Interior: 1955 Horn Ring Installation Question

[Commander Eddie]

The horn ring on my '55 President keeps coming loose. I keep tightening the three screws that hold it in place but to no avail. I decided after reading the repair manual that I was missing what the manual refers to as a rubber shock pad. I was able to find what I believe is the correct pad from Studebaker International. They refer to it as a "push back sponge". Their part number is 520411.
I received it and it appears to fit. The three screw holes line up and it fits nicely in the indentation behind the horn ring plate. However, there are three plastic spacers that fit in the space currently and the screws slide through these and screw in to the steering column. The holes in the shock pad are too small for these spacers and the pad is to thick for the length of the screws. If I leave out the spacers and just use the pad I can compress it enough to get the screws started but I cannot get the horn to work in this configuration. I am sure the spacers are supposed to be there.
So, what am I missing here? Can anyone provide information, a photograph, or a blowup of how all of this is supposed to fit together? I'm just horns-waggled.

[StudeRich]

It will be best for you to read up on and check Pics of the several types of Horn Rings, Steering Wheels and horn switch hardware in the '55-'58 Chassis Parts Catalog.
That is because there are several types of Horn setups and I believe you have the "Sponge" for the Horn Button and NOT the President Deluxe 360 degree Horn Ring setup.

There could be other parts missing and not the Sponge.

[jclary]

Those phenolic (or Bakelite) cylindrical spacers are supposed to be there. The sponge spacer acts as a non conductive spring that works to keep the horn button insulated from ground until you push the horn button to make contact to blow the horn. What happens is that over time, the original sponge shrinks with age, looses its "rebound" abilities, and must be either replaced or modified (the technical term is "fiddled with.")

Could be that someone has installed the wrong screws, added or removed items in an attempt to compensate. I had one that had begun to fail.I added some tiny plastic insulator washers as a temporary fix. Once I installed a new foam spacer, I had to remove my homemade plastic washers to get it to work properly.

[Commander Eddie]

John, do the spacers go through the shock pad? The holes in the shock pad are too small but could probably be made larger.

[jclary]

Hey Ed. I was going on the most recent vehicle I've had the horn button off. That was my '51 Land Cruiser. I have a '55 President Coupe in the back recesses of the man cave. If someone don't provide your answer before I get to it, I'll see if I can move enough clutter to get to the car and take a look. Some of these cars carried over certain design traits from year to year, with little change. I'm not sure how similar the innards of the horn works are between '51 & '55.

[Commander Eddie]

Thanks, John. I await the results of your investigation.

[jclary]

I finally managed to move enough clutter to open the door and squeeze in for a look. Cobwebs, and all kinds of spooky stuff hanging out in there. I removed the horn button, which exposed the contact plate and the three mounting screws you mentioned. The way the assembly works, is to have the horn ring assembly sort of float on those mounting screws with the foam donut under that contact plate keeping it centered and "off" contact with a ground until the horn is pushed. Honestly, with the type of pretty nasty spiders that hang out here...I didn't spend too much time in there. To get a complete understanding of the assembly, I would have to dismantle it. For now, there's already too many sick folks I'm looking after to risk a brown recluse bite.

I came back in the house and dug out a couple of manuals to see if I could get a better handle on the assembly to explain it. The shop manual is a bit vague in this area. Also, the drawings in the chassis manual leaves a lot to be desired. I'm still thinking you need those plastic insulators in the holes where the screws go. They keep your horn from grounding out to the screws. Also, there are some insulating washers at that contact ring under the screw heads. I understand that Oregon is a huge state, and you might be far from another SDC member. But, it would be good if you could get another set of experienced eyes to help you get the assembly back together. The screws need to tighten up, but the entire horn ring assembly needs to be movable. Otherwise, either you horn would blow all the time, or not at all.

Sorry I couldn't help more. Of course...If you want to drive over to this side of the country, and examine mine closely...I'll loan you a screwdriver, and stand back and hold the flashlight!

[mbstude]

There's a '55 Speedster at the local Stude shop right now. I'll pull the horn ring off tomorrow and get a few pictures to elaborate on John's excellent info.

[Commander Eddie]

Thanks guys. I'm getting the idea. I'll wait for the photos. Thanks so much.

[mbstude]

Alright.. Hopefully this will explain things well enough. BTW, I've installed a couple of the reproduction cushions, and they seem a lot stiffer than the factory ones. They're a pain to put in but it's what's available..

The little "plastic" tubes go in the rubber cushion, and part of their job is to keep the screws from being over-tightened and flattening the cushion.

What you see when you remove the horn button. Note the flat steel washers, as well as the composite washers below them.




After removing the 3 screws, the horn ring comes off. The 3 plastic tubes fit into little holes in the steering wheel. Someone has been in here before, the little rubber pieces aren't factory, but someone put them there for a reason so I didn't mess with them.




Backside of the horn ring. The old cushion was stuck in place, but you get the idea.




The horn ring in place with no screws. The rubber cushion is sandwiched between the ring and steering wheel, and you can see the little plastic tubes in place.



This car is a '55 Speedster, but it should be the same as any '55 President. And yes, the horn does work as it should. Hope this helps.

[jclary]

Excellent pics Matt. The first one is exactly like what mine looked like when I took off the horn button last night. I'm not sure exactly how the new reproduction replacements look. Ed says that the holes look too small. But since it is flexible, I don't see why the plastic insulators can't be forced in. Perhaps easing some small ballpoint pen barrels in the holes and allowing them to sit for a couple of days, could aid in inserting the insulators. You don't want to stretch the rubber to the point of ripping it. At the same time, you don't want to enlarge the holes to the point that the assembly becomes sloppy.

[mbstude]

I think the issue with the new cushions is that they're made of a much stiffer, denser rubber than the originals. The originals are more foam-like.

[Commander Eddie]

Matt,
If I did not know better I would have sworn you took those photos of MY car. Excellent. And that is precisely what I am seeing. So, from the photos and the discussion above it appears I was on the right track but I think the small holes in the replacement shock pad were throwing me. I will gently enlarge the holes, insert the phenolic cylinders in to it, and put everything together as the photos show.
You guys have, as usual, been a fantastic help. I'll get right on this.

[Commander Eddie]

Well, that did not take long. I went right out to the garage, took my horn ring off and followed the instructions above to put it back together again. The shock pad was very stiff but I got the phenolic cylinders into the holes and put it on to the steering wheel. Then, with a good deal of force I was able to get the screws started in the holes through the horn ring and the cylinders and tightened them up. I reconnected the battery cable and tried the horn. Voila! It works perfectly.
Thanks again guys.

[mbstude]

Cool.