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| Does only one horn in your dual horn system work? Do your horns sound
like a cow with a stomach ache? We all know what the solution is ......
Replace the horns. There is nothing wrong with this solution, but what
if you want to keep your original horns? You know that they are date
coded and you want the correct ones for your car. What do you do? The
answer is, contact Zip Products, Inc.,
8067 Fast Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23111, (800) 962-9632, and purchase
their Horn Repair Kit. This Kit will allow you to rebuild one or both
horns and keep the original horns with your car. The rebuild is simple
and as long as the horn coil is not damaged, the rebuild will have the
horns sounding like new. Our Project 73 had a dead horn so it was a
prime candidate for a rebuild. Follow along as we bring our dead horn
back to life. |
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01: This is the complete Rebuild Kit: Two vibrating
discs, two hammers and screws, four gaskets and assembly rivets. You
will also need a center punch, #25 drill bit, a 1/8” punch, a vise,
gasket cement and some hand tools. |
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02: Start by removing the horns from the car. Remember
to note their location. Look at each horn. They are marked high or low
or they are marked with a note F, A, D, or C. Using a scribe, mark each
half for re-alignment purposes. |
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03: Put the horn into a vise and using a pointed
center punch mark the center of each outer rivet. Now using a #25 drill
bit, drill the flat area off each rivet. Next use a 1/8” punch. Drive
the four outer rivets partially out. Then finish removing them by using
a pair of pliers. NOTE: The two rivets at the opening of the bell of
the horn do not go all the way through. These must not be totally
drilled out or removed. Just remove the head and about 1/8” of the
shaft of the rivet. |
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04: Remove the horn from the vise and separate the halves. Gently pry open the case and remove the vibrator disc.
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05: The contact points should now be cleaned. 400 grit sandpaper works quite well. |
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06: The coil should be tested for continuity. This can
be done by using a simple continuity meter. If the coil checks out OK,
you are ready to reassemble. Use caution when working near the coil. Do
not disturb the coating on the coil wire. Do not allow any solvent or
abrasives to come into contact with the coil. |
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07: Install the new hammer onto the new vibrating disc
using the allen head screw provided. Use Lock-Tite on the screw threads
to secure it to the hammer. |
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08: Be sure to remove the fiber washer from the old vibrating hammer. This is very important and is not included with the new Kit. |
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09: Start the re-assembly by spraying each side of the new paper gaskets with gasket cement. |
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10: Place the gasket on the horn body. Now place the
fiber washer onto the stem of the vibrator hammer. This washer will
keep the hammer from making contact with the coil plate and allow the
vibrating disc to vibrate. Place the other gasket onto the vibrating
disc and then align the horn bell. |
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11: For testing purposes you can assemble the horn
using #6 machine screws and nuts. To test the horn, place the mounting
bracket against the negative post of a 12 volt battery. Now carefully
run a wire with alligator clips attached to each end from the positive
post of the same battery and quickly touch the contact spade on the
horn with the other end of the wire. The horn should beep. If it does
not, make sure you are making a good contact on the negative and
positive posts. If you are, then you may have to adjust the vibrator
plate. You will see an adjusting screw on the mounting bracket side of
the horn. Lube the threads with some penetrating spray and slowly turn
the screw about 1/4 of one turn in one direction. Try the horn again.
If it starts to make a sound, turn it again 1/4 turn. This is the
vibrating plate adjustment screw. Turning it causes the plate to
vibrate more or less. Keep adjusting until you get the best tone
possible. When this is done, remove one assembly screw and install one
rivet at a time. Use a vise to compress each rivet head as desired.
Compress each head squarely for a neat appearance. |
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12: The rivets in the bell portion of the horn will
require the installation of a stub rivet since these rivets were not
fully removed. Use side cutters to cut the two new rivets to
approximately 1/4” in length. Install them in the holes and compress
them as you did with the others. |
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13: When you are done, you can refinish the horn using
a semi-gloss or high gloss black spray as you desire. Here is our horn
back from the dead and ready to beep again. Beep! Beep! Beep! |
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BEEP! BEEP! :
58-74 CORVETTE HORN REPAIR
By: Greg Donahue
Photos by: Author
SOURCE:
Zip Products, Inc.
8067 Fast Lane
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
(800) 962-9632
PARTS LIST:
The Author would like to thank
Scott Coral of Greg Donahue Collector Car Restorations, Inc. for his
assistance with this article.
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