Location of Avanti's horns?

[wfhenderson]

This may seem like an odd question-- but someone can surely help me, even someone who has no mechanical aptitude at all!

My 1963 Avanti is missing its driver side horn. After an accident many years ago when owned by someone else, the horn was never replaced. I have purchased vintage horns, and I want to mount them. But there is no sign whatsoever of how the driver side horn mounted on the car. Even the illustrated assembly/parts manual we all know and love simply shows a tiny drawing on an x-ray view of the car.

I know it goes under the battery, but does it mount to the frame? Where? A photo would be outstanding. If anyone would go to the garage and snap one for me I would be grateful.

Kind regards, Bill Henderson

(photo below- my engine, nearly ready to be put back in a nice clean and freshly painted engine bay.)

[63r2]

Bill
There is a little steel plate with a hole in it under the battery box.
I think it goes there.
I will send you an email

pb

[wfhenderson]

I received the photos you sent -

Does the left side horn mount INSIDE the engine compartment? Or under the fender where it can only be seen from the wheel well?

Can I assume then that the hole in that little plate is for the bolt to pass through to mount the horn, and the stud is for the ground wire to mount?

Many thanks.

[bezhawk]

There should not be a stud, unless it has been modified. The plate is about 1 1/2" x 3" and is quite low on the inner fender.below the battery, above the frame.....almost opposite the fuel pump. There should be a heavy white wire with a pretty good size ring terminal on it. The mounting bolt goes through from the back side and then the horn and ground wire, and nut.

[comatus]

Don't beat yourself up on the "aptitude" thing, Bill. You can (1) have been around a lot of cars, and (2) be listening to them honk, and still have trouble finding Avanti horns. I have one that likes to work one side of its connector loose, which requires only a firm push to fix -- once you pull the supercharger.

Last year, I thought I'd just squirt a little high-quality vapor-dispersant up that snout. I used a short spray extension. The odd dynamics of the back pressure out of the "snail" popped the spray tube off (operator lying under it, upside-down and backwards as usual), and up the horn the &*%$ thing went. I had to use some specialized engineering language. Why no, as a matter of fact, I can't reach it.

It's a penalty of the otherwise inspiring shoehorn job of fitting that body around that engine. Nah, doesn't make me feel better either.

[bezhawk]

Avantis don't
truly "show thier horns" till the go pedal is pushed past the secondarys

[Retired]

When properly installed ithe bell should face down to preclude catching any water, etc. same for the passenger side. although their are factory photos out there that show the bell on the passenger side facing up. who knows?

[wfhenderson]

Thank you all!

I really appreciate the help-- and the humor. Thank you all.

[maxpower1954]

When properly installed ithe bell should face down to preclude catching any water, etc. same for the passenger side. although their are factory photos out there that show the bell on the passenger side facing up. who knows?

Yep, that's exactly right - the factory installed the passenger side (hi-tone??? I ferget!) horn with the bell up. I've looked at a 4,500 mile original '64 and that's how it was. Russ Farris

[WCP]

The passenger side horn should face down. I have never seen a factory photo showing that horn pointing up. If someone has one and can verify it as a factory photo, then please post it. From a functional standpoint, it doesn't make sense to have the horn sounding toward the hood, rather than into the open space below the car. Some R2 Avantis have replacement horns that look like the original, but have the offset in the opposite direction, causing interference with the supercharger and thus necessitating the upward pointing position. I doubt very much that the factory installed those "reverse-offset" horns. New horns can fail, even on low mileage cars and be replaced with what was available.

[jlmccuan]

I have an interesting QC sheet regarding this and my '63 R2. Their solution was to reverse the mount leaving the horn bell facing up. I'll scan and post it.

[WCP]

Jim, I'm interested in seeing that QC sheet. Does your horn have the offset to the rear when placed in the down position? If so, this would indicate that the wrong part mix-up occurred at the factory.