MTFCA Forum

Gents,
Please take a peek at my 19015 bulb horn set-up. I bought the new brass bracket for the top of the horn but am confused how it all fits? Something is either missing or wrong here. AS far as I read, for '15-'16 Ford moved the reed up into the bulb so it is a unique assembly by itself.

Can anyone shed light on where my shiny brass bracket attaches and what is missing here?

Thanks,
Jim

The bracket goes on the bulb end. The reed goes at the bulb end.
The threads on original horn tubing is different from the threads on modern replacement parts, so you can't mix 'n' match.
DO NOT use the shiny horn bracket. The flat type is correct and much more sturdy and durable.

: ^ )

Isn't the reed facing the wrong way? I would think blowing air that way would force it shut, from the other direction air going thru would vibrate it.

It may be, this is how I got the horn. It seems like I am missing the long brass tube in which the reed goes inside.

Does anyone have spare horn pieces they'd be willing to sell?

Thanks,
JIm

The reed is the right direction but I think it needs the long brass tube around it. My 13 has the reed at the bulb like that but it may be different on a 15.

Take a look at this original 1915 set-up. The reed is inside the long brass upper fitting. The horn bulb slips onto the fitting. The reed is tapered to wedge into the bracket, and the "duck bill" goes toward the bulb. It is hard to tell in your photo, but that fitting that covers the reed may be stuck into your horn bulb. Pull it out of the bulb and see if it is threaded on one end so it will screw onto the tube by the bracket, enclosing the reed. Re-arrange yours to look like mine. You did not need that shiny bracket, it's wrong for 1915.

Here are a couple more pictures.

Perhaps it doesn't matter; no doubt there are bulb horns aplenty that function well with the reed either at the bulb or at the horn, but it seems to me more logical to have the reed at the bulb where it will react without having to compress a column of air in the length of tubing. Does anyone know for sure what the factory setup was ? Did it vary with the make of horn supplied ?

No; it was uniform. The setup changed (reed moved from horn end to bulb end) when the tubing was shortened and moved inside the car body to mount on the dummy door panel. The horn tubing parts that I make and sell all have the correct early style Ford thread which is 41/64 x 27. Very near the end of bulb horn production Ford changed to the industry standard 5/8 x 28. This is why you can have a bunch of original Ford horn tubing parts and not all of them will thread together easily.

I’m still struggling here to figure out what fits wear. The reed does not come out of the hose end.

Can someone take a look at my set up and see what the heck I’m missing? I can’t mentally figure this out

Here are a few more pictures. This was a complete 1915 Rubes horn set up. I used it on my 14 with a 14 horn and eliminated the elbow but the rest is the same. The reed screws into the tubing coming out of the bracket.

SUCCESS! The boob before me must have screwed the reed into the wrong end of the hose, I moved the reed up to the bulb and Voila! Success!

Thanks for all your help guys!

Jim-
There is a lot of mis-information out there. Glad you got it right.
Please put up some pics of your set up so you, too, can help the next guy!

: ^ )

Keith

Hi I found your post by doing rubes horn part. I see from you post you did not use the 90 degree elbow in your set up.I am in need of the elbow for my 1915 roadster restoration project. If you still have it and willing to sell it please message me back or call me thanks Nick H. 772-532-3274

The bulb horn is correct, but if you want to be heard add a mechanical horn as so many people did in the T era.

Re Steve's comment, that's why in late '15, technically early '16, Ford went to the Magneto horn anyway.

...that's why in late '15, technically early '16, Ford went to the Magneto horn anyway.

Yes, and it's not much better than the bulb horn. I think a properly operating mechanical horn is louder than both of them together.

Nick-
Check with Bob Bergstadt
modelt2001 at comcast.net
I think he has one.
-Keith