The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay 6V System, 12V Horn?

My '40 half Ton did not have a horn when I got her. There are a lot of aftermarket horns out there with a blast that would sound good coming out of this old truck. Problem is, they all seem to be 12V. This may be a silly question, but will a 12V bell type Ah-oo-gah horn work with 6V?

BTW, it looks like the left the horn off so there was room for the dual carb set-up, but when someone is coming at me in a parking lot, looking at their cell phone and not paying attention, I need to jolt them back to reality!

It might work, but it'll probably sound like a dying cow. The motor won't spin nearly fast enough to work well.

Blue,
My truck is is also 6v. But,……. I have 12v rear break and turn signals lights to improve rear visibility to following drivers.
You can do the same to get that 12v horn to work on a 6v truck very cheaply and easy. Purchase a 6v to 12v step up transformer.
Tie the 6v leg after your horn relay and the 12v leg to your horn!
Jim

I too was thinking that a 6 to 12 volt transformer might work (check the horn's draw before buying), but I hear that there could be a delay during the conversion. When you hit the horn button, you want it to squawk immediately. Jim: have you noticed a noticeable delay in your step up transformer?

Horns pull a lot of current. Make sure any 6 to 12 volt converter is capable of what the horn draws.

Just a friendly suggestion but I think you should check the laws in your state, particularly since in some states there is a chance it could impact your insurance coverage. I did this around 2000~2001 and discovered at that time a Klaxon, train, trumpet, siren or any other "novelty" horn was legal if connected to a separate switch but illegal if connected to your horn button and relied upon as your primary horn. Of course back then most states were performing annual vehicle inspections and today that may or may not be the case. And some of those laws might still be on the books. Good luck!

Vehicle inspections. What a scam. My brother went through all kinds of gymnastics to get his horn and wipers working on his '69 GTO to register it in Texas. The inspector never bothered testing either one.

Even if California tests his horn, they won't know what's stock and what's not.

Actually California is one of the states which have specific rules about which horns are legal and which horns aren't and they have a fine schedule for violations. They also have statutes on the books about how you can legally use your horn and what constitutes illegal horn use.

So-called "train horns" have been receiving a lot of press over the past few years. In California big rigs and trash trucks (and authorized emergency vehicles) can attach them to their vehicles and use them as horns, but only if they're powered by air and connected to the air brake system of the truck. Even then, these horns must conform to state standards and be legally certified by the State of California.

Gord,
My conversion is only for rear turn marker and brake lights. Plus a 12v phone charging port. Everything else is still 6 v. including the horn.
as far as a delay, since the transformer is hot when key is on, no I don’t have a delay
Jim

It you shop on here, eBay or flea markets it would not be too hard to find an original horn.

Yes, just look for a 6v Chevy horn. Maybe someone here has one in the classifieds.

I checked eBay and they have a ton of brand new 6v horns in addition to some original ones