Since I have a ridiculous amount of unused vacation to burn by the end of the year, I'm taking tomorrow off to take the resurrected Blazer up to dig around salvage yards.
One thing I could use is a new horn. The D's stock horn was shot, so I installed one of the (air quotes) 'super loud' one from Harbor Freight. Yeaaaah... that didn't work out so well, and it's largely dead now too.
So, what are some good cars to pull a loud, attention-getting stock horn from? I don't tend to use it much, but I really need it because of how low and easily overlooked (literally) the D is when other driver's aren't paying attention.
Thanks!
Chrysler Mini vans are pretty good, also plentiful.
Ask Ed about the stock horns on a W126 Mercedes.
Better ask loudly–I think he's deaf now.
I was pretty happy with the horn on my Gen 3 Taurus and you can probably get one from a junkyard for $5. I honestly have no clue where on the car it's located though if you have to pick it yourself.
Yep, I've been on the loud end of a W126. I don't get honked at a whole lot, but it was probably one of the louder ones I've heard.
JohnRW1621 wrote:
Cadillac 4 note horn.
OK, this sounds (sorry, couldn't resist...) intriguing. Which Caddies have the 4-note horns? Or do all of them?
^^^ GM 4-note horn FTW!
It wasn't just Cadillacs that got the horn. Some Buicks had them as well. (my buddy's Mom had one in their Supercharged Park Avenue and it was a riot!) I'd imagine the last of the full-size Oldsmobiles had them as well. Pretty tough to beat for a stock unit.
I've been meaning to post this question for a while. Ashyukun, you're my hero 
Ashyukun wrote:
JohnRW1621 wrote:
Cadillac 4 note horn.
OK, this sounds (sorry, couldn't resist...) intriguing. Which Caddies have the 4-note horns? Or do all of them?
There's tons of info out there. Sample
http://jalopnik.com/5945173/how-to-make-your-car-sound-like-a-freight-train
A kid in my neighborhood had a late 80's caddy with the train type horn and it did sound awesome.
More chatter on the same topic
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/loudest-horn-atlanta-traffic/74026/page1/
I test drove a 1985 Buick Electra 225 that had "optional horns". They were loud.
I have Ferrari 308 Fiamm Air horns in my Falcon. They are ridiculous. So loud and high pitched.
My gal and I swapped cars a few weekends this summer. She is one of those people who loves to toot the horn. If she sees a friend, if she is happy, if she is cranky. Really she doesn't need any reason. Just loves to hit the horn. I told her she probably shouldn't do that in my car. The next day when we swapped cars back she was wide eyed and told me the horn in my car was "WAY TOO MUCH". I countered with "but, they are great in an emergency" She just shook her head.
Thanks, my DD Miata had it's horn die. Hard to get other drivers to notice my nonverbal communication if I can't honk the horn first.
My 911 has air horns. They're loud.
Any old German cars have loud, manly horns. Meanwhile, most Japanese cars ever have terrible wuss horns.
I actually have e30 stock horns on my 2009 WRX, lol....
I have never used a horn for any reason. I'm not sure if the horns worked in most of the older cars that I have owned. I know the one on the bike works because the guy tested it when I got my inspection done.
my 78 sedan deville had the best horn.
Wrecked body kitted civic/wrx/evo.
I guarantee it'll have Hella Dual Tones installed in the front of it.
Very generically, if it looks like this, it goes "meep meep". You will find this type on virtually every Japanese import and many Europeans as well.
If it looks like this, and especially if it comes off an older GM, it goes "HONK", and can get locomotives to answer sometimes.
I bought the cheap harbor freight horn years ago to replace the wimpy one in the corolla. It sounds like the generic GM horns from the 70's and 80's but it has lasted over 10 years and is still going strong.
irish44j wrote:
Meanwhile, most Japanese cars ever have terrible wuss horns.
Agreed. My Nissan truck horn sounds like a Roadrunner horn.
The0retical wrote:
Wrecked body kitted civic/wrx/evo.
I guarantee it'll have Hella Dual Tones installed in the front of it.
The Hellas sounds like the "meep meep" japanese OEM horns, only 10x as loud. I took mine off the WRX and replaced them with 30-year-old BMW junkyard horns, lol.
Can confirm that The Mercedes pancake horns are way louder than the Japanese pancake horns. Put one in my Prizm as a stopgap to a more serious setup, decided that wasn't strictly necessary, in Detroit. I think mine came out of a W126 but I'd have to go out and read the number on it.
