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i am replacing the old horn on my 53 Chevy truck and have purchased a ahooga horn from Chevys 40's. My truck is a 12 volt. My questions are- any suggestions for where to mount the new horn? Also, I noticed that the old horn only had a black wire connecting it to power while the new horn was two wires - black and red. How do I wire the new horn?
Appreciate any advice.
Scott

Red on positive, black on negative. The old horn was grounded to the engine by its mounting bracket.

Thanks for your reply. The new horn has a red & black wire but there was only a black wire coming from the harness to the old horn. So, I have two wires for the new horn going to one wire from the electrical harness.
How to wire?
Old horn was mounted on the firewall just below the voltage regulator.

I just realized that I will ground the horn to the truck with the new horns black wire while the red will be for power.

Hi Scott,
I don't know about Colorado any longer (they used to mirror Texas), but Texas (at least for the time being) still has mandatory vehicle inspections. Anything like an Ahooga horn or other "specialty" horns won't pass inspection...that is to say it isn't legal to use one of those as a warning device. Might be a good idea to check or get an opinion from your DMV.

That's funny. My brother in San Antonio did all kinds of work to get the wipers and horn working on his '69 GTO to pass its first inspection.

The inspector didn't even try either one. The next year the inspector not only didn't test the horn or the wipers, he didn't even get in the car. He just asked if it was for sale.

Thankfully Governor Abbott signed a law getting rid of the idiotic "safety" inspections beginning in 2025.

Thats right. That is the system that uses a relay. If you dont use a relay you would wire the pos term hot all the time & wire the neg. to the horn button.

George

Thanks for all the advice. Colorado doesn't have an inspection but appreciate the comment.
All I have to do now is to build a mount to go from the horn to the original mount on the firewall.

Scott, I wonder if any of these Legacy Tech Tips might be of help to you? Or at least some additional helpful info.

Horn wire replacement
"Can anyone tell me where the horn wire is supposed to go on my '46. Does it run down the inside of the steering column like the older trucks or does it attach to the outside somehow? All I have right now is the steering wheel and the nut that holds it on. No horn button, spring, or anything else. What do I need to do to get a horn?"

Repairing your Horn
"It's all well and good to be safe. And letting people know you're there with a gentle blast of the horn is a great way to do it. But there's also something neat and complete about the nostalgic bark of these old 6-volt vibrating horns! And they do complete a restoration. Hard to do? No way! Here's Kip to show you that your name doesn't have to be "Horatio" to be a horn blower. You just need a little time, patience and the right parts to..."

I'm very familiar with that law and it was never meant to be humorous nor idiotic. For a pickup here is what is currently legally required and for a passenger vehicle the list is virtually the same:

* Check for evidence of Financial Responsibility

1. Horn
2. Windshield Wipers
3. Mirror
4. Steering
5. Seat Belts
6. Brakes (system) Parking - (beginning with 1960 models)
7. Tires
8. Wheel Assembly
9. Safety Guards or Flaps (if four tires or more on rearmost axle)
10. Exhaust System
11. Exhaust Emission System (beginning with 1968 models) Note: for certain counties this will continue to be legally required even after the inspection rules change
12. Beam Indicator (beginning with 1948 models)
13. Tail Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
14. Stop Lamps (2); (1) if 1959 model or earlier
15. License Plate Lamp (1)
16. Rear Red Reflectors (2)
17. Turn Signal Lamps (beginning with 1960 models) (measure if 1959 model or earlier)
18. Head Lamps (2)
19. Motor, Serial, or Vehicle Identification Number
20. Gas caps on vehicles 2-24 model years old
21. Window Tint
22. License Plates (2)

The inspector (based on what you've said) would obviously have had to falsify statements on the form two years in a row. The inspector is legally required to drive the vehicle with the owner not seated inside. What you've stated is not good and it could include very serious penalties for the owner of that inspection station. Can you please tell me where he got his GTO inspected?

I'm surprised there are any states who inspect a 53 truck. For emissions of otherwise. Where I live you get the title switched and get plates without even having the truck with you. No emission test for 1966 and older.....or 5 years old or less.

Georgia only requires emission tests on vehicles 25 yrs old and newer except for 1 and 2 year old vehicles. The emission tests are only in the heavy populated metro areas. Rural areas don't need emission tests.

Good suggestion but not what I am looking for. Thanks.

Here is my problem. My 53 is a 12 volt. Does anyone know where I can get a horn and where It would be mounted? My truck has an oil filter.
Thanks, Scott

Scott, a dual tone horn is what most people today associate with the "horn" noise. Here is one Made in the USA:

https://www.amazon.com/FIAMM-720162...;hvtargid=pla-4584276309438610&psc=1

I have one similar to this and I mounted it on the firewall down low near where the high beam/low beam is located.

You can use the standard 6 volt horn with a 12 volt system. The horn will just be louder than if it were operated on 6v.

It can be mounted in the standard position on the manifold but you need the offset bracket like this:

Buy a 12V horn from 55.2 or up chevy truck and mount it up front on radiator or crossmember structure....or on the filter bracket.... or modify horn or original bracket to make them mate. You are correct in your thinking. A horn has one hot wire and a method to ground it's body. With a wire or by bolting it to chassis.

YOU CAN use a 6V horn on 12V.

