Ok, I'm new here so be easy on me. This may sound like an odd question but could some one tell me why I have a wire hanging from a hole in the bottom of my steering box. At first I thought it was just used by the p/o to hang something. When I took a second look it looks like a 12 gauge wire coming from a hole in the bottom of the box. It is actually coming from inside the box. I just thought I would ask. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Well, I won't laugh but I'm smiling so hard I have face charlie horses!

That's the wire for your horn button!

Ever wonder how the power gets from the button to the horns when there's no wire outside the steering column? Your steering wheel shaft is hollow, and the wire runs the length of it. That wire has a flat plate soldered on the top end of it that site in a copper piece that looks like a pie cut up under the button. When you push your horn button the copper contacts the center of the steering wheel nut and grounds it. Then your horn relay is activated and the horn sounds.

It's a little unusual to find those intact. That will plug into a wire that runs up to your horn relay on the firewall. The other two positions on the relay are for power in and a wire out to the horns.





Positions may vary on your relays - this is how mine were wired. Remember 6V is Pos ground.

 

Once again Ms Cool Julie has come to the rescue. Oh, I'm glad I could give you a good " smile ". I thought I had some sort of gremlins living in the steering box and they were using the wire for tv reception.You know like.... ET phone home. Thanks again Ms Julie

 

Tee hee - thanks!

One of the great things about FTE is you have the benefit of the experience of those before you.

We all write these posts as though we were the fountain of knowledge - magna *** laude from the Ford Restoration Doctorate Program.

But we know because we where out in the garage one day trying to pull that string hanging out of the steering box too, or worse had to hammer that dowel throught the steering shaft to punch all the grease and 60 years of "Fordomite" out of that hole.

Ask anything anytime!

 

OK, so far so good. Now for the million dollar question. What are the chances that I will be able to attach another wire to the end on the old one and pull it back up thru? the old one is almost a bare wire because the insulation is gone. It sure would be nice to have the 3 sets of trumpets mounted under the hood working fron the horn button.

 

It's a free float through the tube. That wire has a special end on it up in the botton. All the restoparts houses sell new ones - not too expensive. Just disconnect the battery first, twist and pull the horn button up, and you'll see the cap of the wire sitting on the copper pie shaped thingy. If you pull on it, it will come out. I'd tape a string to the end of the old one, pull it through, and use the string to pull the new one back through from the bottom. The hole in the steering column is about 3/8 inch - when it's cleaned out.

You want horns?

 

Thanks Again Ms Julie. I will try that tomorrow. I took the Ole Girl for her first ride tonight since I got her. Rides pretty good out on the highway. For some reason the p/o has 3 sets of horns under the hood of this truck. I straight wired them yesterday and it was early this morning before I could hear real well. I think I might drop back to 2, no need for the folks in the next county to know what I'm doing over here. Thanks Again for the help. You have a good weekend.

 

Yeah, I forgot to warn you about the volume! Especially if you are pushing them with 12 volts! Ah leave 'em in you'll have fun with them. When that fool in the BMW pulls up an your tail and honks at you with that tricycle horn of his, you can talk to him as he passes. Here in San Diego, we have train tracks that follow Interstate 5 all the way up to Los Angeles. They lie about 30 yards off the freeway. I like to drive up next to the trains at speed and have honking contests....The engineers are really funny sometimes!

Is it possible that he had the musical horns? Someone made a set of those with a key board or something, and you could play tunes - no, serious! But the most I've seen on those is 4 horns. Can you get a picture?

And hey....isn't that first ride just the greatest thing you've ever felt? (almost)

 

You're right about leaving all three horns. I thought about that today when I was at a stop light some little import of some kind made what I think was a horn noise and it sounded pathetic. And you're right again on the first ride, it rated right up there as close to the top as you could get.

 

A question Jules. My horn button was gutted,so I bought a new kit, when I tried to get the wire down, it got stopped in the gearbox. I cleaned it all up and I've tried everthing I know on how to find the hole it comes out of, but no luck. I tried putting light oil and 100 lbs of air, it came out of the shaft, just above the gearbox, from a short slice machined into the steering column, but NO HOLE ! and no where to put the wire back in. I've got a blue wire with a bullet connector, that it should plug into, it's right along side the steering gearbox. Where's the hole ?

 

Not the best photo but you can see the wire exiting the bottom of the box.

 

Hi Stan, welcome to FTE!

Here is a picture of an upside down steering column with a pencil sticking out of the hole. I hope this helps.

 

THANKS to both RimrockF1 and to EffieTrucker for your kind help, a picture is worth a thousand words. OMG you guys are wonderful to take YOUR time to help a complete stranger. Truth: I have been working on this broken horn wire to 3 days ! I am rewiring the whole truck and this was on the list. I'd say the truck is about 1/2 done when I get this finished. I just put an order into Mid - 50s Ford, nearly broke my play money bank ! LOL Hopefully I can get out and drive it this year. It has very little rust and is in original condition , 79000 miles. I shouldn't say it's my old truck, because it is 10 years younger than me, maybe that's why we are both slow. I am going to run outside with your pictures and either find the wire, or the hole in the gearbox. Ever have "one of them days"? The whole horn button assy on the steering wheel was gone, somebody else couldn't fix it too, so just left it. I tried to pull off the steering wheel to see what I could see, (thinking the wire might exit out thru the turn signal). My little gear puller wouldn't fit, so I went to Harbor Freight and got a smaller one. It fit but broke as I was trying to get the wheel off. So back to harbor freight, they don't take broken ones back, so I bought a heavy duty pulley remover and mounted it to two bolts I placed in the steering wheel that hold the horn button spring and parts. Still couldn't get it to move grrr Was thinking maybe the thing could unscrew to get off. Nope. At midnight I took a three jaw puller and put it one under the plastic center section, DO OR DIE that sucker was coming off ! ! lol. Well the plastic came off LMAO and at least I could see the turn signal. It was just one of those bad days, maybe dumb and bad. Thanks so much guys, I will let ya know if I get to replace that horn wire. Gotta buy a steering wheel now too. Empty Pockets Stan