Posted 2010-01-23 12:50 PM (#206425) Subject: Third horn??
Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13050 Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island
Sometimes I see on E-Pain "the third horn" or "trumpet horn" for Chrysler (Imperial?). The horn seems to be very long in comparison with the original dual horns. What was this? An option? An Imperial only? How did it sound? I have been more and more curious about this and would appriciate if someone have the answers.
Posted 2010-01-24 3:31 PM (#206533 - in reply to #206531) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Location: Parts Unknown
For DeSoto, it was called "Triad Horn". I know it was available for 56-57-58, as I have owned them with this and looked it up in the parts book. My Fireflite has it. Not sure about Dodge or others.
Posted 2010-01-24 6:01 PM (#206550 - in reply to #206538) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Location: Parts Unknown
The "Triad Horn" in the above mentioned years was an option of a 3rd (additional) horn with a deep tone, giving the overall honking sound something more like what you'd expect on a tugboat or foghorn. I know a lot of these are sold on Cadillacs ... GM units of course, but even in recent times I have heard these on newer Caddies. Sadly, I have not seen a new DeSoto in quite some time, but that is another issue ! I am unaware of this long / deeper horn being offered in place of one of the two stock horns (at least in the FL era) .... it was always an additional 3rd horn, added to the two standard units.
Posted 2010-01-24 9:21 PM (#206584 - in reply to #206550) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Inactive by user's request
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Doctor DeSoto - 2010-01-24 3:01 PM
I am unaware of this long / deeper horn being offered in place of one of the two stock horns (at least in the FL era) .... it was always an additional 3rd horn, added to the two standard units.
Posted 2010-01-26 5:02 PM (#206792 - in reply to #206655) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Regular
Posts: 60 Location: Connecticut
Here's what I can add concerning the horniness of our cars. I have two
'55 Chrysler New Yorkers. The St. Regis has two of the long trumpet type
horns, one on each side of engine compartment. The other car (Newport)
has one trumpet type on the right and a smaller compact horn on the driver
side. From information I have obtained, early production cars all came with
two long trumpet horns. At some point during production, the driver side
horn was replaced with the small compact unit (Chrysler called them sea shell).
This makes sense for my cars. since the St. Regis was built in January and
the Newport in June. Evidently this set-up continued for succeeding years.
There was apparently an option for the third horn. This involved installing
a second small (sea shell) horn with a low tone mounted above the regular
driver side small horn.
Posted 2010-01-27 1:25 AM (#206847 - in reply to #206792) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Location: Parts Unknown
The three horn concept was introduced to me before I knew the details of the option. There are a lot of different "horn" configurations, some long, some bent, for different makes and years. I don't know the first thing about them outside of what is on my car and that it was an option called "Triad Horn" on DeSotos from 56 thru 58 (and likely beyond). If you start paying attention to all the different FL cars, you'll notice how many different ways they were done.
Posted 2010-01-27 11:17 AM (#206871 - in reply to #206792) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Expert
Posts: 3399 Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George)
rdtrpr - 2010-01-26 5:02 PM
Here's what I can add concerning the horniness of our cars. I have two
'55 Chrysler New Yorkers. The St. Regis has two of the long trumpet type
horns, one on each side of engine compartment. The other car (Newport)
has one trumpet type on the right and a smaller compact horn on the driver
side. From information I have obtained, early production cars all came with
two long trumpet horns. At some point during production, the driver side
horn was replaced with the small compact unit (Chrysler called them sea shell).
This makes sense for my cars. since the St. Regis was built in January and
the Newport in June. Evidently this set-up continued for succeeding years.
There was apparently an option for the third horn. This involved installing
a second small (sea shell) horn with a low tone mounted above the regular
driver side small horn.
Posted 2011-06-08 11:51 AM (#275986 - in reply to #206425) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13050 Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island
Finally got it!! It looks exactly like the one in the picture 57horn002.jpg here above. What a blast of sound - I love it!!! I will upload some pictures when I'm back home.
Posted 2011-06-08 2:23 PM (#276014 - in reply to #206425) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca
Back in 1981, I parted out a 57 NY'er 4-dr HT, for its power seat, rear defroster, rear speakers and variable speed wipers
for Horrie.
Took off other parts for resale, including its long trumpet horn. Really Kool piece.
As far as listening to our horns 'play', their tone can be adjusted (there are Hi & Lo horns) by moving their tone-screws;
forget if those adjusters are internal or external--brain fart--but they are there.
The two small guys make a wonderful sound; can only guess what a properly tuned trumpet and short guy would sound like!
Posted 2011-06-08 2:37 PM (#276016 - in reply to #276014) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146 Location: bishop, ca
AND...this is a MAJOR piece of trivia, that you will only hear, here, due to your special membership in the Forwardlook.net
(thanks to C300, for his info on it, to me, long ago)....
Those 'green marks' that you see on various horns are actually the deteriorated base of a clear-topped sticker, where
"12V" was imprinted onto the clear upper-portion.
