How do you install an air horn on a car?

Answer 1

There is no one easy answer for this, as a specific answer will depend on alot of factors including the size of your car and the available space, as well as the amount of money you're willing to spend on the system. A cheap system can be had for about $20-$30 from many auto parts stores. They usually come with a quick blast compressor, some tubing and a couple of plastic horns. You hook this system to the existing wiring for your factory car horn, mount everything securely and you're on your way. More detailed instructions are on the package. I went this route once. It doesn't sound good. The blast is very loud, and also very high pitched. Think hooking an air compressor to a bicycle horn and that's about what it sounds like. If you want that loud, deep big rig sound, you're going to have to be ready to do some work, and spend some money. A good new truck horn can run several hundred dollars. If you want a double or triple Trumpet set-up, you're likely to spend more. I would note that if you're going to mount the horn under the hood and looks aren't all that important, you might want to check ebay. I got a very good used truck horn for about $30 a few years ago, certainly far less than I would have paid for one new. The following are some very general instructions. You may find that you need to buy more supplies or mount the items in different locations depending on space and preference. Here's some of what you will need for this project: A small electric air compressor. This can be bought at most home supply stores. I have even seen them at Wal-Mart for less than $100 and it has its own tank and pressure switch. A power inverter. This device takes 12v car power and converts it to 120v house power. Get the biggest one you can afford and your car's electrical system can handle because you'll find TONS of uses for this, beyond just powering the air compressor. You can get 12 volt air compressors with tanks, but I like this set-up better. Here's where you'll need to make a choice: You can get a manual valve to blow the air horn with or you can get an electric solenoid and hook it to your cars existing horn wiring. I went with the hand valve simply because there are times when you don't want to blast 130db of air horn. This is also more work, though. You'll also want to pick up lots of hose and wire. First step is to find a place to mount the inverter. I recommend the trunk because it is weather tight, and the last thing we want is for this to get wet. You will also want to mount the air compressor somewhere nearby, also in the trunk. Now that we have mounted these two items, we can get on to the dirty business. Wire the inverter into your car's electrical system. I would recommend having it switched on and off with the car's ignition system simply so that your air compressor won't be draining your battery while the car isn't running. It's easy to forget to open the trunk and switch off the inverter. Next, find somewhere under the hood to mount your horn. You *CAN* mount it on the roof of your car but it just looks tacky and creates more work. However, roof mounting on a pick-up truck or SUV kinda makes it look cool. Having mounted the horn, find somewhere to mount your valve. If you went with the electric valve, simply mount it near your car's factory horn and wire it in so that it trips when you push your car's horn button. If you go with the manual valve, mount it somewhere easilly accessible to you, where you can run the air lines without creating too much of an eyesore. Now, run your air lines between the horn and the valve, and then between the valve and the air compressor. Check your work and tuck away all the wires and air lines. Start your car and wait for the compressor to air up. Turn off the car and check your connections for air leaks. Test your work by blowing the horn using the method you selected. That's it, you're done! Remember to check your local laws regarding noise pollution.