The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Can't blow my own horn

Last week, I picked up an original horn (manifold mounted) from what I believe was either a 47 or 48 1.5 ton Chevy truck (it was in a junk yard and didn't have a VIN tag - it was the last horn of that style in the yard too) to go in my 49 1 ton. After having removed various nests and debris, disassembled and cleaned it, I have some questions.

The bell on the horn is about 10-inches long. The ones I've seen in other trucks (mine didn't have a horn when I got it) seem to be shorter, in what I guess to be the 6-inch range. Were there different sized horns for the larger trucks and/or different years?

Due to the debris in the horn sitting there for God knows how long, there is a fair amount of corrosion on the aluminum parts that the clapper strikes. Are there replacements for these parts or does it matter much as far as the sound goes?

Last question; the gasket pretty much disintegrated when I took the horn apart; are there replacements for these or can some other material be used in its place? If so, what is a good material to use?

Thanks in advance.

A good rule of thumb is to clean as much of the corrosion as you can. I don't know about the length of the bell but as long as it clears everything it should be OK. I made new gaskets for my 38 horn using regular gasket material you can buy at any hardware store. The mechanical workings only work one way. It took me TOO long to find out mine wouldn't work because I turned one part around backard when reassembling it. It may be a little late since you've already got it apart but make sure to keep track of everything's position in relation to everything else as you disassemble. If you could post some pics it would help with specifics. Someone may post that knows more about your specific horn than I do. Good luck.