That clear-overlay separated-off from the base, leaving only that green section.....which is what various restorers have
put onto/replicated-onto their horns, not knowing what the real-thing was supposed to be or to look like.
The stickers were to differentiate the 12's from the 6-volt horns.
Also, the proper OEM finish on our horns is a satin/semi-gloss finish; not a full-gloss black---like the radiators and core
supports have on them.
Nobody, yet, replicates those "12V" stickers, not even Gary Goers(?)
Posted 2011-06-08 3:00 PM (#276023 - in reply to #206425) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Veteran
Posts: 186
Always wondered what they were, thanks Neil! Remounted my horns this afternoon, (pic come from my collection of engine bay reference pics, the original looking one is the most interesting, no?))
Posted 2011-06-09 2:46 AM (#276088 - in reply to #276086) Subject: RE: Third horn??
Location: Parts Unknown
There was no such color name as "Satin Black".
The color was known and used industry wide as "P&A Black" ....
... "P&A" meaning "Parts & Accessories". It is the correct color for generators, brackets
road tubes, inner nose clip sheetmetal, blackout behind the grille, frames, springs, torsion
bars, rear axle housings, brake drums and backing parts, and many other items including horns.
Back when I was painting cars in the 80's, you could go to any paint supply house and
just ask for "P&A" and it was ready mixed and labeled on the shelf. Mopar Used it, GM used
it, FOMOCO used it, Nash, Hudson, Studebaker and everyone else used it in the 50's.
I might also add that the sheen was not of particular concern and varied in both original
parts and construction and in the paint I could buy 25 years later under the same name.
It seemed to me it was spec'd as just being "somewhere between" gloss and flat black and
as long as it fell between those two it was "good enough" to be "P&A Black". I was told it
had better than average corrosion resistance, hence its usage.
Posted 2011-06-09 3:13 PM (#276155 - in reply to #276148) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Location: Parts Unknown
Honestly, it has been so many years since I've done any serious work on my cars,
I don't know what I am going to find when I start again. I used to be well connected
at NAPA and the guys knew how to find stuff for my cars. Now, I go just looking for
generic wiper blades to my International and the kids behind the counter are clueless
that there was ever a non-heavy truck made by (what's that?) ... Inter-national ?
I mean, the last time I was painting, we were using lacquer ! When I have ventured
into a paint store in the last few years, they speak a whole different language ! My
spray gear is technically illegal now !
Toto, ... I don't think we're in Kansas anymore !
For a guy so into correct terms and OEM details like overspray patterns and cleared-
over "12v" stickers on the horns, you sure seem quick to blow off a genuine OEM material
for some Home Depot spray can paint color like "satin black". Just as they were not
originally gloss black, they were not satin black either. They were P&A Black, which was
closer to gloss black than it was to flat. It did have more gloss than what is known today
as a "satin" finish.
Posted 2011-06-13 7:13 PM (#276605 - in reply to #276085) Subject: RE: Third horn??
Inactive by Request
Posts: 1292 Location: Lovely place
D500Jim - 2011-06-09 8:26 AM
For D500Neil
And, here's a photo from the Archives, which shows an original satin-finish horn with the never-before-seen "12V" sticker on it.
Note that the sticker was even installed upside down, relative to the "Auto-Lite" embossment.
Actually I still have those stickers on my horns. I'm currently cleaning the engine compartment a bit and decided to renew all the seals from the engine and paint it once its out. I was thinking if I should also paint some other things too but those horns look just too good in their original patina.
Posted 2011-06-13 7:17 PM (#276607 - in reply to #206425) Subject: Re: Third horn??
Inactive by Request
Posts: 1292 Location: Lovely place
Regarding the chassis black - it is usually black color with 25%, 50% or 75% of matting agent. On chassis etc. aprts the black looks worse the shinier it gets and better the more flat it is. Finding the right shine is usually a matter of test, I guess there are plenty of users here who have replicated the color. In my still original colors all the black has lost its shine, so its 100% flat. I would estimate the correct/good looking is 25% shine on black (at least on those days it was when I was a car painter).
Posted 2012-04-29 8:42 PM (#318953 - in reply to #206425) Subject: RE: Third horn??
Veteran
Posts: 194 Location: McPherson, KS
Here's an attempt to replicate the tape found on the '56 horns. I had clear vinyl decals made with the 12V applied in them, and applied that over green electrical tape.
I had the vinyl made hopefully wide enough to provide for both what I see on the Chrysler horns (square) and the DeSoto horns (rectangular) I trimmed the tape narrow for the DeSoto horn.
I probably need to find a smaller pincher scissors.
Posted 2012-04-30 8:33 AM (#318986 - in reply to #206425) Subject: RE: Third horn??
Expert
Posts: 1357 Location: Iowa USA
I am still trying to find the front image of this horn I sold some years ago when I sold my Adventurers.
Mopar part number 1753-023 is listed as a Jubilee high note third horn for 1957-58 Chrysler and Desoto
Third horn??
triad horn.jpg (36KB - 149 downloads)
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