1956 horn wire installation

[Y-8]

I am preparing to install the steering column. Shop manual says to install horn wire after the column is installed, however, I have found several posts the suggest installing the wire before the splines are joined. I would prefer to install the wire after the column is in place.

 

[Ward 57]

A lesson I learned a long time ago about feeding wires in pipes. Air pressure. I've never done it on a steering column but forming an umbrella on the end of the wire use an air gun to push it through.

 

[radar]

I just replaced my horn wire in my 55. A couple of things.
1) before you install it, stretch the spring for the horn switch so that it makes contact with the ground
2) with hindsight, install it in the column and then through the steering box before you attach the column to the box

 

[JRH]

I did it the way Radar did it, tried it with the column attached didn't work out detached the column fed the wire through the steering box then attached the column.

 

[knuckle47]

When I did my ‘56, I had to take the column apart and out 4 times due to some other un-related problems. Each time I just slid the wire down the shaft and poked and twisted it a little until it came out of the steering box. There’s enough slack in the wire to just let it hang at the horn or at the steering box. It was easy and like I said 4 times in one day.

 

[Ward 57]

When I did my ‘56, I had to take the column apart and out 4 times due to some other un-related problems. Each time I just slid the wire down the shaft and poked and twisted it a little until it came out of the steering box. There’s enough slack in the wire to just let it hang at the horn or at the steering box. It was easy and like I said 4 times in one day.

Practice makes perfect. But usually it's the jobs we want to do only once turn into a multiple education, and then the ones you think you will have to do twice like painting a totally different color on a wall and the first coat covers perfectly.

 

[CSPIDY]

You could run a tracer string, then tie it ti the wire and pull it up or down through the column

 

[lovedoves]

Does the horn wiring connect through the voltage regulator? We installed a powergen alt and the installation involled disabling the voltage regulator. That all went well and now the horn is not working. There was one yellow wire that now is not connected to anything,is this the horn wire?

 

[dmsfrr]

Horn relay wiring.
Not 'thru' the voltage regulator but 'on' the voltage regulator.
The large yellow wire that used to be on the "B" or "Bat" terminal of the old voltage regulator connects to a main "+" Positive battery power terminal.
Unless you're working an original '55 with Positive Ground.