Cable in the handlebar

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by wokri, Sep 29, 2013.

  1. wokri

    wokri Member

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2008
    Messages:
    325
    Location:
    Germany
    Hello,
    how can change the cable in the handlebar which conect the knob in the steering wheel to the horn?
    Ask
    Wolfgang
     
  2. Zig

    Zig Member

    Joined:
    Oct 14, 2006
    Messages:
    4,860
    Location:
    Pittsburg KS
    Do you have a picture of what you are working on, Wolfgang?
    I'm not sure exactly what you are needing to do. Maybe connect up your horn button to the wire?
     
  3. wokri

    wokri Member

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2008
    Messages:
    325
    Location:
    Germany
    Hello Zig, the wire that comes out of the handlebar, the tube where the Steering wheel sit on, is this power or ground?
    wolfgang
     
  4. ol' chebby

    ol' chebby Member

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2007
    Messages:
    3,167
    Location:
    Charlotte,NC
    It is a ground. When you push the horn button, it grounds on the steering shaft. There is a contact that goes behind the steering wheel to the upper bearing, which has a wire that runs down the column and out through the hole halfway down. This wire grounds the relay, sending 12v. out to the horn.
     
  5. ccharr

    ccharr Member

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2006
    Messages:
    2,175
    Location:
    Simi Valley, Ca. , La Paz County, Az.
    Does anyone have an exploded view to see if he has all the correct parts there with him, to post?
     
  6. Blueflame236

    Blueflame236 Member

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2008
    Messages:
    1,555
    Location:
    Norway
  7. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2000
    Messages:
    11,689
    Location:
    AMERICA !
    Horn Wire

    Wokri ;

    The " handlebar " tube is called the Steering Column Mast Jacket .

    The wire you're looking at , runs up inside it and is connected to the upper bushing , the outer face of this bushing is a copper ring that occasionally needs polishing *very* carefully with metal polish but never , EVER sand paper , crocus cloth , steel wool or other abrasives .

    If you look closely as the outside of the Mast Jacket just below the upper bushing , there's some small tabs and you can use a thin flat bladed screw driver and a mallet to gently knock it up and out to replace the old wire that has bare spots that cause the horn to toot without your permission .

    Me , I'm too lazy so I unplugged the wire where it comes out at the bottom and connected a long thin steel wire to it and fished that through some 1/8" or so (? 5 MM ?) plastic loom covering (like heat shrink tubing) then I *gently* and laboriously pulled the steel wire while I guided the plastic loom up the Mast Jacket via the small oblong hole near the bottom .

    Once I had however many inches of loom slid up inside until I left it bump against the bottom of the upper bushing , I trimmed it , removed the steel fishing wire and plugged it back in , 25 years later when I sold the truck it was still working fine .

    I strongly suggest adding a relay to the horn circuit so the horn button's contacts only carry the relay's 1/4 ampere current and not the Horn's 10 ampere draw .

    I hope my ' Farm Fix ' might give you some idea of how to proceed and not 0ffend any others here .

    If you shatter that upper bushing trying to remove it past the 50 + year of accumulated rust , dirt and paint , you'll be *very* upset and wishing you'd tried my fix first .

    Best of luck , let us know how it all worked out .
     

Share This Page