactly where the ground stopped being reliable. I hammered them down further and that re-established ground to the top steering column which is what the steering wheel is bolted to for the horn button to complete the horn circuit from the relay.
It takes some work to get both Cclips on the shaft into the groove but they fit.

I would upload the sound of a 1969 Econoline horn but I replaced the horn years ago in a Mexican junk yard so now it's the sound of a 1997 Toyota.

Lock down tabs for ground of horn

 

I was a youngster working on those old ones at the dealer, but I remember the old boy who was teaching me saying that the column grounded from the rag joint on some of them with a copper / or metal plate on both sides of the rubber.
He talked about electrical problems when that ground was gone
IIRR those tabs would break if the rubber in the rag joint got worn out

 

Yep. I have a new rag joint that I plan to install one day. That and a new steering box would likely solve this problem.

The whole grounding system for this horn frame is classic space age engineering.

I think I bought some time by hammering those tabs down but I can tell the design is hard to adapt. By tightening the tabs I think I forced the ball bearing race tighter against the ***** which allows the continuity to pass through the bearing.
The horn frame floats on springs. The steering stem passes through a rag joint and a ball bearing to contact the frame. Any slop and the stem has no ground and the horn won't work

 

OMG where did you find a new steering box, that van has little parts available, took 3 turns on the steering adjustment nut to get the slop out of mine, it was shot, but got the slack out, I was looking for someone to rebuild it with bearings instead of bushings, then they closed shop.

 

I forgot to mention, truck I-beams with disc brakes, flip the steering arms to t

he front of the van, a custom cut plate to attach to the frame, and a later model power steering box gives you real power steering, no hydro assist, I had a write up on it intending to do my 73.

 

Nice!

 

No such luck. I'm just speculating. I do have the rag joint but the steering box would have to be rebuilt. I've tightened it before.

When I bought the van there was a used steering box in a spare parts crate and I think I threw it away.😫. I did not think the van would ever survive the trip to Mexico. I treated it like a one way journey.

 

The econoline message board with all the info, and people selling the rare parts shut down years ago, I saved some stuff, printed it out, to keep mine on the road, hell I had it ironed out into a daily driver, just needed a gas tank, glorious ethanol, and sitting at a shop over 6 months ruined it, but I cleaned it out enough to drive everyday, just had to rebuild the carb every 6 months to get the trash out that got through the filters, change filters every other month.There was a company called Redline that rebuilt those steering boxes, it is gone. The truck mod I posted up allows you to run a later power steering box, one that is easily available, one guy ran one from a Jeep Cherokee, another had a GM steering box, just need a 1/2" steel plate bolted to the frame to relocate it a bit, one guy went electric power steering using a Toyota Prius lower steering column, think he's on facebook, I wish I got the photos of it, put a potentiometer in the dash to adjust it. I found a 70's van for sale, hooked a guy up on here years ago, deal was I got the radiator out of it, first it went to a guy in California, who had a copy made for his, then it was sent to me, before I could get it cored and installed, a teenage girl destroyed it. This ripped my heart out, then the infection I was fighting with antibiotic, thanks to the impact, started the procedure of cutting my legs off, never got back into it, even tho I did get another van, the motivation was just gone to customize another. Now I've seen a few basket cases around that would be good for parts around here, try to help my friends keep theirs on the road, the guy who bought mine for parts, I gave him the heavy duty radiator and warned him he will never see another one of those so hold onto it. Keep a look out for a 1970's F100 truck with power disc brakes, if your van is the E300, you'll need the F250/350, the entire I-beam to the brake rotor goes right in, the steering geometry upgrades to the 1976 E150 Y steering links, and you have to do the steering box swap. I still have rear window louvers given to me buy a friend, his has a Vista Cruiser roof, my other friend bought his 72 E100 brand new, tho he's left it sitting in the garage.

 

BTW if you ever lose your tail light power, the fuse box bolted on the side at the doghouse, mine had the power feed break off the bottom, took out turn signals, hazard lights, and brake lights, I pulled the wires and relocated them to a secondary fusebox I bought from Amazon that used blade fuses, that wire is bad to corrode where its mounted, you may want to look at yours. And the 3G 90 amp alternator from a Taurus, small case, its a direct fit where your 40 amp stock one is, put a large gauge to battery, put your green wire on the 3G and the other jumps off the battery terminal on the alternator, I think thats all I used, but you have to convert to serpentine belt or dual V-belts, a single belt, it eats those up when under load, I had rubber everywhere before I learned better.



I'm dumb, like to do it the hard way, I put a new white wire on the green, then ran it up to the green under the hood at the voltage regulator, didn't realize I could use the wire that was running down there.

The most expensive part, billet aluminum, couldn't get a steel one as the later model 302 is 4 bolt, not 3 like the ones in the van, went nice with the chrome water pump pulley.

 

I have the dealer sales receipt/pink slip, gives the price of every Ford on the lot, the manual, the leaded gas requirement sheets, warranty card, and the folder it all came in, my van had only 2 owners.


Midas muffler lifetime warranty in the folder.

It came with a pile of receipts, had just driven to California and back, the guy was moving furniture, OMG Pep Boys raked him over the coals on a tuneup, I couldn't believe it, plugs are so easy to change.

 

I remember the old forum and that guy in Alaska Tom I used to annoy with my comments. 😆. I'm in touch with one guy in Wisconsin from the old forum. He has two running 2nd gen vans.

There is one of these 2nd gen vans in Southern Arizona beside mine. I just tried to trade mine for a 1965 Thunderbird hard top but he wanted a pull behind camper.

I sort of think we are the last generation to actually drive these. They will be antiques soon and nobody wants to mess with points ignition or drum brakes and the gas mileage is horrible. I had to improve the fuel pump situation because that was very annoying not starting when it was hot. It looks like the new pump works good. Just need new tires but I don't drive it so why bother?

 

Tom, the know it all, there are still custom van runs like in the 70s, one is by me in Cherokee North Carolina, we had a few show up there. The nationals in 2005 gave one away in a raffle, the guy who won, young guy, he couldn't take it home, but didn't say anything till many left, can't think who got it. I've seen several on the Facebook market near me that are decent, I don't think they sold, was a shame. The van runs up north, don't see the Mid Fords, see more of the Earlies, and the late models. I preferred it because the engine was easy for me to get to and repair myself, but adding a wheelchair lift, the passenger seat has to go, it sits back to far, so no passengers, finding parts was extremely difficult. I still would drive that manual steering, manual brake, no ac van before you see me in a Dodge promaster.