Horn Wire Tube

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Will_Vanderburg
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Horn Wire Tube

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:17 pm

Looking for a simple answer to a complex problem.

I have a steering column that is practically immaculate except it doesn't have a horn wire tube.

I have a crappy column with a fairly good horn wire tube on it. I would like to remove the tube and place it on my other column.

Is this doable, and how hard is it? OR would it be just simpler to make a new one?

The column with the tube is a 26-27 which does not suit my needs.
William L Vanderburg

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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by rickg » Tue Sep 29, 2020 3:30 pm

That should not be a hard job, if you can solder or braze it will be easy, make sure that the everything is clean and use 15% silver solder or a good brazing rod you may need a Mapp gas torch or oxy/actey - Propane won't get hot enough. That's my take.

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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Allan » Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:17 pm

William, on our Canadian sourced cars, only the early ones had a tube. Subsequent columns had a U shaped channel, in two different sizes. The tube and the U shape channels attached differently. Solder is your friend for either type. Welding/brazing on such thin material requires greater skill than I have.
Allan from down under.

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Will_Vanderburg
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:42 pm

Allan wrote:
Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:17 pm
William, on our Canadian sourced cars, only the early ones had a tube. Subsequent columns had a U shaped channel, in two different sizes. The tube and the U shape channels attached differently. Solder is your friend for either type. Welding/brazing on such thin material requires greater skill than I have.
Allan from down under.
I call it a tube, but it's actually U shaped. It's attached in six places
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Allan
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Allan » Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:56 pm

Originally each of the 6 tabs was spot welded to the column tube. This can be duplicated with a mig welder, by drilling a hole in each tab and welding through the hole to the column tube. Alternatively, the underside of the tabs an be tinned with solder, and the column treated in the same way where the tabs are mounted. Then the two can be sweated together. The latter is easier to manage if welding skills are somewhat compromised.

Hope this helps,
Allan from down under.

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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Mark Gregush » Thu Oct 01, 2020 10:55 am

First, what year car is it going on? Asking because not all horn wire tubes were the same size. Next, the column in question could be 1915, that might not have had the horn wire tube. Up to about 1917, the horn wire tube was smaller, it only carried the wires for the horn. Around 1917 when the headlight switch was moved from the firewall to column the tube got bigger to carry the extra wires and I think stayed the same size thru the rest of production.
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by TRDxB2 » Thu Oct 01, 2020 12:05 pm

Question: Are you wanting to be "original" for having a horn wire attached to the steering column or just put the tube on from one column (26-27)to the other(not specified) to cover the wire? Thinking of a way not to disturb your existing steering column. You may be able to fabricate a few thin metal round clips attached to the inside of the tube held in place with JB-Weld and then attach the tube clips to the column with some 3M emblem adhesive tape.
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by ModelTWoods » Thu Oct 01, 2020 12:47 pm

If you know someone in the sheet metal fabrication business, they might spot weld it for you for little to nothing. Six spot welds don't take much time to do. Even some techical colleges would probably have a spot welder. My college did when I graduated in 1970.

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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Thu Oct 01, 2020 2:42 pm

it's going to be on a 22. I have no idea what year the column is other than it has a round neck where it attaches to the firewall instead of the square neck of the 26-27 ones.

The tube is the same on the 26 one as it is on my 24-25.
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Topic author
Will_Vanderburg
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Thu Oct 01, 2020 2:45 pm

My column will only have the horn wires in it as the other wiring goes straight to the dash. This is for a Center Door.
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Allan » Thu Oct 01, 2020 7:38 pm

William, I neglected to describe removing the donor piece from its column. If you wire buff the tabs it should reveal the dimples of the spot welds. If you drill these dimples, the channel will come off with the holes needed for mig welding through. It would be difficult to just break the spot welds while keeping the tabs in good enough shape to re spot weld them to the new column.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

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Topic author
Will_Vanderburg
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Re: Horn Wire Tube

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Fri Oct 02, 2020 7:08 pm

Allan wrote:
Thu Oct 01, 2020 7:38 pm
William, I neglected to describe removing the donor piece from its column. If you wire buff the tabs it should reveal the dimples of the spot welds. If you drill these dimples, the channel will come off with the holes needed for mig welding through. It would be difficult to just break the spot welds while keeping the tabs in good enough shape to re spot weld them to the new column.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Thanks, Allan
William L Vanderburg

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