Your goal?
'1. Any horn, orignality not needed?
2. Original or present horn no good?
3. Worried about the 12V?
4. Other

That looks great. I now realize that the 6volt will work on my 12. Where did you purchase yours?

Thanks.

I really wanted an aoohga horn but not sure if legal in Colorado. The old horn was mounted on Firewall below v regulator and I'd rather not mount new one there.

Apparently they are legal.

Not sure if you're asking me or bartamos.

I found an old rusty horn with the correct bracket on ebay for $20 and bought it just to get the zig zag bracket. I already had the 6v horn.

What have you decided?
used, new, 6V, 12V
Once you decide, someone on here will have what you want....or
Start searching ebay, FB, amazon

I did find a 6 volt horn from a 53 with bracket on Ebay.
Bought it.
Appreciate the advice!

We either skipped over, or thought you knew, or maybe misled you.

The horn should have a relay.
So the relay has three terminals. I don't know if you have a relay yet or not, don't know if your wire colors are correct,
but the normal is:

1. Old school relay terminals were marked "S" GRN to switch/horn button, "H" BLK to horn hot terminal,"B" Red to fused battery hot. (always hot type).
2. New school relays are marked 1, 3, 5.........1 is horn hot terminal, 3 is BAT hot supply and 5 is horn button wire.
3. Modern is a Bosch 4 pin relay. Normally open. pins 86 and 30 wired to battery hot. 87 to horn hot. 85 to horn button.
4. The horn body is still grounded to chassis for all relay types.

Relay

Not sure what I have. Old horn had one black wire (hot) and horn, I assume, was grounded to frame. It had been mounted on the firewall which I don't want to do with new horn.

Horn mount.

Can't see enough of firewall to spot a relay. Looks like black box is a voltage regulator.. relay could be next to it if you had one.

On my 47 chevy and I assume your 53, the horn button on your steering wheel is the ground. The horn is wired to fused 12v + and the ground is your horn button. I put a relay in my system so the hot is switched by that relay and is triggered by the ground through the horn button. That way the full currant does not go through the horn button that was designed for 6v. I tried to attach a drawing of the wiring for a 5 pin relay. Hope you can see it.

I was showing where the horn was mounted- 2 bolts sticking out- I will post another photo of the relay.

Made lumbersawyer's .doc file into an "image" file so folks can look at it in one click.

Bosch 4 Pin horn wiring.

Scottss60's photo (attached and edited) shows an original style horn relay. It's grounded internally through the mounting screws. The terminals should be marked S, B, & H (Switch or horn button, Battery, and Horn). The horn would be grounded thru the mounting, but if the replacement horn has two terminals, one would be connected to the "H" terminal on the relay, and the other to a ground point. It shouldn't matter which one, I would check with a multimeter to see if either terminal is grounded to the horn mounting bracket to be sure. If one is connected internally to the horn mounting bracket, then you wouldn't need a wire connected to that terminal.

If that's what is its, that's good. I thought it was a VR but the wiring colors/locations match a relay. That will help with what wire goes where.
But should he get a 12V relay?

The original 6V relay may work, but may eventually burn out the coil. If the horn stops working, then a 12V relay (available from the usual suspects - example) would probably fix that up.

On the ground issue, Scott is right near when horn relays were introduced in trucks. I think I see the horn he bought on Ebay. It has what looks like two insulated terminals. If so, it was designed to be used without a relay, so it needs to be wired as you say, the ground terminal on the horn goes to a nearby chassis ground spot, The horn "circuit" won't be grounded by bolting.

I don't know what you mean..... the relay is grounded thru it's mounting screws. Why?

Why not ground a relay internally? It's a production shortcut. You eliminate the need for a 4th terminal. Internally grounded solenoids are pretty common for starter relays when the triggering wire is hot, but not with a switch that grounds the coil. But in the case of a horn relay, it's like consolidating the #30 and #86 terminals in your 4 pin relay diagram in to one, and the wires separate inside.

Doesn't it work like this? I think so. My 4 pin Bosch is the same as a 3 pin. 30 and 86 ARE tied together. Horn relays are different. Bosch did not have horns in mind really. if they did, the relay would have 3 pins like the old unit. But it is designed to be switched by power or by ground. We use it in ground switch mode for horns. It needs 4 pins to use in power switch mode.
As you know you can turn a 5 pin into a 4 pin, which is really a 3 pin when used in ground switch mode as Lumbersawyer did by abandoning one leg (the normally closed leg).

Don't see any grounds to relay mounting feet yet.

Could someone help identify what I have posted here.
I know the voltage regulator is the largest.

In this picture you have a voltage regulator at the top. Lower right from that is your fuse box. To the left of that is a common 3 pin horn relay. On that relay there should be marked somewhere H B and S. The H wire goes off to the horn. The B wire connects to battery (this wire is hot all the time...not through your ignition switch) and the S wire connects to your horn switch (the wire comes down from your steering wheel and exits on your steering column at the top (below the dashboard). Usually the top connection will be the horn, the middle connection will be the battery and the bottom connection will be the switch but please take a look at yours. If you have a handheld electronic tester, set it for DC and 12 volt or whatever DC setting will show you 12v. Then hold the black wire of it to a known good ground point and touch the red wire to the three connections. The one which registers on the tester will be the B connection. I hope this is helpful.

The ground connection is made when you attach this relay to the firewall...the screw going through the firewall makes it.