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MG TD TF 1500 - Horn wire in TD/TF steering column?

For many years, I have had a nice pair of air horns I've been threatening to mount on my TF.

And, I will be replacing my original steering wheel with a Nardi or a Moto-Lita, and both have provision for an electrical contact horn button.

Aside from the fact that at present, I have no place to mount the air horns (a separate problem), I want to know if anyone has run a wire down the steering column.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué
Gordon A. Clark

Gord:
I hooked up air horns in my TF. There's plenty of room under the front splash panel where the original horns are. I hooked up the air horns in parallel with the original horns operated by the original horn button under the scuttle. When I just beep the horn just the originals sound. When I hold the horn button in, the air horns kick in after the horn motor gets up to RPM to push air.
SEAMUS
F. HEALY

Good idea to keep one stock horn anyway... i installed air horns in a car years ago and you couldn't just 'toot' them ...took a couple of seconds to really 'sound'!!!! Found them a bit dangerous with their 'lag'!
gblawson(gordon)

Gordon - You would need either stator tube (like in the Magnettes) or a slip ring set up (like in the YT or, less elaborate, like in the early MGBs). The stator tube like used in the Magnettes wouldn't work as they go through a hole bored in the pinion gear and shaft of the steering gear. A slip ring and contact as used on the early MGBs might be doable. See picture below. Cheers Dave


David DuBois

Here is a picture of the pickup arm on the MGB.


David DuBois

I was thinking of a simple solutiom. Assuming that the steering column is hollow, I can run a wire down it. But the problems arises in where would it exit. Would I have to make a hole in the side of the steering shaft?

Then, I think a properly-positioned (hole and) wire might be OK as the shaft turns, taking precautions to minimize rubbing or other interference. Its the stator ring stuff I want to keep away from.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

Gord, You might look into the anatomy of a Healey stator tube, which not only runs the horn wire, but the turn signals too! Quite a complicated setup but very efficient and effective. The steering wheel was taken from the TD by Donald Healey, as were so many other parts. He changed it to black so the two cars cannot be confused. The Bugeye also has a horn button on the wheel, when depressed a contact on a spring makes a ground to complete the circuit.
Back to the never ending job of sanding the louvered side panels on the TD, I believe the worst job I have so far encountered. Bob #1720
R.AF. Robert Finucane

Gordon -- I had such a system working for quite a while. The wire ran down the steering column and out through the universal joint. The trick is that a piece of shim copper has to be used to electrically bridge the U-joint because the steering column is isolated by the U-joint and the horn button would have no ground (earth).

The wire was wrapped around the steering column a few times then paralleled with the wire from the horn push on the dash. This was in my TF. I gave up trying to keep the wire from abrading on things that were near it and finally removed it. But it did work and was quite fun to use. The steering wheel was a "LE CARRA".

Have Fun!!
Cheers,

Bob
bobj50

Bob,

This is what I've been looking for. But I'll run two wires down the tube, and get around the problem of grounding the system.

Many thanks.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gordon A. Clark

This thread was discussed between 13/08/2008 and 14/08/2008

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