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Old 01-21-2020, 03:51 PM   #1
oldforder
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Default 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I don't know if this questions belongs here or in the newer fords, but here goes. I have a 1928 Ames horn that was on my dads 28 Tudor that is all of it that is left. I would like to mount it on my 65 mustang. What kind of resistor do I need to make it sound right? I know it works on 12 volts but it runs so fast that it doesn't sound right. I want a cheap resistor, so was wondering if an ignition coil resistor would work, as it will not be used but for a couple seconds at a time.
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Old 01-21-2020, 06:02 PM   #2
Tom Endy
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

The Ahooguh horn draws a lot of current and the dropping resisters on the market do not handle it well, they burn out. The best option is to rewind the field windings. It is not difficult to do. The attached article explains how to do it.

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File Type: pdf converting the ahooguh.pdf (188.8 KB, 102 views)
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Old 01-21-2020, 07:17 PM   #3
Tacoma Bob
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Bought mine from one of the vendors 14 years of trouble free service.
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Old 01-21-2020, 10:45 PM   #4
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

buy a voltage regulator off of ebay. Hook it up to a 6 volt battery with an ammeter inline and check the current requirements, times it by two, and get that size or larger regulator. Very cheap on ebay. Here's a 10 amp version: https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-24V-to-...kAAOSwPJhd~v5E
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Old 01-21-2020, 11:26 PM   #5
BillLee/Chandler, TX
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Hate to disagree with Tom Endy, but the resistors that the vendors sell for this purpose work just fine. They are completely contained in the horn "can" so they do not affect the Model A "look". (Of course, this is probably immaterial for you.)


Yes, the resistor gets hot when you honk the horn, but unless you sit there and blow it for minutes at a time, they work o.k. The brief time you sound the horn is handled by the resistor.
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Old 01-21-2020, 11:46 PM   #6
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tacoma Bob View Post
Bought mine from one of the vendors 14 years of trouble free service.
I agree. I have been using this bad boy from Bratton's for years now. Not cheap but gets the job done.

https://www.brattons.com/horn-resistor.html
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Old 01-21-2020, 11:46 PM   #7
Charlie Stephens
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Endy View Post
The Ahooguh horn draws a lot of current and the dropping resisters on the market do not handle it well, they burn out. The best option is to rewind the field windings. It is not difficult to do. The attached article explains how to do it.

Tom Endy
Tom,
Do you mean the resistors sized specifically for horns and sold by places like Bratton's or are you just talking about generic voltage dropping resistors?

Charlie Stephens
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Old 01-22-2020, 01:56 AM   #8
Tom Endy
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

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Originally Posted by Charlie Stephens View Post
Tom,
Do you mean the resistors sized specifically for horns and sold by places like Bratton's or are you just talking about generic voltage dropping resistors?

Charlie Stephens
The resisters sold by the suppliers is what I was referring to. They work fine as long as you do not blow the horn a lot. There is a photo of one burned out in the article I attached.

Tom Endy
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Old 01-22-2020, 10:56 AM   #9
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

A good one from Speedway Motors; finned, etc. $$ Mounted external to the horn under frame rail, etc..
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Old 01-22-2020, 01:30 PM   #10
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I got good results from a 1-ohm, 100 watt wirewound resistor from eBay.
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Old 01-22-2020, 04:58 PM   #11
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Best results will be obtained by following Tom's post on rewinding the field coils (post #2).
That is what I did.
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Old 01-22-2020, 06:11 PM   #12
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I am sure that rewinding the coils would be best, but I really would like to keep the horn original, as someday, I will probably put it up for sale. Especially seeing what people are selling horns for now days. I can probably get 1/2 as much for the horn as we sold the whole car for in 1964. And it was running!
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Old 01-22-2020, 06:18 PM   #13
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I once saw a 28 with a repo 12v horn and it looked fine so I went to ebay and purchased what looked like same. what I got was a shitty plastic horn including a plastic trumpet which was just too far from original. think I'll give it to my grandkids to use on their go cart.
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Old 01-24-2020, 11:28 AM   #14
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I agree with Tom. With the resistor it started slower because of the higher starting current and when it got running it sped up as the running current is lower. It only took me about one hour to rewind the field with 24 gauge magnet wire.
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Old 01-25-2020, 03:46 AM   #15
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky View Post
I got good results from a 1-ohm, 100 watt wirewound resistor from eBay.
Exactly what I was going to recommend.
It worked fine for the 6 volt horn I sold to someone to use on a 12 volt system.
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Old 01-25-2020, 05:06 PM   #16
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I can get one of those 1 ohm 100 watt resistors really cheap from eBay, so I think that is what I will do. Thanks all.
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Old 01-26-2020, 04:30 PM   #17
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldforder View Post
I can get one of those 1 ohm 100 watt resistors really cheap from eBay, so I think that is what I will do. Thanks all.
Since the cost is low I would suggest getting a couple different values so you can fine tune the sound you want. For example you can get a 1/2, a 1, and a 2, and using them singly or in series you can get values from 1/2 to 3 ohms in 1/2 ohm increments. I did this and a single 1 ohm resistor sounded best with my horn.
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Old 02-12-2020, 08:27 PM   #18
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

Just finished rewinding the field coils on my horn as per Tom Endy's instructions. Works great on12 volts and never sounded better.
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Old 02-15-2020, 01:01 PM   #19
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Default Re: 6 volt horn in 12 volt vehicle

I don't know the ohms value or wattage but there are 12 volt to 6 volt drop down resistors made for this kind of purpose.
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