An air horn? Who knew?!

[curtisr]

About three years ago I acquired my fourth member of my 924 family. A very nice Garnet Red coloured 924s and my third '87. One of the many things that sealed the deal was the presence of many of those things that are usually first to go; namely, original keyed lug nut locks, still visible jacking point markers on the rocker panels, and absolutely perfect black leather seats. Perhaps the best was the safety kit stored inside the spare tire. Yup, there's the rain poncho, sign, gloves and more (I think).

What I discovered today while attending to the electrical hookup for the horn as a result of installing a steering wheel quick release came as a surprise and, I have to say, was really kind of interesting. Rather than the typical horn, the car came with a FIAMM Type M/O series 3000 air horn.



With a new switch in place I got to see what it sounded like and it wasn't impressive. In fact, it sounded a lot like what you hear from someone learning to play a brass instrument for the first time.

My first thought was to replace the relay and clean the electrical contacts. No change unfortunately. But when I hooked the air compressor directly to the battery it not only worked but woke up the dead!!!

Has anyone an idea why the regular route (relay with fuse) doesn't produce the same results? I'd like to keep this setup in the car even though it isn't listed a build option.

Thanks.

[pfarah]

Ok, you got me to bite... While I lean toward being sort of a purist, I couldn't help myself installing a set of Fiamm Air Horns years ago, very similar to my old F-308. 795 & 840 Hz are the magical blend of tone frequencies that Italian cars are known for and my horns don't disappoint. Loud and just a bit obnoxious is just the ticket!
And, yes, I still have the correct horns boxed up in my basement.

[curtisr]

It was on a Ferrari web forum that I was able to find the air horn's life history. It seemed to be a popular item on F cars - the 3000 series - that is. Was it standard equipment or an available option? I looked at Porsche options and I didn't see anything about these.

If I want to scare the neighbours and fellow motorists it looks like I'll have to bypass the existing relay and get power elsewhere.

[v2rocket_aka944]

holy crap that car is clean ^^

[pfarah]

Yes, your horn was standard equipment on the 308, Mondial, 328 and others. I believe Ferrari went to plastic horns at some point so your metal unit is quite nice (and fairly valuable).

As for my car's cleanliness, thanks - as you well know it takes lots-o-rags, cleaner and time. Here's a shot taken a couple days ago with all new wheel bearings and brakes installed.

[OK-944]

Have long thought about installing a Ferrari horn...not exactly a priority at this point, but on my bucket list for sure!

[djnolan]

Compare the ampere rating on the original horn vs. the air pump. It may be the OEM relay and circuit isn't rated for what the air pump draws. There are relays available for air horns if you search the web. This one is rated at 80amps per the picture. https://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-Universal-Dual-Tone-Electric-Air-Horn-Wiring-Harness-Relay-For-Car-Truck-Van-/312679248735?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

[pfarah]

The system I purchased came equipped with a relay.

[curtisr]

Originally Posted by OK-944

Have long thought about installing a Ferrari horn...not exactly a priority at this point, but on my bucket list for sure!

Get ready to scare the dog and wake up the neighbourhood.

[curtisr]

Originally Posted by pfarah

The system I purchased came equipped with a relay.

My replacement (standard) FIAMM horn has a really nice beep to it that won't get me beat up should I carried away. So I'm torn as to which one I should use. I'll try the 'klaxons' with a line from the +'ve battery post via a standard relay. If this works, I may have to get a personalized license plate -- OBNOXS -- or something similar.

[curtisr]

Originally Posted by v2rocket_aka944

holy crap that car is clean ^^

+1

[OK-944]

Curtis...what really gets my dog, Glenda (great dog...a lab mix) going is to drive with her in the passenger seat, sunroof off, into the middle of our village on a Saturday exactly at noontime - so when the noon fire whistle blows, she sticks her nose out the roof and lets go the most amazing howl! AAAAAOOOOOOOOHHHHH! Pretty much as loud as the whistle!

[djnolan]

I wish there was something like this to ward off tailgaters...

[curtisr]

Originally Posted by OK-944

Curtis...what really gets my dog, Glenda (great dog...a lab mix) going is to drive with her in the passenger seat, sunroof off, into the middle of our village on a Saturday exactly at noontime - so when the noon fire whistle blows, she sticks her nose out the roof and lets go the most amazing howl! AAAAAOOOOOOOOHHHHH! Pretty much as loud as the whistle!

Too funny! Thanks for sharing. Hmm, wonder what would happen were I to drive by when you're waking Glenda.

[curtisr]

Originally Posted by djnolan

I wish there was something like this to ward off tailgaters...

If this doesn't help



You could always mount the horn at the back. Everyone would still hear it.

[Alenbaarz]

Your Garnet Red beauty sounds like a true find, retaining all those unique details. The keyed lug nut locks, jacking point markers, and pristine black leather seats are the kind of treasures that make a car special. The unexpected discovery of a FIAMM Type M/O series 3000 air horn is a delightful surprise, adding a touch of flair.

Installing a steering wheel quick release and diving into the electrical hookup for the horn must have been quite the journey. If you ever want to explore more horn options or accessories, bosshorn.com has a fantastic selection. They might have something that complements the distinctive charm of your '87 924.

[Monkey Wrench]

my brother stuck one on our 1950's case tractor, powered by vacuum not air. it has a funny sound.
its not that loud but handy to get someones attention.

big trucks have an air supply for the brakes, car's don't , so I guess you might need a bottle of comressed air? a cheap way might be to just rig up an air horn like they use at sporting events maybe it can be opened via an air solenoid? mechanical button somehow?

in a VW bug what they did was used the air int he spare tire to power the windshield wiper squirter. what a weird idea. it did make you aware of the spare becoming flat as you'd then have no squirt.

I remember when I was about 16 , I was trying to get the squirter working and I somehow got the rubber hoses swapped around and then it wouldn't start. I was baffled as to why.

Finally realized that I'd connected the windshield squinter into the hose to the charcoal canister and was filling my tank up , via the canister with slugs of water. ! ;-)
ah,,,, the way we learn sometimes ;-)

[Monkey Wrench]

this one might get you shot at but it looks fun in the meantime.
;-)