MTFCA Forum

I'm amazed at how many 1913-14 cars have the horns mounted incorrectly. Don't the owners bother to look at original photos, and literature?

Mebbe they want to catch the rainwater in their horn to make tea to drink with the food in their exhaust manifold cooker ?

You won’t like the horn on my ‘14, Original....I failed to paint it (all but the rim/screen) black.

This car looks fairly new and un-altered (see pictures)...I wonder how the horn got upside-down?

Tony Delbianco wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 05, 2022 4:04 pm

This car looks fairly new and un-altered (see pictures)...I wonder how the horn got upside-down?

It's not upside down Tony. That's how they're SUPPOSED to be! I do believe that is Larry's point.

George House wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 03, 2022 11:28 am

You won’t like the horn on my ‘14, Original....I failed to paint it (all but the rim/screen) black.

But you will on this one Original!!!

Now I'm confused. Which is correct ? The vintage photo, or George and Tim ?
(Observant fellow that I am, with a photographic memory, now I gotta go look at my Lizzie to see how her horn is mounted - at least it's painted black )

Rich; I always thought triple twist horns were mounted bell “up” and single twist like mine and Tim’s were mounted bell “down”.

This one is a little further along the production line, but still has it's tags on.

Rich P. Bingham wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 05, 2022 5:31 pm

Now I'm confused. Which is correct ? The vintage photo, or George and Tim ?
(Observant fellow that I am, with a photographic memory, now I gotta go look at my Lizzie to see how her horn is mounted - at least it's painted black )

The photo is not. And I was half asleep when I replied to Tony! I was referring to George's (and mine) when I replied. Sometimes I confuse myself! But you know me well enuf now about that eh Rich?!?

George House wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 05, 2022 6:05 pm

Rich; I always thought triple twist horns were mounted bell “up” and single twist like mine and Tim’s were mounted bell “down”.

I think so. And this type like ours I have always read that the idea was to keep rain out. Who knows!!

When I was restoring my 1914 I found a bunch of advertisements and original pictures from 1914 and I tried to make the car look like it did in 1914. Two of the best pictures had the twist down and the bell up so I mounted it that way. (Mounting it that way also helped me hide a dent in the horn.)
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After reading this post I spent about an hour looking through old advertisements and old pictures of early Model Ts and found that most have the twist up and the bell down, but NOT ALL of them. Thinking of this from a logical point of view the twist should be up because most cars came that way and to keep the rain out, but it seems some cars may have been made with the twist down and most brass era Model Ts are not driven in the rain so they will not have a chance to fill with water.
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So, unless you are showing for points or driving in the rain it may be OK to leave it alone.